The bite is back for the Georgia Bulldogs.
Having ground their jaw all off-season over their untimely loss in last year’s SEC Championship Game, the NCAA football kings of 2022 and ’23 returned Saturday to the gridiron to show they’ve still got teeth.
Plenty of them, too, as the No. 1 Bulldogs (1-0) destroyed the No. 14 Clemson Tigers (0-0) 34-3 to kickoff the calendar.
“I liked our adjustments,” Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart told ESPN’s Molly McGrath post-game, talking about both the off-season tweaks and the in-game efforts of his team. “I think our coaching staff did a great job offensively. The defence played with a relentless effort.
“We talked a long time about playing this team,” continued Smart. “You gotta out-physical them, you gotta out-hustle them, and you gotta out-discipline them. And I thought we did all three of those. I was really proud of our guys.”
The game was billed as a biggie to help ignite the pigskin season, but Clemson — which was held to just 188 yards — seems to still be a shadow of its former self in trying to return to the ranks of powerhouse in the NCAA.
That after head coach Dabo Swinney drawing major criticism for not using the transfer portal more in reloading for another shot at success.
The critique continued Saturday aplenty during and after the loss.
“Dabo Swinney better start getting familiar with that transfer portal,” wrote @Smoove_702 on X.com.
“How far down will the Clemson administration allow Dabo Swinney to drive the Clemson Program with his little temper tantrum against the transfer portal?” posted @SorenPetro.
“Fire Dabo tonight!!! — lifelong Clemson fan,” X’d @RonBurgandy420.
Meanwhile, Smart is still feeling the love, as he watched QB — and Heisman Trophy contender — Carson Beck throw for 278 yards and touchdowns to Colbie Young and London Humphreys.
Nate Frazier had the other Bulldogs’ TD with a one-yard run.
That makes it 40 straight regular-season wins for Georgia, which only lost once in trying to three-peat as national kings last winter. That came in the SEC title tilt — a 27-24 drop to No. 8 Alabama to knock it from contention for the final four.
With that in mind, the mission is clear, says Smart.
“Win the next one.”
SECOND & LONG
Colour us impressed with QB Cam Ward and No. 19 Miami (1-0) after a 41-17 drowning of host Florida (0-1) in The Swamp. We didn’t think it was possible — Miami is always over-hyped — but Heisman-guy Ward & Co. sunk our Best Bet selection with ease, showing why they could well win the expanded ACC. They showed Saturday they have weapons, scoring more points on a Florida team than anyone ever in 117 years of home openers. Ooof! Ward completed 26-of-35 passes for 385 yards and three TDs against one INT… Best T-shirt Saturday at The Swamp? ‘I Miss Tim Tebow.’ Good God, do the Swamp People ever, since they haven’t seen a truly strong QB — sorry, Anthony Richardson — since the 2007 Heisman winner and two-time national champ. And now FLA’s lost starting QB Graham Mertz, who got knocked out of the Week 1 loss … No. 7 Notre Dame (1-0) knocked off No. 20 Texas A&M (0-1) 23-13 in an as-advertised slobberknocker. The Damer defence held the hosts to just 232 total yards in the marquee evening match-up … Of the nation’s other top-ranked teams: No. 2 Ohio State (1-0) turned it up late in the game for four second-half TDs in a 45-6 dump of Akron (0-1); No. 3 Oregon (0-0) hosted FCS-side Idaho (0-0); No. 4 Texas (1-0) took care of visiting Colorado State (0-1) 52-0, with QB Arch Manning getting in some late-game action; No. 5 Alabama (1-0) goose-egged visiting Western Kentucky (0-1) 63-0; and No. 6 Ole Miss (1-0) blasted FCS-side Furman (0-1) 76-0.
THIRD & GOAL
No. 8 Penn State (1-0) hasn’t lost to West Virginia (0-1) since 1988, going 6-0 in that time with Week 1’s 34-12 decision in Morgantown being the latest celebration. QB Drew Allar threw for 216 yards and three TDs — two of them to dynamic receiver Harrison Wallace III, who racked up 117 yards. And running back Nicholas Singleton rushed for 114 yards and a TD … New year, same solid defence for No. 25 Iowa (1-0), but Kirk Ferentz’s team did find a whack of offence — including 34 in the second half — smoking FCSer Illinois State (0-1) 40-0. That came without the 26th-year head coach, who was banned for the game for a recruiting contract violation … RB Ashton Jeanty scored a whopping six TDs in a 267-yard rushing game for Boise State (1-0), which knocked off host Georgia Southern (0-1) 56-45 … Also Saturday: No. 9 Michigan (1-0) dropped visiting Fresno State (0-1) 30-10; No. 15 Tennessee (1-0) torpedoed FCS-side Chattanooga (0-1) 69-3; No. 17 Oklahoma State (1-0) dropped FCS-powerhouse South Dakota State (0-1) 44-20; and No. 18 Kansas State (0-0) topped FCSer UT Martin (0-0) … Late Saturday saw No. 21 Arizona (0-0) host New Mexico (0-1).
FOURTH & INCHES
Remember that kickoff weekend includes a Sunday feature — No. 23 USC (0-0) versus No. 13 LSU (0-0) in Las Vegas (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC/TSN2) — and a Monday tilt — No. 10 Florida State (0-1) hosting Boston College (0-0) in Tallahassee (7:30 p.m. ET, TSN2) … Earlier in the week, it was: No. 11 Missouri (1-0) wrecking visiting FCS-side Murray State (0-1) 51-0; No. 12 Utah (1-0) and seventh-year(!) QB Cam Rising shutting out visiting FCSer Southern Utah (0-1) 49-0; No. 16 Oklahoma (1-0) throttling visiting Temple (0-1) 51-3; No. 22 Kansas (1-0) cutting down visiting FCS-side Lindenwood (0-1) 48-3; and No. 24 NC State (1-0) surviving FCSer Western Carolina (0-1) 38-21 … It’s now a six-man desk on ESPN College GameDay, with Lee Corso rejoining the team for his 38th year and legendary coach Nick Saban drawing in for his debut. Corso put on a leprechaun outfit for his pick of Notre Dame, and Saban was all smiles all morning. “I’ve never been in anything like this,” Saban said late in the program. “So much fun.” GameDay is fun, for sure.
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