Hold that Tigger – Clemson preview

Posted on by

We have finally arrived. The last time our Dawgs were on the field, Georgia was taking the “Unconquered” behind the woodshed for a 63-3 embarrassment that could have been worse … much worse. The last time the Tiggers were on the field, they were squeaking by an unranked SEC team we beat by 38. At noon on Saturday, the two teams get together at noon on the turf of Mercedes Benz Stadium to renew the rivalry.

I can’t write a preview this week without mentioning some of our content creator in perpetuity’s greatest hits when it comes to the Greater Anderson Cow College:

When the bandwagon breaks
At Clemson, it might be time to beat the rush.
Number One in the Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda Poll
Meanwhile, at Clemson
“G-Day made it obvious that Clemson football will be better everywhere else.”

For more from the Senator on Saturday’s opponent: https://blutarsky.wordpress.com/category/clemson-auburn-with-a-lake/.

When Georgia Has the Ball

Earlier in the week, I mentioned red zone conversion rate as an interesting statistic from last year. The Dawgs were almost automatic to put up a score after entering the red zone while the Tigers’ defense struggled to keep points off the board when away from Howard’s Rock. The issue is that the Tiger defense doesn’t typically give opponents many opportunities in a game to get into the red zone. In the Tigers’ 4 losses in 2023, opponents’ red zone conversion percentage was 100%.

What does all of that mean? If Georgia’s offensive line is able to do enough against the Clemson defense to sustain drives and get into the red zone, I don’t think Clemson has much of a chance to make this a game as Georgia likely gets into the 30s where the Dawgs have been practically unbeatable in the Smart era.

How can this happen? 1st down success and 3rd down conversions. All of this comes down to how successful the Dawgs’ offensive line is in moving the line of scrimmage on run downs and keeping Carson Beck upright in the passing game. All of the chatter is that Trevor Etienne will not play against his older brother’s college team due to suspension and Rod Robinson is not going to be available due to toe surgery (practically guaranteed). If #1 doesn’t play, can Branson Robinson hold up in his first action since last year’s pre-season knee injury and Nate Frazier be able to pass protect when needed? If Beck gets time to throw, I believe he will carve up the Clemson secondary.

When Clemson Has the Ball

This game may be the biggest game former 5-star QB Cade Klubnik has played in since arriving in the South Carolina Upstate. Can the Georgia defense take away the Clemson rushing attack and rattle Klubnik as they did DJ Ukulele in 2021? If so, it could be a long afternoon for the Tigers in Atlanta. That means the Georgia defensive line has to improve against the run over last year’s effort. Saturday is not a day for the Georgia defense to sit back and allow the Clemson offense to dictate as we did in our last appearance in the Benz. The defense needs to be ready to attack the Clemson offense from the moment they get off the bus even it means taking a risk of exposing a young but talented secondary in coverage.

What Will Happen

Georgia wants to get off to a fast start on both sides of the ball. Clemson likely wants to shorten the game and keep the Georgia offense on the sideline and their stout defense fresh. I do think Georgia is better in totality across the lines of scrimmage and has a clear advantage at quarterback. I believe we see a Georgia team that is still salty after getting left out of the playoff last year. That probably doesn’t bode well for the Tiggers. The Dawgs win a game that isn’t as close as the final score indicates and shows the country in the first TV window that the road to the national championship is going to go through Athens at some point in the season.

Final Score: Georgia 31, Clemson 20

This entry was posted in Clemson: Auburn with a Lake, Gameday, SEC, UGA and tagged , , , by eethomaswfnc. Bookmark the permalink.

About eethomaswfnc

I've been a Dawg my entire life. UGA was always my dream school where I received 2 Terry College degrees and met my DGD wife. I've been a season ticket holder for over 30 years and love the in-stadium experience over anything from Section HD. My first game in Sanford Stadium was the 1981 Auburn game where we clinched the SEC championship. The best game I've attended in person was the Midnight Miss against Ohio State (nite, nite!). The best home games I've attended were the 1984 Clemson game (the Butler did it) and the 2013 LSU game (that 4th down is still the loudest single moment I've experienced between the hedges). The game I love to win is against the Handbags (FTMF), and the game I hate to lose is the NATS (Tuck Fech).

33 thoughts on “Hold that Tigger – Clemson preview”

  1. Good Guys 38

    Clempzun 14

    Beck tosses 245

    BRob grinds up 135

    Frazier debuts for 80

    The front seven has a coming out party. Williams and the LB’s go off on pass rush and force throw for a pick at some point to one of the younger DB’s ala Malaki v Oregon.

