Twice a decade not enough for Georgia-Clemson!
The news this week that Georgia and Clemson finally have set the dates for their 2013-2014 series and will open those seasons against each other has gotten a lot of us longtime fans nostalgic for what was once one of football’s greatest, most hotly contested rivalries.
The Bulldogs have met the Tigers 62 times on the gridiron, second only to in-state rival Georgia Tech among nonconference foes, and they played every year except two between 1962 and 1987, before conference schedule requirements got in the way.
While Georgia leads the series 41-17-4 and has won the past five meetings, the rivalry was dead even during its glory days in 1977-87 — a period that saw each school win a national championship — with the two teams going 5-5-1.
Younger fans probably may not appreciate just how big the Georgia-Clemson rivalry used to be, but I think a good argument can be made that in that decade the close proximity of the schools and the parity between them on the field made Clemson UGA’s biggest rival, topping even Florida and Georgia Tech.
Clemson’s only regular-season losses in 1978, 1982 and 1991 were to the Dogs, and Georgia’s only regular-season loss during that great three-year Herschel Walker run was in Death Valley to the eventual 1981 national champion Tigers.
Great rivalries make for great trash talking, and aside from Tech, Lewis Grizzard got off some of his best shots at “Clempson,” the school he referred to as “Auburn with a lake.” My favorite was after protesting farmers staged a tractorcade at the state Capitol in 1978. Lewis cracked that he hadn’t seen that many tractors since the last time Clemson played in Athens.
It’s a real shame that the two schools no longer play each other on a regular basis in football. I know the desire of some fans to see the Dogs and Tigers play every year isn’t realistic, given that both schools are locked into annual battles with major nonconference opponents, but twice a decade just isn’t enough. When the two schools play in 2013, the decade break in the series will be the longest ever since they first met in 1897.
Hopefully with Georgia now having an athletic director who grew up a Bulldog in Athens during the years when the rivalry was at its peak we’ll see some consideration given to upping the frequency of the meetings. Ideally, I’d like to see Georgia and Clemson play home-and-home series every two years, meaning two years on and two years off, but even playing the Tigers just four years out of every 10 would be an improvement.
Anyway, as a reminder of what a great rivalry Georgia-Clemson has been in the past, here are my favorite games from the series:
1968: Georgia wins 31-13 in Athens. I remember after I finished selling my game programs at Sanford Stadium I managed to snag a seat near the 50-yard line in the south stands for this great game in an SEC championship season. The typically tough Erk Russell defense notched two safeties that day, but it actually was an atypical game for the Dawgs in the Vince Dooley era in that Georgia had 300 yards passing, including a 37-yard touchdown strike from Mike Cavan to big Dennis Hughes.
1969: Georgia wins 30-0 at Clemson. Cavan threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score as the Dogs shut out the Tigers in Death Valley.
1976: Georgia wins 41-0 at Clemson. Before a national television audience on ABC, Georgia’s quarterback tandem of Ray Goff and Matt Robinson humiliated the Tigers. Goff had a 73-yard scoring run and Robinson threw three touchdown passes, including an 85-yarder to Gene Washington. Quite a day.
1980: Georgia wins 20-16 in Athens. A tightly fought game during the national championship season in which Scott Woerner ran back a punt 67 yards for a touchdown and returned an interception 98 yards to set up a Buck Belue score.
1982: Georgia wins 13-7 in Athens. This was a big, big game, Georgia’s first under the new Sanford Stadium lights as the two preceding national champions met on national TV on Labor Day night. Hey, Jim Nabors was there to sing the national anthem! Herschel had an injured thumb and no one was sure how much he’d play, if at all. When he entered the game as a decoy in the second quarter the focus was so much on him that Tron Jackson was able to score on a 41-yard reverse, though the score was wiped out by a penalty. But the Georgia defense rose to the occasion, intercepting Athens native Homer Jordan four times and blocking a punt that turned into a touchdown for the Dogs. And Kevin Butler kicked two field goals.
