Subscribe
Follow Us
The college football season is now upon us and one of the highlights of Week 1 is Clemson football taking on Georgia football on Saturday. This is a classic matchup that should be very exciting.
Ahead of kick-off, Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney spoke to the College GameDay panel and revealed why he loves that his team is faced with such a difficult task early in the season:
“I love it, I love it. If you really study us, we've played in a lot of these games as openers, and that's exactly what it does, it brings a level of intensity,” Swinney said. “The first game is always exciting but this is what it will feel like in the playoff in December right here, it's just got that type of feel, there's a lot of talent on the field, you gotta play every play with the focus and details that play deserves because it could be one play, or two plays. So it's just that level of intensity and focus and we felt that all through the spring and summer and into fall camp and now it's finally here and we're ready to go.”
Clemson football is a double-digit underdog for the first time since 2014 and finished last year with a disappointing 9-4 record, the first time they failed to reach 10 victories in 14 years. Given how prestigious these two programs are, however, Saturday's matchup will have a College Football Playoff feel, especially since they're playing at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Can Clemson football bounce back?
On both sides of the ball, Clemson is looking strong. Cade Klubnik returns at quarterback to lead the offense and he'll have a couple of new weapons in TJ Moore and Bryant Wesco, with the latter an ex-five-star prospect. Klubnik's offensive line also returns several starters, which is a promising sign.
Defensively, the Tigers are also in good shape with a strong secondary group after losing a few players to the NFL. That being said, Georgia is absolutely no pushover and although they missed out on the CFP last season, the Bulldogs went 13-1 and embarrassed Florida State in their bowl game.
Clemson will go as far as Klubnik can take them. He threw for 2,844 yards and 19 touchdowns against nine interceptions in the 2023 campaign. Georgia HC Kirby Smart knows the threat Klubnik poses to the Bulldogs:
“He's played a lot of football for a guy that age,” Smart said. “Has the ability to scramble, make plays on his feet, has more weapons around him. I think he's a lot more comfortable now in their offense.”
Clemson football is currently ranked No. 14 in the nation, while Georgia is the top dog. Aside from Klubnik, running back Phil Mafah will be a crucial player for the Tigers after rushing for nearly 1,000 yards a year ago. We'll see if he can do some damage in Week 1. Meanwhile, Bulldogs transfer Trevor Etienne won't play here after his DUI in the spring. Clemson will be happy about that because he is an electric runner.
Kick-off is scheduled for 12 PM ET. It should be a good one.
