Georgia Football: Q&A with Rubbing the Rock Expert ahead of showdown against Clemson

The Georgia football season finally starts on Saturday against one of the most anticipated openers since 2014, and it just happens to be against the same opponent.

No. 5 Georgia and No. 2 Clemson face-off in the Dukes Mayo Classic at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., and between the Tiger and Dawg fans, I  don’t know who is more ready for it.

To make the last couple of days go by a little faster, I  talked with Shawn Spencer, one of the co-experts at Rubbing the Rock Clemson’s FanSided site.

If you’re looking to know more about Clemson, this interview is a great way to get an inside look from one of their experts. Andrew and I really gave each other questions that fans want to know about each team, and after doing this, it’s clear that regardless of what side you’re on, it’s going to be a hard-fought ball game.

We exchanged questions about the game, so after you read this story, check out my interview with him.

Here’s how the interview went:

Q: Neither team has lost an opening game since the last time these two faced off UGA in 2013 & CLEM in 2014, so where does this game stack for you in terms of opening matchups?

A: This has got to be the most exciting season-opener for either program this decade, right? Clemson has scheduled well in the non-conference with opponents like Texas A&M, Auburn and Notre Dame, but the vast majority of the time, those games have not been the opener.

When you add in the fact that this is a historical rivalry and both teams coming into this one will be ranked inside the top-five, this has got to be the biggest season opener that not just both Clemson and Georgia has seen in a while, but what the world of college football has seen.

How many times do you get to see two geographic rivals face off in a top-five matchup to start the year?

Q: Do you think Clemson and Georgia have a true rivalry, and how has the buzz been about this game around Tiger nation?

A: Clemson and Georgia haven’t played near as often as either fan base would like, and the rivalry that was once there back in the 1980s has seemingly faded. That being said, I still think there is a legitimate rivalry between the two schools, and you can see that in how this preseason has been handled.

Both fan bases have been going back-and-forth on social media, and there is a lot of hype coming into this one. That tells me that while we don’t get to see it as often as we might like, there is certainly still a rivalry between the Tigers and Dawgs.

Q: Clemson has first-year starter D.J. Uiagalelei now at quarterback. Can you give us a breakdown of his strengths and weaknesses? What kind of expectations do the fans have for him in replacing one of the best Clemson quarterbacks ever?

A: The expectations for D.J. Uiagalelei are through the roof, and, no, I’m not exaggerating. Uiagalelei started two games last year and threw for nearly 800 yards, and accounted for six touchdown passes. The biggest area that Clemson has challenged him to improve this offseason has been with his footwork.

It might be hard to believe, but Uiagalelei actually has a stronger arm than Trevor Lawrence. He throws the deep ball with great touch and accuracy, but there has to be an improvement on his footwork and the fundamentals of how he goes through that ‘wind-up,’ for lack of a better term.

As far as expectations are concerned, Tiger fans aren’t expecting a step back at all at the position. Uiagalelei has shown that he is more than capable of playing at a high level and slinging it — he was the No. 1 QB in the nation coming out of high school.

The biggest thing will be taking command of that offense as a leader and making the right decisions in a game where he could be under some pressure.

Q: Who are three offensive players (outside QB) Georgia should worry about from Clemson?

A: I’m going to go, RB Will Shipley, WR Justyn Ross and WR E.J. Williams.

Shipley is a true freshman, and that typically means you’ll be riding the bench, at least for a while, at Clemson. But that’s not going to be the case with him.

Dabo Swinney says that he wins every team sprint and the explosiveness that he plays with is something that we have really enjoyed seeing in preseason camp. Shipley has been compared with Christian McCaffrey, and for good reason.

He is fighting for the starting position, and it’s clear he will have a significant role in running the ball and catching it out of the backfield.

As far as wide receivers are concerned, I’m going to Justyn Ross and E.J. Williams. Ross is back after a year of rehabbing a spinal surgery, and he looks as dominant as ever. The thought coming into this one is that he is going to play a lot of the slot. That means you’ll have a big 6-foot-3, 210 pounder who can run coming out of the slot.

Which will be extremely hard for a linebacker or safety to pick up in coverage.

Williams is the guy who kind of goes under the radar. He glides down the field with such ease, and I think the attention that UGA pays Ross is going to open up more opportunities for Williams, who may have the potential to be even better than Ross before it’s all said and done.

Q: Who are three defensive players Georgia should worry about from Clemson?

A: We’re going to start on the defensive line with two players, one on the interior and one on the exterior. Bryan Bresee is one of the best defensive linemen in the nation, and the returns coming out of camp have been that he is ready to take the next step.

Bresee is going to get pressure up the middle, and he has the athleticism to play outside if the Tigers want to set a hard edge.

The next defensive lineman is Xavier Thomas. Thomas was once a 5-star and considered a top-three player in the nation, but that hasn’t panned out thus far as he heads into his senior campaign.

