Georgia football seniors provide results in powerful win over Clemson

Back in January, many of the rising seniors for Georgia football littered social media declaring they would indeed be coming back for their senior season.

The excitement for the 2021 Georgia Football team began to surge when they made those announcements.

As the Instagram and Twitter hashtags of #UnfinishedBusiness kept coming, it was evident UGA would have an absolute machine of a defense. But haven’t we seen this before? Haven’t we seen how crucial senior leadership is?

We all remember 2017 and how it was such a magical season for Georgia. Early in the 2017 season, UGA had a thrilling 20-19 win at Notre Dame. Georgia held tightly to a one-point lead late in the fourth quarter and needed a stop, better yet, a turnover.

On cue, senior linebacker Davin Bellamy had a strip-sack on Notre Dame quarterback Brandon Wimbush. Senior Lorenzo Carter made the recovery, and UGA began its march to the SEC Championship and eventually a national championship game.

We saw Bellamy, Carter, Sony Michel, and Nick Chubb step up when Georgia needed it most all season. They were seniors who returned with the common goal of getting the Dawgs back on top.

That group sat in film rooms for four seasons learning and gaining experience — which showed on the field. The game wasn’t as fast to them.

Fast Forward to Saturday night, Georgia was in its opening game against No.3 Clemson. After a turnover at midfield in a 0-0 game late in the second quarter, Georgia needed a stop or a turnover.

Senior Christopher Smith stepped in front of DJ Uiagalelei’s pass and ran it 74 yards for a Georgia touchdown.

When people talk about this talented roster, Smith isn’t the biggest name, but let’s not discount the invaluable experience he got in 2020. When Richard LeCounte went down with an injury at Kentucky, Smith played safety for the rest of the season.

The biggest senior (literally) who came back that made an impact was defensive lineman Jordan Davis.

Davis was a monster against Clemson, opening multiple holes for his teammates, garnering double and even triple teams at times for the offensive line. Davis even got a sack himself — one of seven sacks the defense had.

When Georgia got the ball back with 4:49 to go at their own 45-yard line, it was senior Zamir White who they looked to run the ball.

White carried the ball six times on that drive for 32 yards as the Dawgs were able to drain the clock and secure a 10-3 victory in Charlotte, N.C.  This Georgia roster has added four and 5-stars, many coming to Athens in the last couple of years.

Adding those talented players benefits the team. However, the experience players gain from playing college football is so important. For Georgia fans, all you have to do is look back on 2017, then look at the Clemson game Saturday and know there is something special brewing in Athens, GA.