As opener against Georgia crawls closer, the news gets better and better

DJ Uiagalelei will lead the Tigers against a ferocious Georgia front four.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Thu May 20 08:00:06 GMT-04:00 2021

As things continue to trend in the right direction when it comes to a normal college football season, I can’t help but sit back and smile and think that there’s no better way to kick off the 2021 campaign than watching Clemson and Georgia in Charlotte.

It was announced a few days ago that the game will kick off at 7:30 pm and will air nationally on ABC. The game will be played at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte as part of the 2021 Duke's Mayo Classic.

Of course, the Tigers are familiar with Bank of America Stadium, fashioning a 7-1 all-time record at the home of the Carolina Panthers. That includes a 6-0 record in ACC Championship Games played there, and a 1-0 mark regular-season play (vs. Temple in 2006).

Georgia last played in Charlotte in 2014, beating Louisville 37-14 in the Belk Bowl under former coach Mark Richt. The Bulldogs opened that 2014 campaign by beating Clemson 45-21 in Athens in the teams' most recent meeting. The Tigers have not lost a regular-season game to an SEC team since then.

The good news for the fans of both programs is that this year’s game is the first of six games that are scheduled over the next 14 seasons. The teams will meet in the 2024 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta, and they have home-and-home series on the schedule for 2029-2030 and 2032-2033. Clemson will be the host team at Memorial Stadium in the 2029 and 2033 games.

The governor of North Carolina recently announced the state is lifting restrictions on mass gatherings -- meaning the Georgia-Clemson game in Charlotte will be at full capacity of more than 75,000 fans. The next 107 days will more than likely creep by.

We also got more good news this week when it comes to the ACC – the league is planning on a regular, in-person schedule for the ACC Kickoff in Charlotte this year. That means we (the media) will meet with the Coastal Division coaches and players on July 21st and we will meet with the Atlantic Division coaches and players on July 22. Once that is complete, it will be just 44 days until everyone returns for the big game between the Tigers and the Bulldogs.

How will the teams compare? The Tigers will have a lot of new faces on offense while Georgia returns a lot of last year’s playmakers. For the Tigers, quarterback DJ Uiagalelei started two games last year and completed 59-of-85 passes for 781 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. Uiagalelei, sitting at 250 pounds, adds the quarterback power run game to the offense, which should bring back memories of Tajh Boyd.

Clemson will have a new starter at running back and at least of the wide receiver spots but get a big boost with the hopeful return of Justyn Ross. The Tigers lost left tackle Jackson Carman and it appears that Jordan McFadden will move from the right side to the left side, with Walker Parks stepping in at right tackle.

The Tigers have a plethora of playmakers -- they’re just young. Georgia brings back quarterback JT Daniels who transferred from Southern Cal and took control of the offense in the middle of the season. Daniels completed 80-of-119 passes for 1,231 yards, 10 touchdowns and two interceptions in just four games. At running back, former Clemson target Zamir White rushed 144 times for 779 yards and 11 touchdowns. James Cook added three touchdowns and over 300 yards. However, Georgia lost offensive lineman starters Ben Cleveland and Ty Hill and will have to find answers upfront.

Defense is a different story for the Tigers, who learned a few weeks ago that defensive end Justin Foster will attempt to play this season. Foster joins a defensive line that returns most of the snaps from a year ago. At linebacker, sixth-year veteran James Skalski, a second-team All-ACC selection in 2020 returns. He recorded 44 tackles, 3.5 tackles-for-loss, 1.5 sacks, three pass breakups and three quarterback pressures this past year. Baylon Spector also looks to continue his success, while sophomore Trenton Simpson continues his rise.

The secondary has to find consistency, but it has the pieces in place with guys like Andrew Booth and Nolan Turner. Georgia lost several key components of its own secondary and will be tested by Uiagalelei and company early.

It will be hot. It will be steamy. The stadium will be packed, and a national television audience will be tuned in. Fans who were denied the opportunity to tailgate last season will turn up on the streets of Charlotte early in the day, looking for the kind of prime real estate that will lead to a big day of partying.

A few hours before kickoff, the sauced-up and riled-up fans from both schools will make the walk to the stadium, and the season will kick off under a late summer evening sun. And because it’s Georgia and Clemson, it will be special.