Thomas struggled with his weight and COVID last season, but he has completely transformed his body this offseason. He’s back to his ideal playing weight, and the crazy thing is, even when he was about 30 pounds overweight, he was still the most explosive off-the-ball for the Tigers. Now, he has a chance to show out on the biggest stage.

Finally, I’ve got SAM Trenton Simpson. Simpson is a versatile linebacker who has the speed to play in coverage and the strength to play inside. Clemson has used him at all three LB positions, and it’s clear that they view him similarly to what we saw with Isaiah Simmons a couple of years ago.

Q: How does Clemson stop Georgia’s stable of running backs and offense?

A: Georgia has one of the deepest stable of running backs in the nation, and I could be wrong, but that’s not the area that I really see as a concern going into this one. Even last season, when Clemson’s front-seven was growing up, the Tigers very rarely struggled to stop the run. Where were they beaten? In the passing game.

Look at that Ohio State game and what they were able to do to the defensive backfield. If Georgia is going to beat Clemson, I think the answer to that is through the air with J.T. Daniels.

This isn’t the same Clemson defense that was completely torn apart by Todd Gurley a little less than a decade ago. I think the front-seven is going to be able to keep UGA’s ground game in check — certainly, they won’t stop it altogether —  but the Dawgs may have the advantage if they’re able to be effective in the passing game and can protect Daniels and allow him a clean pocket.

Q: Both teams have extremely talented defenses, so what does Clemson need to do to succeed against Georgia?

A: The key to this game, for both teams, lies in the trenches.

Both Clemson and Georgia have talented defensive lines and, potentially, the two best defensive fronts in the country. Likewise, both teams have concerns coming in with their offensive lines.

If Clemson is going to have success against UGA, the Tigers don’t have to dominate the lines of scrimmage, but they have to find a way to hold that defensive front in check and protect Uiagalelei. They’ve got to get a push, and that’s where the success starts or ends.

Q: What do you feel are Clemson’s strengths and weaknesses?

A: Clemson has one of its deepest skill position rooms that it has had in some time. In addition to having all those weapons and a 5-star QB on offense, Clemson has one of the best defensive lines in the country, as we’ve already noted.

Just so we get an idea of what I’m talking about, all four of Clemson’s starters — Myles Murphy, Tyler Davis, Bryan Bresee and Xavier Thomas — are going to be drafted, and there’s a decent chance three of them go in the first-round. That’s talent similar to what we saw back in 2018 with a group headlined by Christian Wilkins, Dexter Lawrence and Clelin Ferrell.

As far as weaknesses go, there are two position groups that I’ll note as concerns: offensive line & defensive backfield. We’ve discussed the offensive line, and there is reason to believe they will be much improved.

Clemson spent this offseason getting bigger, but until we see it on the field, I can’t be so sure. The defensive backfield has some weapons, like Andrew Booth Jr., but that group was shredded last year against Ohio State, and they’ve got to prove it before we can pinpoint them as anything other than an area of concern.

Q: How do you think the CFP playoff committee will assess this game for the loser? Do you think whoever loses is automatically out? Does it depend on the score, or is it just too early to tell?

A: I don’t understand the people saying the loser of this game is out of the CFB Playoff race. That’s certainly not the case for Georgia. If the Bulldogs win out and then beat Alabama in the SEC Championship game, they’re absolutely in.

Of course, the margin for error is slim if they lose because it’s not likely that we’d see the committee take a two-loss team if the Bulldogs dropped another one, but a loss to Clemson by no means eliminates them from contention.

Now, I know everyone wants to dump on Clemson’s ACC schedule and say that they shouldn’t be in if the Tigers lose a game. However, there’s a decent chance Clemson will face at least one ranked opponent the rest of the way, and then it’s likely they’ll have a top-10 matchup with North Carolina in the ACC Championship.

Are you really telling me that a 12-1 Clemson team with a win over a top-10 UNC team and its only loss coming at the beginning of the season wouldn’t be in the field?

If you believe that, you probably got some anti-Clemson goggles that you’re looking through because the committee isn’t going to view it that way. As long as something crazy doesn’t happen, like the PAC-12 Champion going undefeated.

Q: Score Prediction?

A: I believe UGA is one of the most talented teams in the country coming into this one. When I look across the board and assess the personnel of both teams, it looks like a wash. So, where does my tiebreaker come in?

I’m going to give an advantage to Dabo Swinney & Brent Venables over Kirby Smart. I think we’ll see a close one, and it’ll be hard-fought to the very end.

Clemson 31, Georgia 24

This game is likely going to produce one of the best college football matchups we’ve seen in a while, and regardless of who wins, it’ll be one these fans talk about for years to come.

Shoot, it could even be the game that finally produces the yearly rivalry game with the Tigers that would be so beneficial to both teams. Special thanks to Spencer for taking the time to break down the Tigers, so if you’re looking for more insight on Clemson, check out their website, Rubbing the Rock.

Georgia and Clemson tee off on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC and the College GameDay folks will be in Charlotte, so it’s setting up to be one heck of an opening weekend.