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Georgia wins defensive slugfest
Oh so when Penn State and Wisconsin get locked in a defensive battle, it’s sloppy football, but when Georgia and Clemson do it, it’s elite defense, eh?
Nevertheless, No. 5 Georgia emerged victorious against No. 3 Clemson 10-3 in the most-billed game of Week 1. The lone touchdown came on defense when Georgia defensive back Christopher Smith intercepted a pass thrown by Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei and returned it 74 yards for a pick-six.
GEORGIA PICK-SIX pic.twitter.com/z8afd8J0Ua
— ESPN (@espn) September 5, 2021
Both Georgia quarterback J.T. Daniels and Uiagalelei were billed as Heisman candidates coming into the matchup, but neither had terribly inspiring performances. Daniels dinked and dunked his way to a 22-of-30 stat line for 135 yards and an interception while averaging 4.5 yards per attempt, while Uiagalelei was 19-of-37 for 178 yards with an interception and a QBR of 36.7.
Even worse, Clemson had two, yes, TWO, rushing yards total on the night. But credit where credit is due, Georgia's defense was a brick wall Saturday night.
"We go into every game, our goal to shut them out," Georgia coach Kirby Smart said after the game. "We have a goal to hold [opponents] under 13 points. Everybody thinks we're crazy. 'You're never going to hold them under 13 points in this day and age.' Why can't we?"
It might also be worth noting that the Tigers now have lost two games in a row to opponents ranked below them. By the way, when the Associated Press comes out with its newest Top 25 rankings Tuesday, wouldn’t it be humorous if Clemson was rated, oh, somewhere around No. 11?
Oklahoma still can’t play defense
Oklahoma defensive coordinator Alex Grinch’s $1.8 million salary sure looks like money well spent after No. 2 Oklahoma held on by the skin of its teeth in a 40-35 victory over Tulane, right?
The circumstances around the game were already abnormal, with the Sooners considered the road team in their own stadium after the game had to be relocated from New Orleans because of Hurricane Ida.
Then, Heisman favorite Spencer Rattler threw a pick on Oklahoma’s second play from scrimmage, and next thing you knew, the Green Wave were pushing around the so-called “much improved” Sooners defense and scored on their first two possessions.
Tulane running Mesh off Jet Action with a RB Rail Route into the Boundary pic.twitter.com/8hSKp1elRS
— Coach Dan Casey (@CoachDanCasey) September 4, 2021
GET TULANE TO THE SEC
— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 4, 2021
pic.twitter.com/0DM0DOsRQy
Oklahoma regained its composure and took a 37-14 lead into halftime, seemingly ending any chance of an upset. Then Tulane scored three second-half touchdowns and narrowed the deficit to 40-35 with 2:35 remaining, and recovered an onside kick to give the Green Wave the chance at a massive upset.
Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt ran for 12 yards when he needed 13 on fourth-and-13, letting Oklahoma breathe a nervous sigh of relief.
Great effort by Michael Pratt!
— TimeoutSPORTS__ (@TimeoutSPORTS3) September 4, 2021
Came up just short of the first! Turnover on downs!#Tulane #Oklahoma pic.twitter.com/X0IrXQCjZt
A win won’t quite make yielding 35 points and 396 total yards to Tulane any easier to swallow, though.
"The second half, I think clearly our team felt like the game was over,'' Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley said after the game. "That's obviously my job to make sure our mentality is right. I don't think it was. I think we were playing well at that point and had separated a little bit. And then you could just see we weren't quite the same team coming out.''
If it’s any consolation to Sooner faithful, a lot of the top 25 had a tough weekend. Indiana got embarrassed by Iowa, Washington lost to FCS Montana, Oregon and Iowa State hung on by the skin of their teeth against inferior opponents, LSU got knocked off by UCLA and North Carolina got dropped by Virginia Tech.
Kansas fans storm field
Speaking of Top 25, college football’s notorious bottom 25 member Kansas ended a 13-game losing streak and picked up its first win since Oct. 26, 2019, in Lance Leipold’s Jayhawks debut, with a 17-14 victory over FCS South Dakota. Mind you, this was a South Dakota team that went 1-3 in an abbreviated spring season against FCS competition.
Kansas fans didn’t care, though. After the Jayhawks clinched a much-needed victory with a last-second touchdown, the Kansas faithful stormed the field. For a win against an FCS team.
BEDLAM IN LAWRENCE pic.twitter.com/thNf6e8JAG
— Yahoo Sports College Football (@YahooSportsCFB) September 4, 2021
Embarrassing? A win is a win? We’ll let you be the judge.
ICYMI
Amid Defensive Struggles, Haskell Garrett’s Touchdown Was “Probably the Difference in the Game” in Minnesota Win
New Eleven Warriors beat writer Griffin Strom delves into the play that changed the momentum in Week 1: Zach Harrison’s strip sack and Haskell Garrett’s scoop and score.
Big Plays Propel Ohio State to Victory over Minnesota in C.J. Stroud's First Start
All six of Ohio State's touchdowns against Minnesota came on plays of 32 yards or more. Senior writer Dan Hope broke down those plays here.
Photos from Ohio State's 45-31 Season-opening Victory over Minnesota
If you want to see 160-plus photos from Ohio State’s Week 1 victory, we’ve got you covered.
Up Next
- Tuesday, September 7: Ryan Day’s game week presser begins at 12 p.m. ET.
- Saturday, September 11: Ohio State has its home opener against No. 11 Oregon at 12 p.m. ET.
- Saturday, November 27: The Game.
