Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart addressed the Bulldogs’ injury situation after the Clemson game.

Georgia All-SEC linebacker Mykel Williams left the game with an what appeared to be ankle injury. “Was an ankle,” said Smart. “And Mykel’s X-rays, they looked good, but I’ve seen that before, so we’ve got to go check it when we get home and see.”

Williams would be a significant loss for Georgia if he is forced to miss any time. He is projected to be a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft and is arguably Georgia’s top pass rusher.

Georgia defensive lineman Warren Brinson entered the game with an Achilles issue. Brinson left the game early in the first half with a leg injury and did not return.

“Warren’s (Brinson) was more of a contusion of some kind. I don’t want to say high ankle, but it was above the ankle,” noted Smart. “It was more calf, in there where he got stepped on he felt like.”

Georgia was without No. 1 running back Trevor Etienne (suspension following driving under the influence arrest) and No. 2 running back Roderick Robinson (toe surgery). “You know we don’t talk about those things,” said Smart regarding the potential of Trevor Etienne being suspended for the Tennessee Tech game next week. Robinson was not putting any weight on his injured leg and is expected to miss more time. Georgia freshman running back Nate Frazier stepped up big time for the Bulldogs.

Georgia wide receiver Dillon Bell exited the game and did not return. His absence allowed London Humphreys to play more snaps. “Dillon (Bell) had gone down with some cramping,” said Smart. Bell should be available for Georgia’s game next week.

OK, stop this madness. Stop it right now.

Before we start throwing Dabo Swinney into the same deep end as Billy Napier, let’s take a deep breath and reassess. Relax, people.

First Down

Clemson is not as far from the College Football Playoff as you’d think.

“We certainly took one, punched right in the gut,” Swinney said in the press conference postmortem of yet another Georgia opponent limping away battered and bruised. “Didn’t play those last two quarters like we know we can.”

And that’s the key. Clemson traded blows for two quarters with Georgia, which in case you don’t know by now, is really good at tackle football. That doesn’t make an embarrassing 34-3 loss feel any better, but it absolutely shows all isn’t lost.

In fact, it shows Clemson can beat anyone in the shaky ACC — including Miami after its beatdown of Florida — with the same defensive intensity and a better game from quarterback Cade Klubnik. Because frankly, he can’t play much worse.

So while every television bobblehead will tell you Clemson’s undoing at the hands of the best team in college football over the last three seasons is a referendum on Swinney’s avoidance of all things transfer portal, think deeper. It’s easy to panic, to take one bad half and paint with a wide primer brush.

But there’s too much good on a defensive line that Georgia struggled to block in the first half. Too much good in the run game behind an improved offensive line. Too much potential with tailback Phil Mafah, and man-mountain defensive tackle Peter Woods and young wideout Antonio Williams. And too much average in the ACC outside of Miami.

Preseason favorite Florida State lost to Georgia Tech in Week 0, Playoff sleeper Virginia Tech lost at SEC tomato can Vanderbilt, and North Carolina State struggled with FCS team Western Carolina before pulling away late. So yeah, Clemson’s worst loss in a decade was difficult to swallow.

But who on the schedule will match up physically with the defense Clemson rolled out and gave up all of six points in the first half to the sledgehammer that is Georgia? That’s the anchor for the remainder of the season at Clemson, not a philosophical argument about using the transfer portal or the narrative that Swinney should’ve signed a transfer quarterback.

HIGHS AND LOWS Georgia, Clemson lead Week 1 winners and losers

There’s no sugarcoating it, Klubnik played poorly against the best team in the nation in the first game of the season. But we’ve seen this movie before, and know how it ends.

Bo Nix left Auburn after the 2021 season, and arrived at Oregon with new coach (and former Georgia assistant) Dan Lanning. His first game with the Ducks was against Georgia, in the same building and the same neutral site game ― and he played worse than Klubnik in another Georgia beatdown.

He then led the Ducks to 10 wins and had the then-best season of his career. Ten wins, everyone, will more than likely get Clemson in the playoff — and certainly if it wins the watered-down ACC and earns an automatic spot in the 12-team field.

“People are going to say whatever they want to say,” Swinney said of the looming criticism for Clemson’s perceived fall from the national elite. “When you lose like this, they got every right to say whatever they want to say.”

Second Down

You’ve heard the drill by now. If the new 12-team format were around since the birth of the playoff in 2014, Penn State would’ve played in six tournaments.

Which, of course, means nothing.

