The Georgia Bulldogs played solid football on Saturday. It wasn’t perfect, but it was significantly better than what the Clemson Tigers played.

Kirby Smart’s team did just enough to stay ahead and out of trouble in the first half before the offense got going and punished the Tigers’ defense efficiently and effectively en route to a 34-3 victory.

The game was Clemson’s first loss by 30+ points since 2013. And it wasn’t a casual blowout loss. It was a quarter-for-quarter dominance. Georgia mustered 447 yards of total offense, 278 of which came off the arm of Carson Beck.

The Jacksonvillain(tm) completed 23 of 33 passes for a pair of touchdown passes. It will likely come as a surprise to Clemson fans that the receivers who caught Carson Beck’s touchdown passes, Colbie Young and London Humphrey, were each transfer portal additions. For fans who find Dabo Swinney’s resistance to the transfer portal a burden, this likely didn’t help matters.

Much of the first half felt like Mike Bobo was playing with his food, mixing up formations and moves to test the Tigers’ defense. But in the second half, he went for the kill early and often. While the running game was mediocre in the first half, it found another gear in the second, thanks in part to freshman Nate Frazier. The freshman earned praise during camp and confirmed the rumors this afternoon, rushing for 83 yards on 11 carries to lead all Bulldog rushers. As Coach Smart told Molly McGrath after the game regarding Frazier, “we’re not crowning anybody yet.” But Frazier figures to be a permanent fixture in the rotation, even with Trevor Etienne returning.

We knew going into the season that Carson Beck would have a lot of weapons to choose from. Who would have thought he would use them all in Week 1? Beck completed passes to nine different receivers that day. Vandy transfer London Humphrey led all receivers with 65 yards on two catches, including that electric 40-yard touchdown pass. Arian Smith wasn’t far behind, grabbing 56 yards on five receptions.

Colbie Young did exactly what Kirby Smart brought him to Athens to do: make a contested catch in the red zone for a touchdown. Kirby Smart’s judicious approach to the transfer portal has always been about finding guys with specific skills that will make his team better. Young already appears ready for the assignment.

If there was a surprise, it might be that Oscar Delp was only targeted twice and had no receptions. I don’t expect that to last, and the Bulldog offense will be even more dangerous with him around.

The Bulldogs’ defense deserves its own credit. Even when the offense faltered in the first half, it never looked like Clemson was a serious threat to get going on offense. The Tigers finished with a disappointing 188 yards of total offense, including an anemic 46 yards on 23 carries on the ground. While Georgia didn’t push the Tigers forward early, it started to feel as the game went on like the Dawgs were slowly taking over the line of scrimmage. Against a Clemson that might be the best we’ve seen outside of Alabama and Texas, that’s a good sign.

In many ways, this game was exactly what you want to see from a season opener against a top 15 opponent. Clemson challenged the Dawgs and exposed some areas that need improvement. But if you’re Kirby Smart, you have to feel like the pieces are there for this team to come together and be very good. Until later…

Come on, mates!!!