Kirby Smart's ferocious Georgia Bulldogs defense completely dominated a hapless Clemson Tigers offense, earning a huge 10-3 victory to get their season started off right.
The No. 5 Bulldogs held the No. 3 Tigers to a paltry 180 total yards of offense, with 2 yards coming on the ground. Clemson legend Trevor Lawrence was in the building to see his successor, D.J. Uiagalelei, get sacked seven times and throw a devastating pick-6 that proved to be the difference.
After the game, Smart explained just how Georgia was able to stymie Clemson's offensive attack:
Kirby Smart: 💬 "I knew we'd be pretty good and we are pretty deep. There's a lot of speed on the field. Dan (Lanning) did a great job calling the game tonight. I think we confused them."
— 960 The Ref (@960theref) September 5, 2021
The Bulldogs certainly “confused” Uiagalelei all night long. The Clemson star entered this season as one of the top candidates for the Heisman Trophy, but that candidacy might already be dead thanks to his dreadful performance on Saturday night. He completed just 19 out of 37 passes for 178 yards and that crushing interception, which was returned for a touchdown by Christopher Smith in the second quarter.
The Tiger were just never able to get anything going, a far cry from their days with Lawrence and Travis Etienne starring in recent years. Even Uiagalelei was dominant in relief of Lawrence last season, but it couldn't have been a different story in Charlotte.
Smart acknowledged his offense still has a long way to go, but if this Bulldogs defense plays like this all season, George is a legitimate national title contender.
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