One of the biggest college football rivalries — in name brand, if not historical significance — is back.
Georgia football is set to face off with Clemson for the 66th time in the history of the programs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta to open the 2024 college football season. The Bulldogs are once again the No. 1 overall team in the US LBM Coaches Poll preseason top 25, while the Tigers are No. 14.
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The Bulldogs were the two-time defending champions entering last season, but an SEC championship game loss to Alabama snapped a 29-game winning streak and ended the hopes of a three-peat. The Tigers finished with their worst ACC record since 2010 with a 4-4 conference mark.
Georgia and Clemson have had a quirky rivalry for schools separated by just over 70 miles, with Georgia leading the all-time series 43-18-4. Saturday marks the second straight neutral-site matchup between the programs and the sixth overall in the series. Both teams figure to be prominent contenders in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff, making Saturday’s matchup even more critical at the end of the season.
Here’s what you need to know about the history between Georgia and Clemson on the gridiron, including records and more:
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Georgia football record vs. Clemson
Georgia leads the all-time series with Clemson 43-18-4 in 65 meetings. The Bulldogs are 27-7-1 in Athens vs. the Tigers and 12-10-2 at Clemson. UGA is 4-0-1 in neutral site games between the two squads. (The teams played in Augusta from 1907-13. However, the 1907 and 1908 games were considered home games for Clemson in Augusta).
Most recently, the teams played a neutral-site game in Charlotte in 2021, the site of this year’s opener. They also squared off once in Anderson, South Carolina, another home game for Clemson.
Georgia’s largest margin of victory was 55-0, which it achieved in a blowout victory in 1920. Clemson’s biggest win was 36-0, which it achieved in 1902. The Bulldogs won 10 straight matchups between 1920 and 1954, while the Tigers reeled off seven straight wins between 1900 and 1906. Currently, Georgia holds a two-game winning streak in the rivalry.
Georgia football vs. Clemson from 1890s-1950s
The rivalry dates back to 1897, when the teams faced off for the first time on Oct. 9 in Athens. The Bulldogs won that matchup 24-0. The teams faced off annually from 1897 to 1916, and then for three years in 1919-21. Georgia won the first three games in the series before dropping seven straight to Clemson.
The teams played just once more in the 1920s and only eight times combined in the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s. From the series’ inception in 1897 through 1955, the Bulldogs posted a 20-10-2 record against the Tigers — including 10 straight victories between 1920 and 1955.
Georgia football vs. Clemson from 1960s-1980s
Starting in the 1962 season, the rivalry between the two programs kicked off again, with them playing annually through 1987, except for 1972. Georgia beat Clemson in 1962 before the two teams played to a 7-7 tie in 1963. The Bulldogs then pulled off seven consecutive wins from 1964 to 1973. The period from 1977 to 1995 was the most competitive in the series, with Georgia holding a slight 8-6-1 advantage during that stretch.
A peak moment during this stretch was Kevin Butler’s iconic 60-yard field goal as time expired in 1984, which handed No. 20 Georgia the upset victory over No. 2 Clemson. The Bulldogs earned the 26-23 victory despite trailing 20-3 at halftime.
Georgia football’s vs. Clemson from 1990s-2020s
The Bulldogs and Tigers have faced off nine times since 1990, with UGA holding a 7-2 record in nine games. In 2002, Georgia raced off to a 21-7 lead in the first half before Clemson scored 21 straight points to lead 28-21 entering the fourth quarter in Athens. Georgia evened the score with 12:35 remaining, and Billy Bennett kicked the game-winning field goal for the Bulldogs in the 31-28 win.
In 2003, Georgia limited Clemson to just 199 total yards in a 30-0 victory in Clemson to mark its fifth straight win over Clemson. However, in 2013, the No. 8 Tigers got the best of the No. 5 Bulldogs behind a four-touchdown performance from quarterback Tajh Boyd in Clemson. In 2014, the No. 12 Bulldogs avenged the No. 16 Tigers in a 45-21 victory in Athens behind a 198-yard rushing, four-touchdown game for running back Todd Gurley. While the game was tied at 21 at halftime, Georgia outscored Clemson 24-0 in the second half.
The Tigers and Bulldogs in Charlotte last faced off on Sept. 4, 2021. In an offensive struggle, Christopher Smith’s second-quarter 74-yard pick-six off of Clemson QB DJ Uiagalelei proved to be the game’s only touchdown, resulting in a 10-3 victory for No. 5 Georgia over the No. 3 Tigers.
Georgia ended up winning the 2021 national championship.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Georgia football history vs. Clemson: Records, stats, streaks and more
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Publish date : 2024-08-30 23:01:00
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