15 Thoughts Loves Watching the Early Orange Exodus

Clemson fans not only left early, they left empty. I understand they sold out of Chik-Fil-A in The Benz.

Raise your hand if your favorite college football team didn’t get blown out on Saturday.

In the blink of an eye another season is upon us and another glorious butt whipping of a traditional rival that will never get old. Yesterday’s game had a ton of good, a little bit of bad, but mostly positives. Let’s dig in…

Forty (that’s 40) straight regular season wins. And counting.

1. I have yet to re-watch the game, but when I do I want to pay particular attention to the first half and our struggles in establishing the run game. I really don’t know if our offensive line weren’t’ in sync, or if Clemson schemed well by crashing holes with backers and safeties. I will tell you one thing: That first half is the kind of thing a perfectionist like Kirby Smart will love to dissect over the next several days. Yeah, we won by 31 points, but those skull sessions in the various position rooms will probably be hell this week and that is glorious. By the 2nd half, we began to grind them down with the kind of depth Kirby has recruited to and Dabo has not.

2. We got a little bit banged up yesterday, especially on the defensive line which is already thin. As of this writing I don’t think there is anything too severe, but that’s very preliminary. I will say this: low blocks that could end the career of anyone on any team should carry more weight than a 15-yard penalty. The punishment should be elevated to the same level as targeting because it is the targeting of a different body part, to wit:

This could have been a disaster.

2a. Did anyone’s heart absolutely sink when Dillon Bell left the game with assistance from 2 trainers? It was just cramps. I thought he was seriously hurt.

3. We are now 6-5 in Mercedes-Benz stadium – a venue that has had an almost equal share of joy and heartbreak since it opened in 2017. We could possibly play 3 more times in this in this building before the final 2024 curtain draws. I have yet to attend a game there, but if we get to that 4th game, I’ll cash in a 401K to attend if I must.

4. Georgia’s linebackers really played well and I thought they set the edge with great discipline from the get-go. Smael Mondon looks to be just about 100% and the 2 “super sophs,” Raylen Wilson and CJ Allen, were flying around with lightning fast lateral speed. Jalon Walker had himself a game. When the replay is aired this week, pay attention to him. Six tackles, 3 solos, 1.5 sacks and 1.5 tackles for loss. Manimal. But what do you expect from any Georgia player named Walker?

5. There were a few parallels you could draw when looking back to Georgia’s 10-3 victory of Clemson in 2021…at least in the first half. It was a defensive struggle and the Tigers were tough against the run early on. In the end, Clemson only gained 188 yards of total offense; in 2021 only 180. I’m not about to say the 2024 iteration of the Georgia defense is as good as 2021, but I don’t think Clemson is a bad offensive football team. Maybe Georgia’s defense is all that and a biscuit.

6. Malakai Starks, ladies and gentlemen.

Yesterday’s pick was perhaps better than the one against Oregon in 2022. Starks is the best safety in America, y’all. Chip in his 2 solo tackles and physical coverage. Cade Klubnik was very loathe to throw his way and when he did he regretted it. Clemson had only 2 real chunk plays the whole day: a perfectly thrown ball to Clemson’ best deep-threat, Antonio Williams in the first quarter and an excellent one-handed catch by their tight end to set up Clemson’s only score. Freshman K.J. Bolden had a nice game, too. He already looks like he’s playing without thinking too much and finished the day with 4 solo tackles,

7. With Trevor Etienne suspended for a game, Georgia entered the contest already down a back with Roderick Robinson’s turf toe injury and subsequent surgery. Branson Robinson started the game and struggled. Much of it was Clemson’s scheme, especially early on. Perhaps Robinson is still feeling his way back after missing all of last season with a ruptured patellar tendon. The fact he’s back and playing at all is a minor miracle. Branson is a bull and the kind of back that’ll grind down a team late. There is much value in that. But that freshman from California? He’s different. Enter Nate Frazier.

We’ve got something very special here. He needs to work on his receiving skills a bit, but ‘My God, a Freshman!’ He has an inNate ability to see a hole developing, is shifty and fast. My favorite play might’ve been when the turf monster tripped him up as he appeared to have gotten the edge and was probably going to score. The sideline was cracking up. Just don’t do that in a game that’s close. On GameDay, Nick Saban called Frazier the “best back” coming out of high school last year. Hey, who am I to argue with the GOAT? Turns out, all that August buzz was valid.