What does mean something ― a big something ― is the impact of new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. Specifically, his impact on uber-talented but still developing quarterback Drew Allar and the ability to get Penn State to its first playoff.

Don’t overlook the play of Allar in a difficult environment at West Virginia, against a one-time bitter rival coming off a nine-win season and playing in front of a wild home atmosphere. Those were the games that ate up Allar in his first season as a starter in 2023.

This time under Kotelnicki, Allar played nearly flawless. He threw for 216 yards and three touchdowns, and averaged 12.7 yards per attempt. The bloated yards per attempt number is significant because Penn State was among the worst teams in the nation in 2023 in long pass plays.

Kansas, where Kotelnicki worked in 2023, was among the best. Against West Virginia, Allar had completions of 55, 50, 20 and 19 yards, and stretched the field for an offense that was way too predictable in 2023.

Last season, Allar averaged a paltry 6.8 yards per attempt, and nearly doubled it Saturday against defense that did what every other Penn State opponent did last season: safeties creeping up to stop the run, and man coverage with zero respect for third-level throws.

This time, Allar made the defense pay for those decisions. The next big step is doing it against Ohio State and the rest of the Big Ten on the way to the playoff.

Third Down

First, the obvious: it was a glorified scrimmage against FCS member Chattanooga. But did it ever look good in the much-anticipated beginning of Nico Iamaleava’s first season as starter at Tennessee.

Before he left early in the second half and after a majority of the damage had been done in a 69-3 rout, an NFL scout texted me and was raving about ― take your pick ― Iamaleava’s arm talent, poise, movement in the pocket and accuracy on the roll.

Maybe the best way to explain Iamaleava’s spotless performance (314 yards passing, three touchdowns, 11.2 yards per attempt) is how it looked. More like Hendon Hooker, less like Joe Milton.

Translation: accurate throws downfield, less throws to the perimeter.

HOT WATER: Tennessee fan gets into argument with wife live during postgame radio show

“(Iamaleava) looked really comfortable, in control,” the NFL scout said. “You can tell he understands pass game concepts, and he throws that thing effortlessly. It was uncomfortable watching (Tennessee) last year because the quarterback wasn’t a fit.”

We’ll get an idea of just how different the Vols are at quarterback with the former five-star recruit from California when Tennessee plays NC State next week in Charlotte. An NC State defense that ― despite what it showed in an ugly win over Western Carolina ― will be a significant test with defensive coordinator Tony Gibson and his exotic pressure packages.

Fourth Down

The big winner of Week 1 is Notre Dame ― if only because the Irish passed their most difficult road test of the season right out of the gate.

How easy is the remainder of the schedule? Notre Dame has only two more true road games.

If those two games (at Purdue and Southern California) are anything like the toughness and moxie the Irish showed in a 23-13 victory at Texas A&M, Notre Dame may not lose this season. Especially with the evolving play of Duke transfer quarterback Riley Leonard, who played in front of an inexperienced offensive line that had six career starts combined ― and against his former coach (Mike Elko) who knew his strengths and weaknesses ― and played smart and didn’t make mistakes.

The Irish rushed for 198 yards behind the patchwork offensive line impacted by injuries in fall camp, and Leonard threw for 158 yards and ran for 63. In the game-wining drive, Leonard had two carries for 20 yards, and completed two passes for 29 yards.

A critical early win, and a galvanizing game.

The Bracket

A 12-team Playoff bracket prediction if the season ended today:

1. Georgia (SEC champion)

2. Ohio State (Big Ten champion)

3. Miami (ACC champion)

4. Oklahoma State (Big 12 champion).

No. 12 Liberty at No. 5 Alabama

No. 11 Missouri at No. 6 Oregon

No. 10 Notre Dame at No. 7 Penn State

No. 9 Utah at No. 8 Texas

ATLANTA—Nick Saban retired during the offseason. You may have heard about it. His departure, coupled with Jim Harbaugh fleeing to the NFL, leaves college football with just three active head coaches who have won national championships. Two of them—the only two who have won more than one title—faced off here Saturday.

The result underscored who is the new king of the sport. It’s two-time champion Kirby Smart, and it’s not close. The coach of the Georgia Bulldogs won his 40th straight regular-season game, routing the Clemson Tigers, 34–3, in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. And his two-time champion counterpart, Dabo Swinney, looks more like a has-been than ever.

The latest iteration of the Georgia beast is much like its predecessors. The Bulldogs have dudes all over the field, a never-ending supply of dominators and playmakers just waiting for their chance to show what they can do. Nine Dogs caught passes from quarterback Carson Beck against Clemson, and 22 others made tackles. 

