Clemson’s Fight Meets Georgia’s Glory in High-Stakes Opener
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With the eyes of the college football world on Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, the No. 14 Clemson Tigers are preparing for a high-noon showdown against the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs this Saturday.
This isn’t just a season opener; it’s a battle between two of the sport’s CFB PLayoff Era powerhouses, led by head coaches with multiple national championships to their names. For Clemson, it’s a chance to make an early statement, while Georgia looks to continue as the sport’s most recent gold standard.
For Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, the opener represents not just another game—but a massive opportunity for his Tigers to reassert themselves on the national stage. Swinney, one of only three active head coaches with a national championship, along with Smart and UNC’s Mack Brown, knows the challenge of facing Smart's Bulldogs, a team he lauded as “the best football program in the country over the last three years.”
Despite the daunting task ahead, Swinney remains measured and focused on the big picture. "From our standpoint, the psyche hasn't changed in that we're all-in trying to win every single game," he said as the Tigers opened Fall Camp. “You gotta move on. Big win, tough loss, you gotta move on, because you want to have a great season.”
The 2023 season brought changes for Clemson's offense, with Garrett Riley taking the reins as offensive coordinator. Year one under Riley was a mixed bag, complicated by injuries and limited resources. But Swinney is confident that the Tigers' offense is poised to move in the right direction in 2024.
“Offensively for us, I think the biggest thing is just year two, making a big jump,” Swinney said. “We did not have everything at our disposal. We had some injuries and things like that. The biggest thing is just taking a big jump in year two.”
One of the keys to that leap is sophomore quarterback Cade Klubnik, who enters his second year as the starter. Swinney is looking for Klubnik to take the next step in his development and provide stability to an offense that must be more dynamic if Clemson is to compete with the nation's elite.
“Certainly for Cade, coming off of first year as a starter, seeing him take that next step—that's really what you wanna see,” Swinney said. “Figuring out who our best five and best ten are in that offensive line... we've got really good experience there for the first time in a while.”
The Tigers’ wide receiver corps, led by returning standouts Antonio Williams, Tyler Brown, and Adam Randle, will also be crucial. Clemson’s passing game struggled at times last season, and Swinney emphasized the need for more explosive plays in 2024.
“Our pass offense has to improve this year if we're gonna get better,” Swinney said. “We’ve got to be more explosive there. We’ve got to improve.”
The Tigers will look to a handful of young and inexperienced players to turn things up on the downfield passing game as freshmen Bryant Wesco and T.J. Moore seek playing time—along with a healthy redshirt sophomore Cole Turner—who Swinney has labeled the fastest player on the team.
In the backfield, junior running back Phil Mafah is expected to set the tone. A powerful and versatile runner, Mafah will shoulder the load for Clemson, while the offense looks to eliminate turnovers and negative plays that plagued them last season.
While much of the attention is on the offense, Swinney noted that Wes Goodwin’s defense must remain a pillar of Clemson’s success. The Tigers finished last season as a top-10 defense, and the goal for 2024 is simple: consistency.
“Defensively, just consistency,” Swinney said. “We're coming off a top-ten finish last year in defense. Let's put back-to-back years, and let's create the type of consistency that we want.”
Red zone defense has been a point of emphasis for the Tigers this offseason. Though teams didn’t often reach the red zone against Clemson often, the Tigers surrendered too many touchdowns when they did. Swinney is determined to shore up that area against a Georgia team known for its offensive firepower.
This showdown also presents a rare opportunity for Clemson to make history. A win would mark only the sixth time in AP Poll history that a team has defeated the preseason No. 1 in the top-ranked team’s season opener. Moreover, it would extend Clemson’s streak of wins against SEC opponents to three, a feat no non-conference program has achieved since 1980.
But as Swinney points out, the outcome of the opener won’t define Clemson’s season—regardless of how big the stakes feel in the moment.
“If you win it, it doesn't tell you much either. You still gotta go win the next game,” Swinney said. “I think it's a huge game. This is big-time football right out of the gate with two really, really good programs.”
While a victory over No. 1 Georgia would certainly send shockwaves through college football and signal Clemson’s return to championship contention, Swinney is focused on the long haul, knowing that this is just the first step in what he hopes will be a special season for the Tigers.
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