1984: Georgia wins 26-23 in Athens. Speaking of Butler, his legend was made on this day as the Dogs upset the No. 2-ranked Tigers when he kicked it 100,000 miles, as Larry Munson said (actually 60 yards) for the winning field goal with 11 seconds to go. The stadium, as Munson screamed, was “worse than bonkers.”
1985: Georgia wins 20-13 in Clemson. Breaking out their red britches for the first time in a few years, the Dogs won a big upset in Death Valley thanks mostly to the spark provided by second-string quarterback James Jackson.
1991: Georgia wins 27-12 in Athens. On Goff’s best day as head coach, the Dogs upset the No. 6-ranked Tigers on national television.
2002: Georgia wins 31-28 in Athens. The close calls that characterized Georgia’s first SEC title season in 20 years started on this day at Sanford Stadium as QB David Greene struggled. But backup D.J. Shockley threw for one touchdown and ran for another, Fred Gibson returned a kickoff 91 yards for a score and Billy Bennett made a late fourth-quarter field goal for the margin of victory. A Tiger field goal attempt that would have tied it up fell short, and the Dogs clinched it when they converted on fourth down with 40 seconds left. Whew.
2003: Georgia wins 30-0 at Clemson. The Dogs entered the game with a shaky offensive line, two starters out injured and eight other players out on suspension, but Greene connected early with Gibson on a beautiful 56-yard touchdown strike. Greenie also had a 3-yard touchdown run, Shockley scored on a 29-yard run, Bennett added three field goals and the defense, which held Clemson to 7 yards rushing in the first half, saved a shutout with a David Pollack interception. Perfect.
And that’s the last time Georgia and Clemson played.
Feel free to share your own memories of the rivalry. And do you agree that the Dogs and Tigers should meet more often?
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106 comments Add your comment
gator2177
May 20th, 2011
10:59 am
UGA and Clemson – the two schools with the biggest misperceptions about their prominence in college football. they certainly deserve each other.
JYD
May 20th, 2011
10:59 am
Gator2177………………………..enjoy the CUM’s run while it lasted. UF is about to be the SEC whipping boy. Oh yeah, and UGA STILL has the series record over you guys after all of our lost game the past two decades. It says tons about who really owns who…
Auburn is All In..... JAIL
May 20th, 2011
11:05 am
There was not a single mention this past week of Auburn’s RB, Onterio McCalebb arrested in Dekalb County for driving without a license and expired tag…..
http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/05/auburns_mccalebb_arrested_for.html
I guess it’s a “heinous crime” until it happens to a player at your school. The it’s “no big deal” is it??
What are the odds he plays the opening game??
LC Dawg
May 20th, 2011
11:11 am
Dear haters,
We are glad you are here. A dog does not bark at a parked car. The fact you are barking only means you are worried…. because we are moving.
105 days!!!
gator2177
May 20th, 2011
11:14 am
College Football started in 1990 right?
Old Dawg
May 20th, 2011
11:14 am
The thing I most remember about the 1976 game is that the Clemmons fans were throwing rocks at their own players during the second half!
DCJohn
May 20th, 2011
11:16 am
Florida’s slogan should be, “We didn’t do anything before 1990. Oh yeah, we did. Our quarterback/punter won the Heisman. And then he made us relevant in 1990″
Georgia and Clemson in 2002 was one of the best games I have ever seen.
Spot on Bill
May 20th, 2011
11:17 am
The 2003 game was my all time favorite game outside of Athens….even better than the Sugar Bowl coming off the ‘02 SEC championship season. We went up on Friday night for the Hank Williams Jr. (afterall, you can’t have football without Hank) concert at Little John, and were not given much love from the Clemson fans and students around town. I heard about this all consuming “Sea of Orange” that would overcome our Dawgs. What a joke! By halftime we had Death Valley to ourselves. I could have done without the high noon kickoff; as it is still one of the hottest games I have ever been to. I would love to see the two schools hook it up more often on the field; especially with outcomes like the one in 2003.