    That’s my story and I’m sticking to it .

  2. Incredible post.

    The links to the old Senator’s work on the game is especially nice since this rivalry meant a lot to him. Very well done.

    I have to say that before the season even starts, you’ve done a spectacular job making this feel like the same comfortable and wonderful place where we all met online.

    The Senator would be so damn proud that his legacy lives on. Thank you so much.

    • All thanks goes to Otis as our fearless leader and his willingness to keep the lantern lit in the spirit of the Senator.

      Jpmcdonough gets the credit for the great work he is doing daily.

      • Indeed. My appreciation was directed not only to you but to everyone behind the site an Otis in particular.

        I am incredibly thankful.

        *high5 Otis*

  3. Solid preview, EE. And nice clips from the good Senator. I won’t predict anything except this: Dawgs Win, baby!

  4. Well done sir. We all appreciate the effort you put into this to keep the Senator’s legacy going and to keep us entertained and tuned in to the dawgs, especially this Clemmons preview. Here’s to a great season of football and this Dawg blawg.

    Merry football season everyone. So it begins.

    • Edit to add that this post was directed at EE, Otis, Jpmcdonough and everyone else keeping this thing going.

  5. Holy Dawg Shit it’s almost here…GATA Boys GATA…our beloved Junkyard Dawgs score 42, the urnge neutered felines 10…our D runs amuck in Klempzen’s line of scrimmage, Bobo and Beck perform so well that honest Heisman hype begins…and by 2 p.m. cst , I am physically and mentally in a state of nirvana…all will be right with the world

    Go Dawgs, Beat clemson

    • Here’s one for ya Froze! And an h/t to our long lost leader, I know for a fact he was a Replacements fan.

      Gotta admit reading the commentariat from GTP got me a little misty. I miss the hell out of Bluto and RangerRuss.

  6. Dawgs 44 – Clemson 18

    Clemson TD late and they fail the 2pt try

    Dawgs only get FG’s to end 1st Half & start 2nd Half (and Kirby goes on an epic ass chewing about it)

    Figure a defensive score = Stackhouse recovers strip/sack fumble in endzone

    New secondary bends all game but never breaks in RedZone

    Beck 3TDs & 1 pick

    Frazier with a late 40+ yd housecall to generate buzz

  7. 27-17 Dawgs. I’d speculate on details but every time I do, the game plays out completely differently.

  8. Great review. My inner Munson is worried about their big heavy RB. Yes they will try to pound the ball and shorten the game, similar to the Marks Stoops mold @ Ky.
    Dawg should have enough in the tank to get a 10+ point win.
    key for me is more takeaways than giveaways.

    to honor the good Senator must tell my Clemson story.

    My father graduated from Clemson around ‘56 so he got in on the first years of IPTAY. He was a hard working man as a Mail carrier and after his Mail route, farmer. His type 1 traits did not serve him well in his short life dying of a heart attach at age 35. I was 5 years old at the time. He also helped coach football locally. He was a Vince Lombardi worshiper. Sorry there is some dusting flying around in the room. All that to say I grew up going to Clemson on Saturdays. I was in the gator bowl when Woody Hayes punched Charlie Baughman.
    My Georgia connection started when I attended the ‘78 or ‘79 Georgia Clemson game In Athens, Dawgs won, I was 16 years old and turned an ankle on Friday night so I was hobbling around Athens on crutches. Some nice frat boys help us park our car before the game. After the game we found our car ten deep in the frat parking lot, checked into the Holiday inn, retrieved the car abound 6 in the morning and drove back home. I was in love with Athens and UGA from that time on.

    Go DAWGS

    auburn will forever suck.

    .

    • I was a student in 78 and 79. Sitting on the tracks. We hated Clemson fans because y’all spray painted orange paw prints on everything. But it was a good natured kind of hate. You loved your team and you travelled well. Clemson wasn’t too far away so there were a bunch of you in town. Some of you without tickets ventured up to the tracks. I can’t say everyone was as hospitable towards y’all as I was. Sometimes things could rowdy up there. But it was fun. And certainly memorable.

      • I was along for the adventure. We bought 2 ticket and a press pass to get in. Sat on the grass between the north side stands and Sanford Drive. Grabbed a couple burgers from the Bulldog Room. The game is a blur but the adventure created memories that caused me to apply and get accepted to UGA in the fall of ‘81.

        • These stories make this site great. I also enrolled in ‘81. Kay Flowers was my orientation guide…woof! She went on to a career in broadcasting.

Comments are closed.