Clemson Football Commands The National Spotlight After Georgia Win

Aug 31, 2013; Clemson, SC, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney (right) and Clemson Tigers quarterback Tajh Boyd (10) are rushed by media following the game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Clemson Memorial Stadium. Tigers won 38-35. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

Dabo Swinney made his case up front, talking with ESPN’s Heather Cox after his Clemson Tigers completed a 38-35 defeat of the fifth ranked Georgia Bulldogs on Friday night.

“There’s never been a non-SEC [that] beat two SEC teams in the top 10 in a row.”

Let that sink in for a moment. The mighty SEC prides itself on its dominance of the rest of the college football nation, yet an ACC member has taken consecutive top 10 pelts from it. And not just any ACC member — this is Clemson, a program that, for various reasons, has been the poster child of misfortune.

Wins over LSU to end 2012 and Georgia to open 2013 are remedies for the many stomach-punch moments that have vexed Clemson football in recent years. Nervousness is giving way to genuine excitement for what this season could hold.

“It turned a lot of heads in college football,” quarterback Tajh Boyd said in the post-game press conference. “It was a very monumental win for this university, for this program, for the conference in general.”

Clemson sent a resounding message that it isn’t just the SEC playing outstanding football in the South.

Saturday’s renewal of the Clemson-Georgia rivalry had a bona fide big-game feel from the opening introduction on.

Brent Musberger referenced his call of The Hill from three decades ago, in an era when the Tigers were national championship contenders. Every moment of Saturday’s contest

Georgia brought its A-Game. The Bulldogs may have lost some BCS championship game clout, but make no mistake — Georgia will once again be in the thick of the SEC title hunt, as it has been the last two seasons.

That makes Clemson’s win all the more meaningful. The Bulldogs came in fired up. Running back Todd Gurley was running downhill, a young defense compensated for its inexperience with energy, Aaron Murray went 20 of 29 for 323 yards.
Aug 31, 2013; Clemson, SC, USA; Clemson Tigers quarterback Tajh Boyd (10) dives into the end zone for a touchdown during the second quarter against the Georgia Bulldogs at Clemson Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports
“This was a great win. This was a gutsy win. The character and toughness that our guys showed tonight was something special. We were ready to go,” Swinney said in his post-game press conference.

Clemson took Georgia’s best shot and gave it back in kind. With all due respect to Braxton Miller and Johnny Manziel, Boyd moves into a very early lead in the Heisman Trophy race.

The Tiger senior quarterback was spectacular, throwing three touchdown passes and rushing for two more. Boyd’s was an individual performance on par with the Heisman-defining efforts of Robert Griffin III against Oklahoma in 2011, or Manziel at Alabama last November.

Of course, Boyd’s night would not have been possible without Sammy Watkins’ 127 yards receiving. Watkins struggled through a disappointing sophomore season, but Saturday’s effort proves he is moving into the leadership role he must occupy for the Tiger offense this year.

Not to be outdone, the defense rose to the occasion when it counted. In an individual effort comparable to Boyd’s, Spencer Shuey was a one-man wrecking crew. He recorded 12 tackles and recovered a key fumble.

The tide is turning in Death Valley. Clemson has a definitive cornerstone for a historic season, which Swinney again crystallized perfectly:

“This was just an awesome night.”