D A DoubleU G
May 20th, 2011
11:28 am
This is very exciting.
Too many fans (especially the UGA haters) are obsessed with having to win a National Championship every year in order to justify having supportive fans.
I wish everybody were able to see the nostalgia in this matchup, like Bill said, as well as every other rivalry we have in our schedules year to year.
I do not give a darn if both UGA and Clempson are coming off winless 2012 seasons, with true freshman QBs set to start in 2013….. I CANNOT WAIT FOR THIS MATCHUP!!!
Only 105 days til kickoff!!!
Ca dawg
May 20th, 2011
11:29 am
Good stuff, bill. I’m just old enough to remember how big this rivalry was. Can remember butlers 60 yard fg, and my folks going nuts over munson’s call. Fwiw, I’d like to see a few more “7 yards rushing in the first half” type performances this year. HBTD!
fan
May 20th, 2011
11:33 am
Can’t spell gators without the GAY
Cunk Rogers
May 20th, 2011
11:35 am
Would love to see this game on our schedule every year. This was the biggest “rivalry game” in the early – mid 1980’s. The game in 1982 was crazy fun. Herschel’s thumb was tougher than the “Paw”. What a great series!
74 Dawg
May 20th, 2011
11:36 am
“Auburn running back Onterio McCalebb spent almost 24 hours at the DeKalb County Detention Center in Decatur, Ga., over the weekend after being stopped for driving without a proper license.
He was also ticketed for driving without a tag and revalidation decal. All the violations are considered misdemeanors and can be settled by paying the fines, DeKalb County spokesmen said today.
McCalebb was held in a holding area while he made telephone calls to arrange payment of the fines.
A DeKalb County spokesman said there was a delay in processing McCalebb’s arrest because of a backlog of arrests in the county last Saturday night, and that contributed to an extended stay. McCalebb posted two bonds totaling $660 before being released Sunday.”
THE ONLY WAY THIS STORY EVER GET IN THE ajc:) If it were a UGa player it would be page one and also result in at least two blogs, plus each time another player got in trouble, the first one would be part of the count down.
Tebow Bless You
May 20th, 2011
11:38 am
Can’t spell UGA w/o U-G-AY
-ther ya go fan
74 Dawg
May 20th, 2011
11:38 am
GETS,sorry.
258DAWG
May 20th, 2011
11:39 am
Maybe for old-school fans… Personally I think times have changed and I would like to see more of the impact games. Like the Boise matchup, or even the likes of USC, OSU, Nebraska, Texas, VT matchup.
Helps recruiting and if you win them you’re in the thick of the hunt for the crystal ball.
Go DAWGS!!!
dawginmemphis
May 20th, 2011
11:41 am
The 30-0 game in 2003 was awesome because it was a continuation of the momentum we had from a 2002 SEC championship season. Hottest game of all time. Several college girls had to be carried out of the upper deck on gurneys……it was dangerously hot. I honestly remember the unrelenting heat before I remember what an @$$ whooping we laid on them.
I think that set the tone for us winning the East again that year and its those tone setting games that get the players psyche right for the rest of the year. Those were the days when the dawgs came into every single game expecting a victory and demanded perfection of themselves. We have to get back to that mindset. They need to prepare this summer with a mindset that they don’t want to just survive the first 2 games, but to have every intention of putting a beat down on Boise and Carolina. A tall order, sure, but we have to get our swagger back.
dougmo2
May 20th, 2011
11:41 am
Little known fact: Hershel NEVER rushed for 100 yards against Clemson.
Lowcountry Bulldawg
May 20th, 2011
11:42 am
‘91 was the game that Zeier became the starting QB over Talley in the victory. Huge game all the way around for UGA.
DawginLex
May 20th, 2011
11:52 am
‘91 gameday was voted the greatest day in Georgia sports history because it was the same day the Braves won something that same day.
CTDawg
May 20th, 2011
11:52 am
UGA has too many rivals, we can let one go.
