The second most important win for Georgia football came in Week 1 of the 2021 season, and that was when the Dawgs beat Clemson 10-3 in Charlotte, N.C., for the Dukes Mayo Kickoff game.
This game set the tone for the rest of the season, which is why it receives such a high ranking. The season started with a pick-six from Christopher Smith, so it’s only fitting to put this game as high as possible.
This game immediately put Georgia’s defense on the radar as most of the storylines were about both defensive fronts and which team had the better one. Neither offense had much success in this Week 1 showdown between two top-5 teams. Instead, it was an old-school defensive showdown.
🚨 74-YARD PICK-SIX 🚨
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) September 5, 2021
CHRISTOPHER SMITH INTERCEPTS DJ UIAGALELEI AND PUTS GEORGIA ON THE BOARD! #GODAWGS
(via @espn)pic.twitter.com/UjcgNFEVLR
Georgia took home that trophy as they sacked DJ Uiagalelei seven times and pressured him 21 times. The Dawgs broke Clemson as the Tigers weren’t the same after this loss.
Sometimes to get a win, all a team needs is one big play, and that pick-six in the second quarter was that moment. This matchup in Week 1 is why college football reigns supreme. Two talented teams battled it out to start the year 1-0 and control their playoff destiny.
Clemson has been one of the four best teams in college football since the playoff era began, so for Georgia to give them a loss in Week 1 was a massive confidence booster. This win gave Georiga a top-5 win on their resume in the first week of the season, which put Clemson in a tight spot.
If Georgia didn’t win this game, there is no telling how this season would have gone for the Dawgs, but by winning it, they gained the confidence they needed to know they could overcome anything. There were so many injuries that Georgia had to find replacements for, so getting out of Charlotte with a victory was monumental for the 2021 season’s success.