Georgia Falls to Clemson, 38-35, in Season Opener

Aug 31, 2013; Clemson, SC, USA; Clemson Tigers quarterback Tajh Boyd (right) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown in the first quarter against the Georgia Bulldogs at Clemson Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

It was a game filled with fireworks, but when the excitement stopped, the Georgia Bulldogs were on the wrong side of the scoreboard in a 38-35 loss.

Tahj Boyd threw for 270 yards and 3 touchdowns (while rushing for 42 yards and 2 touchdowns), and Roderick McDowell rushed for 132 yards on 22 carries to lead the Clemson offense over a porous UGA defense. Boyd looked to be in command throughout the night, but the bigger surprise was the fact that Georgia couldn’t seem to tackle McDowell and company on the ground.

Clemson’s offensive strength has always been the combination of Boyd and wide receiver Sammy Watkins, but the ground game really grinded against the Georgia defense. Speaking of Watkins, the receiver followed up a 75-yard touchdown run by Todd Gurley with a 77-yard reception, and it was the lone huge play by the Clemson passing game.

For Georgia, the strengths were numerous despite the loss. Sophomore running back Todd Gurley was absolutely tremendous throughout the game, despite having to leave for a brief moment with injury. Gurley needed only 12 carries to notch 154 yards on the ground, and he finished with two touchdowns including the aforementioned 75-yarder. There could be an argument brimming that Gurley’s quick absence affected the outcome, but he was so tremendous when on the field, it is hard to see that his very brief absence affected the final score.

In addition to Gurley’s excellence, the young wide receiving corps for Georgia also excelled at times. Chris Conley, Michael Bennett, Justin Scott-Wesley, and Rantavious Wooten each had 45+ yards through the air, and the group really helped Aaron Murray at times, by providing wide passing windows. Unfortunately, Murray didn’t always capitalize.

The 5th-year senior quarterback visibly struggled at times, and frankly, didn’t do anything to remove the label that he falters in big games. Murray had multiple delay of game penalties on the night, failed to throw a touchdown pass (he did rush for the final touchdown), and committed both turnovers (1 fumble, 1 interception) on the night. In his (admittedly minor) defense, the offensive line play was woeful at times, and that certainly didn’t benefit Murray’s play. He wasn’t an abject disaster at any point, but it wasn’t the Heisman-type performance that many expected.

In the grand scheme, this was the game that Georgia could “afford” to lose. Granted, that doesn’t appease the feelings of any fan of the Bulldogs, but with the SEC slate in front of them, a season-opening, non-conference loss isn’t one that doubles as a season-ender. Georgia will be at home next Saturday to square off with South Carolina, and they’ll need a much better performance from both Aaron Murray and the defense as a whole in order to get a victory.