258DAWG
May 20th, 2011
11:54 am
Instead of Clemson I’d also like to see matchups against Penn St, Miami, Okla, ND(for the name), FSU, Wis, Ore, or Mich (in the BIGHOUSE)
with the Clemson series record and the state of the programs, what does it do towards getting back in the chase for the crystal ball? NOTHING!
Reginald
May 20th, 2011
11:57 am
The beauty of this matchup is that they will probably have fired Dabo after 2012 or 2013 so one of the 2 games will be the first game of a new coaching staff. I’m predicting Tommy Tubberville will be their new coach. Anyone want to give me some odds on this?
Nate
May 20th, 2011
12:03 pm
Don’t get me wrong. I used to love the UGA-Clemson rivalry. But I’m over it now. We have a hard enough time with the schedule we’ve got. And we have plenty of good rivalries…Auburn, Florida, Tech, Tennessee, S.C., etc…
Problem with playing Clemson is that they will take the game seriously, but the country won’t. We will gain nothing from beating them and be destroyed in the media when/if we lose to them.
We have nothing to gain. Either open the season with a nationally respected team(like Boise St.) or open with a patsy(Kent St.). Not a mediocre team that can beat you like Clemson.
Just my opinion.
cantondawg
May 20th, 2011
12:08 pm
74dawg,
Was Onterrio calling Bobby Lowder to pay the fines for him?
Concerned
May 20th, 2011
12:15 pm
Not only does Clemson bring nothing to the table, it is impossible to get in and out of there. Please schedule somebody relevant in college football…not another also-ran from a mediocre conference.
Sam
May 20th, 2011
12:17 pm
Pretty funny how things change where Boise State (a team I love to watch) is considered a bigger opening game than Clemson. Boise was a junior college not that long ago. I think part of this is how much more national college football has become. Clemson had one small run of national significance. UGA has had a couple of spurts but it is not USC, ND, Nebraska or Alabama in terms of its national football prestige (Coming from a realistic UGA grad).
A tough schedule is no way to win a national title (or play for one at least). UF has played extremely weak out of conference games and been in the hunt. When was the last time UF played a non-conference game out of the state of FL (aside from bowl games)?
solja
May 20th, 2011
12:22 pm
Once again the obsession THuga fans have with Auburn and Auburn’s success is showing on a blog that is supposed to be about THuga and Clemson. You guys are BEYOND pathetic. It would be sad if weren’t so funny to read and listent too. National Champs vs national chumps! BWAAAAAA
Ben
May 20th, 2011
12:24 pm
Yeah, this rivalry is pretty much dead for anyone under 30.
I remember hating them as a kid but a rivalry has to, you know, have to be PLAYED in order for it to be one. Like you said Bill, it’s only nostalgia now.
Modern college football now dictates that we’ll never play a team more than twice a decade (outside of our regular schedule).
aarh
May 20th, 2011
12:36 pm
solja- Yeah, AU did win a championship. Congrats on that, but don’t forget that UGA beat AU 4 straight yrs. before that. Everybody has down yrs. Just a couple yrs. before the championship & AU could barley win a game.
GADAWGS
May 20th, 2011
12:40 pm
Went to both Clemson games 02 and 03. We definitely need to play this more that twice a decade. I like your idea Bill.
We’re not that far away from Boise St. GOOOOOOOOOOO DAWGS!
Michael
May 20th, 2011
12:53 pm
2003 is probably easily the hottest game I have ever been to, home or away, in 47 years. It had to be at least 100 degrees in the stands, and who knows how hot on the field. Thank goodness for the Dawgs victory! I also will never forget Scott Woerner’s heroics in 1980!
Roar
May 20th, 2011
12:54 pm
solja: Don’t forget you are temporary custodians of the crystal ball.
On the topic of Clemson, we already have too much orange on the schedule. Playing the Tigers is like playing tek each year: nothing to gain, and a lot to lose. Let’s find someone else, and drop tek anyway.