Star transfer running back Trevor Etienne, who came in from the Florida Gatos, didn’t play after an offseason DUI. Touted freshman Nate Frazier racked up 83 yards on 11 carries in his first college football game. Linebacker Jalon Walker, who was 11th on the team in tackles last season, was unblockable for a long stretch of the second half, racking up 1 ½ tackles for loss and 1 ½ sacks. Beck was a known commodity, but he showcased a full arsenal of talent in making a variety of throws and some timely runs.

The Bulldogs hit. They covered. They executed. They dominated.

The contrast between a very current Kirby and an outdated Dabo is jarring. Swinney has played Smart twice and is yet to score a touchdown. A guy who stood toe-to-toe with Saban for many years is lying at Smart’s feet. This was Swinney’s worst loss since 2013, before he elevated Clemson to elite status.

Swinney famously took zero transfers in the offseason, continuing his noble but anachronistic approach of building his team through high-school recruiting and internal player development. He’s also now lost three of his last four season openers, and 11 of his last 41 games after going 79–7 the previous six seasons. It’s getting away from him.

There was little to no room to explain away this beatdown, so Swinney didn’t even bother. “Tyler from Spartanburg” might well be on Line One for Swinney’s next radio show, ready to fire away again.

“You get beat like this, it’s on the head coach,” he said. “That’s on me. … When you lose like this, [the critics] have got every right to say what they want to say.”

Acknowledging that Georgia’s defense is a monster, Clemson still has to be able to do better than this offensively. The Tigers generated one play longer than 19 yards and averaged just 3.6 yards per play. 

The Tigers have become a place where hotshots go to flounder on that side of the ball, with continual offseason talk about improvement that doesn’t really happen.

Coordinator Garrett Riley, USC Trojans head coach Lincoln’s brother, was swiped from TCU at $1.75 million a year after the Horned Frogs made the College Football Playoff championship game in 2022. Riley’s last TCU offense averaged 38.8 points and 455 yards per game; last season at Clemson, Riley’s unit put up 29.8 points and 402.7 yards. Now this season’s team has slogged to 188 yards and three points, the lowest totals yet for Clemson under Riley.

Cade Klubnik was a five-star quarterback recruit—as was DJ Uiagalelei before him. Klubnik was a pedestrian first-year starter in 2023, recording a 126.35 pass efficiency rating that ranked 10th in the Atlantic Coast Conference. His efficiency rating against Georgia on Saturday: 96.30. But this offensive horror show was a team effort: Klubnik’s receivers didn’t help him out early with some dropped passes, and there were a couple of crucial penalties. 

Swinney did stick up for Klubnik, saying he thought the quarterback played well. And, characteristically, the coach voiced confidence about the season ahead.

“I feel great about our team,” Swinney said. “A loss is a loss; I hate to lose. So it hurts. This one will leave a mark. This will be one I won’t forget.

“They didn’t hand out a national championship trophy tonight. We didn’t lose the ACC tonight.”

Indeed, the ACC is a bit of an early mess. Reigning champion Florida State was beaten by Georgia Tech last week. Trendy pick Virginia Tech was upset by perennial Southeastern Conference doormat Vanderbilt on Saturday. And the once-mighty Tigers were embarrassed in Atlanta.

Smart was asked after the game about the transfer portal in relation to Clemson. Smart hasn’t been a huge portal dabbler himself, choosing to simply fill a few gaps when they appear. But he acknowledges the need for it.

“If you give me every kid I sign, they stay at my program for four years and they can’t leave, I would take that every day of the week,” he said. “But if we’re going to lose kids, we’ve got to replace them. … It’s a forced situation. You have to use it.”

Swinney has been a self-made success in part due to his stubborn belief in himself and in how he builds a program. He was successful for long enough with that approach that it’s become difficult to get him to accept a need to make radical changes. Starting 4–4 last season led to the “Tyler from Spartanburg” moment and a greater level of criticism than Swinney has endured in more than a decade—but then Clemson regrouped and won its last five games, and Swinney could claim his approach is still viable.

The same thing could happen here. Losing to Georgia is no great shame—although the margin was brutal. Season-opening losses are less costly than ever with the expanded playoff looming. There is an entire season ahead.

But the days of Clemson being able to measure up with the very best programs in the country are fading like a Trevor Lawrence jersey left out in the sun. This was a yardstick game for the two most accomplished active coaches in college football, and it was an absolute beatdown of Dabo Swinney by Kirby Smart.