By Will Vandervort.
Here is an inside look at the Clemson-Georgia series as the 16th-ranked Clemson Tigers visit No. 12 Georgia at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga. The game will be televised by ESPN at 5:30 p.m. (5:45 kickoff)
About the Georgia Bulldogs: Georgia has six returning starters on offense that helped set a school record by averaging 484 yards per game in 2013. That tally ranked fourth in the SEC. The Bulldogs ranked fifth in the league in scoring offense at 36.7 thanks to scoring at least 35 points eight times last season. Georgia’s 58 touchdowns last year ranked second in school history, trailing only the 2012 team that set the mark with 72.
The Georgia offense: Senior quarterback Hutson Mason is prepared to be the Bulldogs’ signal caller to start 2014 after making his first two career-starts to end the 2013 season. His first starting experience came in the regular season finale versus Georgia Tech in Atlanta due to the season-ending injury to 2013 senior QB Aaron Murray. Running back Todd Gurley has proven to be a viable option as both a running back and a receiver during his career. Last year, he led the Bulldogs with 989 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns in only 10 games, including an average of 6.0 per carry. Gurley’s best game of his career came against Clemson last year when he ran for 154 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries.
The Georgia defense: Georgia overhauled its defensive staff and for the first time since 1964 will start a season with brand new coaches at each position. Head coach Mark Richt hired Jeremy Pruitt, who was the defensive coordinator for national champion Florida State, to lead the unit.
Senior inside backer Ramik Wilson led the SEC in tackles with 133. His partner on the inside, senior Amarlo Herrera, ranked third in the SEC with 112 stops. Herrera has started 30 games in his career, including all 13 in 2014, and has tallied 219 tackles in that three-year span. The Bulldogs also have a talented youthful duo at outside linebacker. Sophomore Leonard Floyd, who is an ESPN Preseason All-American, proved to be another playmaker as he led all SEC freshmen with a team-high 6.5 sacks. Junior Jordan Jenkins finished 2013 with a team-high 12 tackles for loss and five sacks. Georgia ranked second in the SEC with 33 sacks on the season, trailing only SEC Eastern Division champ Missouri who finished with 41.
The Georgia Special Teams: All-SEC First Team placekicker Marshall Morgan along with senior punter Adam Erickson and junior punter Collin Barber have served as Georgia’s specialists over the last two years. Morgan had one of the best seasons by a kicker in the SEC last year. He led all kickers in scoring average at 10.3 points per game, and ranked second in scoring for kickers with 113 points in just 11 games, trailing Missouri’s Andrew Baggett who collected 120 in 14 games. Morgan made an SEC best 22 field goals in 24 attempts last year.
Records: Clemson 0-0; Georgia 0-0
Series record: Georgia leads 41-18-4
Last year: Clemson won 38-35
Last Georgia win: 2003, 30-0
Clemson’s last win at Georgia: 1986, 31-28
First meeting: 1987: Georgia beat Clemson 24-0
Stat worth noting: Under the direction of Mark Richt, Georgia owns a 52-10 record against teams from outside the Southeastern Conference. They are 36-1 at home since 2001.
Second stat worth noting: Georgia has a 20-2 record in games played at Sanford Stadium against the Tigers. Clemson’s only wins in Sanford Stadium took place in 1977 (7-6) and 1986 (31-28).
Third stat worth noting: Clemson has not opened the season on the road since losing to Georgia, 31-28, in 2002. The Tigers have not won a season-opening true road game since beating Virginia Tech on a David Treadwell field goal with no time on the clock in 1985. Clemson has only opened a season with a true road game 22 times in its history and is 9-11-2 overall.
Memorable game: Following a tough season-opening loss to Virginia Tech the week before in Death Valley, the Tigers went on the road the next week to Athens, Ga., where they did the unthinkable and knocked off 14th-ranked Georgia as David Treadwell made a 46-yard field goal as time expired to beat the heavily favored Bulldogs, 31-28. With the game tied running back Terrance Flagler and quarterback Rodney Williams directed the Tigers on one final drive. On second-and-11 from his own 35 with just over a minute to play, Flagler took a deep handoff from Williams and bounced it outside where wide receivers Ray Williams and Ricardo Hooper held their blocks long enough to allow Flagler to get around the left corner for 16 yards. On the next play, Williams kept the ball around left end on an option play and rumbled 15 yards to the Georgia 35. On the next two plays Clemson moved the football five yards closer to the Georgia 29, setting up Treadwell for the game-winning kick with four seconds to play.