A note, a quote and a stat from Clemson's loss to Georgia |
CHARLOTTE, NC – Clemson’s defense held up its end of the deal, but the offense never could get going in a game that the Tigers will look back on at the end of the season and know they could’ve won.
No. 5 Georgia defeated No. 3 Clemson 10-3 in the Duke’s Mayo Classic Saturday night at Bank of America Stadium. The difference in the game was a Georgia pick-six in the second quarter – the only touchdown scored in the game. A Note: Clemson has now lost four out of its last five games against top-tier competition – the loss to LSU in the National Championship, last year’s loss at Notre Dame, last year’s loss to Ohio St. in the Sugar Bowl, and the loss to Georgia here in Charlotte. And, if you’re honest, the Tigers were beaten physically in three of those losses. The offense hasn’t looked good (and the offensive line) against competition that would be considered equal or better – meaning not Wake Forest or Boston College – and in fact has looked overwhelmed at times. A Quote: Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei will shoulder a lot of the blame because of the offensive woes. Clemson managed just 180 total yards – 178 yards through the air and two yards on the ground. In his third career start, quarterback Uiagalelei completed 19-of-37 passes for 178 yards and an interception. Joseph Ngata was the lone offensive bright spot with six catches for 110 yards. However, offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said that all of the blame shouldn’t fall on the young signal caller. “I thought that he responded the last quarter and a half and put us in a position to score points,” Elliott said after the game. “A couple of things that weren’t on DJ. We had sometimes when we weren’t on the same page as the receivers and we weren’t on the same page from a communication standpoint. I know he was prepared and it was kind of a bad start but I thought he responded down the stretch.” A Stat: Clemson’s offense has been one of the prolific units in the country over the last decade, but that level of execution didn’t come to fruition Saturday night. Since 2000, Clemson has only been held to single-digit scoring six times. The last time Clemson scored less than six points was in 2003 when Georgia beat Clemson 30-0.
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