Georgia overpowers Clemson 34-3 in season opener

ATLANTA — The top ranked Georgia Bulldogs scored 28 points in the second half, rolling over the 14th ranked Clemson Tigers 34-3 in the Aflac Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

This win makes it 40 consecutive regular season wins for the Bulldogs, improving their record to 7-0 in season openers under head coach Kirby Smart.

Smart loved what he saw from his team in the win.

“Anytime you play in Atlanta in this facility (Mercedes-Benz Stadium) where you’re playing another top-15, top-20 matchup, to me it feels like a playoff game,” Smart said after the game. “It’s a great way to assess where you are as a team. You want to be playing your best towards the end of the year and one of the best barometers is to get quality wins.”

Offense was at a premium in the first half for both teams. The Bulldogs outgained the Tigers 160-76 in total offense but managed to take a 6-0 lead into halftime.

Quarterback Carson Beck was confident in the offense ability to execute in the second half.

“I think coming out in the first quarter, maybe there was a little bit of nerves, maybe guys were trying to get warmed into the game,” Beck said. “Once we got in the second half and saw what they were doing against us, we just kind of deciphered which ways we wanted to attack them and tried to be a little bit aggressive (and) I think we did a really good job of that.”

Georgia grinds down Clemson in the second half

The Bulldogs scored on the first drive after halftime. Beck threw a fade to senior Colbie Young for an eight yard touchdown pass.

The Tigers marched downfield on the ensuing drive. However, they settled for a 26-yard field goal by Nolan Hauser. It would cutting the Bulldogs lead to 13-3 with 6:34 remaining in the third quarter. Consequently, it would be the last time Clemson would score.

The Bulldogs responded on the next drive. Freshman running back Nate Frazier scored on a one-yard touchdown run, pushing the lead to 17. Frazier finished the game with 11 carries for 83 yards as the Bulldogs scored twice to finish the game.

“At the end of the day, we got to fight, finish,” said Clemson defensive lineman Peter Woods. “It’s a long season ahead. There’s no hope for a better yesterday, but there’s hope for us to do something about it tomorrow and the day after that and the days to come. That’s kind of how we’re approaching that.”

Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck finished 23-33, throwing for 278 yards and two touchdowns. He improves to 14-1 as a starter and 6-1 against ranked opponents.

“First of all, congrats to Georgia,” said Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney. “It was a good first half. Tough, hard-fought first half. Then they just freaking kicked our tails in the second half. Congrats to them. They’re a great team. They’ve been a great team. They showed in the third and fourth quarter what it looks like.”

Georgia will host Tennessee Tech next Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

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