Georgia's dominant opening win against Clemson also came with an epic interception from Malaki Starks in the fourth quarter. With 9:26 left in the game, Starks made a leaping interception against Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik that looked familiar to the one he had against Oregon in 2022. Everyone was in awe about the interception, including Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart, who compared Starks to Champ Bailey after the game.

“When Champ was a freshman we were in 42, people don’t remember it, he would play middle field safety and he had range that was unheard of,” Smart said. “He could go from sideline to sideline and he made some diving plays and extended his body.

“Malaki is very similar to that in terms of his ability to play man-to-man, his ability to play safety. He can go out and play corner if he had to. He’s just a tremendous athlete but with all that accolades, he’s one of the most humble, great kids I’ve ever been around.”

Smart has seen a lot of amazing plays in his career, but he had no choice but to rank Starks' interception at the top of his list, and even his teammate was impressed.

“I do think the play he made today is one of the best defensive plays I've ever seen in person,” Smart said. I've seen a lot of them on TV, but that one he twisted and contorted his body, and how he could go find that ball and get it is pretty special.”

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“I looked, and I seen him twist and catch that ball, and I just took off in a sprint. That’s probably my fastest GPS time I probably had all game,” Jason Walker said. “That was insane. That was an incredible catch.”

Georgia dominates Clemson in opening game rout

Malaki Starks' interception was the only turnover of the game, but it was important as Georgia defeated Clemson 34-3. It was the second half that doomed Clemson, getting outscored 28-3. Georgia showed that they'll be a dangerous team once again this season and that a new playoff format won't stop them from trying to win another national championship.

Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart felt like it was a good way to open the season and see where his team stands, and starting strong could go a long way toward where they are at the end of the year.

“To me, it feels like a playoff game,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “It's a great way to try to assess where you are as a team. No longer do you have to win every game (because of the expanded playoff). But you do want to be playing your best at the end of the year. One of the ways to do that is to get quality wins.”