8. Running back depth is so vital to the success of any team. Nate Frazier is getting most of the love this morning and rightly so, but I gotta’ tell you I was really impressed with Cash Jones. He score on a tough tightrope run down the sideline showed incredible body control. Jones isn’t just a dude who spells someone. He’s a weapon. Kirby praised a key blitz pickup after the game and I’ve searched the interwebs to find a clip but cannot. Feel free to post if you see it.

9. Carson Beck calmly completed 23 of 33 passes for 278 yards and 2 scores for an average of 8.4 per play. He did miss a probable touchdown to Dom Lovett on a crossing pattern in the first half, but that’ll get fixed. After he calmed himself down, he settled in and was typically effective and efficient.

File this play away. There is a lot of goodness going on here.

10. Arian Smith was targeted 5 times on the afternoon with good results. Mike Bobo is absolutely going to work him into the plan and defenses must respect his speed. This will open up a ton of things in the intermediate game. If Smith can stay healthy he’s truly poised to breakout.

11. How about the transfer production? Colbie Young’s (by way of Miami, FL) touchdown in the corner on a perfectly thrown ball after the half is a good omen, especially in the red zone. He’s been battling a hamstring thing, so it was good to get him going.

London Humphreys (Vandy) led all receivers in yards (2 catches/63 yards and a score) and has a burst that reminds me of someone.

12. Lawson Luckie led all tight ends with 2 receptions for 37 yards. Didn’t see too much of Oscar Delp, perhaps by design as he was counted on in run support I assume. Ben Yurosek had a few “welcome to the SEC” moments. After his head quits spinning, he’ll settle down and figure it out. That tight-end film room should have a few talking points this week.

13. As a whole, the offense was effective but a few tweaks here ‘n there will commence. Carson Beck had an average first half but found his typical groove in the 2nd half and much of his production came without his go-to guy, Dillon Bell. The offensive line began to gel as well as the game grew long-in-the-tooth, but overall I’m sure they are somewhat disappointed in their performance. Clemson has a good defense. Ultimately, we wore them down.

The Dagger

14. Special teams were spectacular. Brett Thorson kicked more in the first half than he did all last year (seemingly), and pinned Clemson deep inside their 20 on 3 different occasions. Peyton Woodring nailed a long 55-yard field goal on a day where Kevin Butler was honored 40-years after his 60 and a half yard (“were gonna try and kick it 100,000 miles”) kick that beat Clemson in 1984. I was there and still remember it like it was yesterday. Anthony Evans III is sure handed (and a little bit of a daredevil) when fielding punts, but is confident. I’m confident he’s going to break a long one or two before this season is over.

15. Georgia wasn’t going to lose this game, despite the first half struggles. We have the ingredients for a deep playoff run but have to get healthy, particularly on the defensive line. Next week, Tennessee Tech comes to town so I suspect we’ll rest some guys.

On a day when Georgia hardly played their best football we just whipped the #14 team by 31 points. Good times, y’all.

BONUS THOUGHTS:

• Perhaps the most entertaining game of the day that no one saw was Vandy’s upset of Virginia Tech. I watched the 4th quarter and overtime. Good on you, ‘Dores.

• Oh, Florida. Just when I thought you couldn’t get any lower you exceed my expectations. Miami punched them in the mouth and the Gators just melted. I don’t know if Billy Napier will make it to the Cocktail Party or not, but the only way to permanently fix the Gators is to give him a lifetime contract.
• I could make fun of Florida for days. In fact, I think I will. Living down here in the Swamps of Broward amongst the 2- and 4-legged Gator the roam our local canals and grocery stores instills a certain kind of hate that just can’t be taught. But it’s a long season (longer for others), and I must pace myself. I have a feeling it’ll get a whole lot worse and I’m here for every bit of it.

• I fell asleep at halftime of the Notre Dame – TAMU game. What did I miss?
• South Carolina Football, y’all…

• Saturday feature a bunch of blowouts and very few surprises. I guess Michigan was underwhelming in their victory. Iowa scored more points yesterday (40) than they have in the last 3 seasons.

That’s all I’ve got.

As Always, GO DAWGS!