ATLANTA — In a hard-fought battle that remained close in the first half, No. 1 Georgia secured a dominant 34-3 victory over No. 14 Clemson during the Aflac Kickoff Game held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Linebacker Wade Woodaz stood out defensively for Georgia, registering a career-high eight tackles, including seven solo efforts and one for loss. For Clemson, sophomore defensive lineman Peter Woods contributed significantly with 2.5 tackles for loss. On the offensive side, Antonio Williams led Clemson with six catches for 76 yards, achieving his second-highest single-game receiving total.
The first quarter ended without a score as both teams exchanged punts across the initial series. The scoring began in the second quarter with a 30-yard field goal from Georgia’s Peyton Woodring, putting them ahead 3-0 with 8:49 left in the half. Woodring followed that with a 55-yard field goal to increase Georgia’s advantage to 6-0, which they maintained until halftime after a first half that featured only 50 total plays, 10 first downs, and eight punts.
In the second half, Georgia extended its lead to 13-0, courtesy of a seven-yard touchdown pass from Carson Beck to Colbie Young. This was Georgia’s first offensive touchdown against Clemson in more than 100 minutes of play across their last three matchups.
Clemson responded on their first drive of the third quarter with a 26-yard field goal from freshman Nolan Hauser, making it 13-3. However, Georgia further solidified its lead with a one-yard touchdown run from Nate Frazier, pushing the score to 20-3.
With just under ten minutes remaining in the game, Georgia’s London Humphreys caught a 40-yard touchdown pass from Beck, stretching the lead to 27-3. A crucial interception by Malaki Starks set the stage for Cash Jones to add a final 15-yard rushing touchdown, concluding the match at 34-3.
Looking ahead, Clemson will prepare for its home opener against the Appalachian State Mountaineers on Saturday, September 7. The game, designated as Football Reunion Day & First Responders Day, is set to kick off at 8 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on the ACC Network. Ticket packages for this and other home games at Memorial Stadium are available for fans.