At gator 2177
May 20th, 2011
1:01 pm
That is the truest statement I have ever read in this blog-”UGA and Clemson-the two schools with the biggest misconceptions about their prominence in college football.” When I moved to Atlanta a little over a year ago I was reading how UGA owned every football squad. How the were going to thrash UF. How they owned USC and Mississippi State. When I looked up the record of UF-UGA I saw that UGA has not even won 50% of the games in the last 20 years. They have not even won 25% of the games in the last 20 years. I wondered how they could see themselves as being so good! Then I saw what happened to them by South Carolina. Then Mississippi State. Then Colorado. Then I just realized that they were just “homies.”
Delbert D.
May 20th, 2011
1:10 pm
Swap Clemson and Vanderbilt. Everybody wins. Vandy might be that next team to go to the Big Ten, though. when they expand to 14 or 16. They already meet the AAU membership requirement.
Hart Co.
May 20th, 2011
1:26 pm
Worst game in the rivalry, the 1981 “Hershal Who” game.
CUFan
May 20th, 2011
1:26 pm
Clemson was the only team to beat (1981) Herschel Walker and the Dogs in a regular season game during Herschel’s 3 year tenure in Athens. UGA had 9 turnovers that day but managed to lose by only 13-3 at Death Valley.
Pago Pago Dawg
May 20th, 2011
1:27 pm
We could care less about opening games, the biggest game is in JAX!
DIT
May 20th, 2011
1:42 pm
I say let’s not worry about a rivalry between Clemson/UGA. I would love for us to go out and schedule home & away series with the Texas’s, Oklahoma’s MI’s & OSU. Yes, usually a weaker schedule helps you get to the NC game, but imagine if you put one of those games on the schedule and run through the SEC season undefeated or just 1 loss. If that team wins the NC game there would be no debate over who the NC should be and it would make the season that much more better.
I was blown away to read how long it’s been since UF left the state of Florida for a quality Non-Conference game. Not saying that they can’t win out of state, but that has to leave some UF fans shaking their heads. One would think y’all would want to see what it’s like to go to a game outside the state of Florida.
Anyway, here’s hoping that the Dawgs find some O-line players before the Boise State game.
Go Dawgs!
Destin Dawg
May 20th, 2011
1:46 pm
The Florida game shouldn’t be in JAX every year !!!! home game for Fla. and a road game for the dawgs !!!!! every yaer…. Home/Home or Atl./Jax would be fair…..
Destin Dawg
May 20th, 2011
1:46 pm
year
DawginLex
May 20th, 2011
1:48 pm
DIT,
2002 OL at UGA was same as 2011. 6 really good players and a bunch of freshmen. Keep them healthy and all is fine. We only had 1 running back in 2002 also. We were 9th in rushing in the SEC in 2002. Went 13-1
Defense is the key. Cut the PPG from 22 to 14 and the sky is the limit. The offense hasn’t changed in 10 years.
Petten on the rock by the lake
May 20th, 2011
1:49 pm
That 1984 game in Athens was my second game of my freshman year. The game before, there were so many tickets available that I told my best friend (and later my best man in my wedding) to come up for the Clemson game because it would be “easy” to get tickets. He still is so mad that he was watching through a crack in the old plywood they used to put on the bridge and could only see Butler kick the ball, and didn’t know if it went through. He still hates that he missed that game. Me? I had great seats in Sec 109 and remember clearly saying that the ball was closer to 61 yards than 60 before he kicked it…not that it mattered, it was through by a mile! Sorry, Skindohith.
DIT
May 20th, 2011
1:50 pm
@DawginLex
Good point. I forgot about that year being weak on the O-Line. The question is will they answer the call. I agree 100% about the defense. I know we are in the 2nd year of the defensive scheme, but pretty much have the same players as last year. That makes me nervous a bit.
To be honest I just don’t want to get my hopes up like i did last year. That was painful.
