Top Ranked Georgia Has Big Second Half, Beats #14 Clemson 34-3; # 23 USC Upsets #13 LSU in College Football

The NCAA Division I college football season’s first big weekend got underway over the Labor Day weekend. There were the usual mismatches, like #5 Alabama beating Western Kentucky 63-0, #6 Mississippi 76-0 over Furman, #15 Tennessee over Tennessee-Chattanooga 69-3, #22 Kansas over Lindenwood 48-3, #2 Ohio State over Akron 52-6, and #4 Texas over Colorado State 52-0. There are other examples, but you get the picture.

There were only three games involving teams that were both ranked in the Top 25. #7 Notre Dame topped #20 Texas A & M 23-13 in College Station, Texas. Preseason #1 Georgia played #14 Clemson in Atlanta. The Bulldogs got off to a slow start offensively, with just a pair of field goals in the second quarter to take a 6-0 lead into the second half. But Georgia’s offense came out and matched the defense’s excellent performance, scoring four second half touchdowns for a 34-3 rout of the Tigers. Georgia QB Carson Beck passed for 278 yards and two touchdowns. Georgia also rushed for 169 yards and two touchdowns. Clemson was held to 189 total yards, including just 47 on the ground.

Looking ahead, Georgia and Alabama will meet in a regular season game for the first time since 2020. That game will be played at Tuscaloosa on September 28th.

In Las Vegas, #23 USC played #13 LSU in the Modelo Vegas Kickoff Classic. We’re not sure how it achieved Classic status, since this is only the second time this game has been played, but whatever. The game was tied 10-10 at halftime, and USC had a 20-17 lead after a Miller Moss touchdown pass with 5:44 left in the fourth quarter. LSU tied it with a 31 yard field goal with 1:47 left. But USC executed a 75 yard eight play drive that ended with Woody Marks rushing 13 yards for a touchdown with eight seconds left and USC won 27-20.