Mtn Dawg
May 20th, 2011
1:54 pm
@Gator2177…Like Flawedida and the Citital deserve one another. What a non-conference rivalry you’ve built up through the years. You should be proud.
Mtn Dawg
May 20th, 2011
1:58 pm
@At Gator2177… You must still be in diapers if all you have as reference is the last 20 years of UGA FLA football. This is exactly why those of you who are still wet behind the ears can’t appreciate just how big the rivalry between UGA and Clempson actually is. Too bad.
Athens= God's Country
May 20th, 2011
2:08 pm
2002 and 2003 were memorable due to all the love Charlie Whitehurst got. I have never seen a more overrated player in all of my life. He is still being tabbed to be a great QB.
I remember at the beginning of the 2003 game the ESPN announcer said, “That Charlie Whitehurst is the total package.” My friends and I died laughing! He went on to throw 3 or 4 int’s and got sacked multiple times.
Class of '98
May 20th, 2011
2:23 pm
Hotly contested? It’s 41-17-5 all time and UGA has won 5 in row. Is UGA-Kentucky “hotly contested” too?
Dink
May 20th, 2011
2:28 pm
Bill, some great memories… thanks! The 1980 game was as hard-hitting a game as any I’ve seen. Have to tip my hat to Homer Jordan, always liked and respected him.
Go Dawgs!
Hart Co.
May 20th, 2011
2:31 pm
Man, I used to love to hate Clemptson, even before they turned purple.
CJ
May 20th, 2011
2:34 pm
Florida Gators…
All the tradition of Wake Forest but with the arrogance of Notre Dame.
WDE
May 20th, 2011
2:39 pm
At gator 2177 so you’ve been around a whole year have you? A little advice for you sonny UGA owns the series record vs the Gators and they will NEVER catch us. Been a good run for them the last 20 years but let me repeat they will NEVER catch us…
Jim
May 20th, 2011
2:41 pm
I remember standing on the walkway by the hedges dead even the goal post in 1984, and watching Butler’s kick sail through for a winning field goal. Awesome!!
Hart Co.
May 20th, 2011
2:41 pm
I think Clemptson could’nt decide to be like Awburn or LSU. They turned purple and orange and died. They aint done anything since. What’s up with the purple anyway?
Coach Grohbo
May 20th, 2011
2:43 pm
Interesting contrasts in teams…
Clemson is solid but needs to develop its quarterback and its kickers.
Georgia has the quarterback and kickers and little else.
Clemson is in much better shape as a program and will dominate Georgia.
ugaclassof2004
May 20th, 2011
2:46 pm
I was at the Clemson game in 2002, and that was a good game. You got the feeling that both teams really wanted to win that one. But I don’t think it would mean anything to these kids now. I mean hell, they don’t even give a damn enough to put the hammer on a crappy team like Colorado. And with this “Kumbya summer camp” approach to running a football team that Mark Richt has, I don’t see the Dawgs being hungry enough to make ANY rivalry particularly exciting.
Southside Drug Rep
May 20th, 2011
2:52 pm
My Notre Dame friend Tim called me from Death Valley just before the 2003 kickoff. He said “THIS PLACE IS GOING CRAZY! They just rubbed that gay rock and ran down the hill. They will destroy Georgia today.” Still my favorite football-related phone call.
Flying Saucer
May 20th, 2011
2:56 pm
Both are South Carolina’s beeeocthes!
Love to Beat Clemson
May 20th, 2011
2:57 pm
Loved playing / beating “Clempson” in the 80’s when I was a student. We used to really make fun of their IPTAY stickers on their cars (I Pay Twenty A Year) – I used to tease them – told them I spend more than that on chapstick……
Timbodog
May 20th, 2011
3:01 pm
Florida will “never” catch us, huh? From my count, they’re only six games behind right now.
At our current rate, they pass us in seven years.
WDE
May 20th, 2011
3:04 pm
Timbodog never going to happen.
reebok
May 20th, 2011
3:05 pm
as a tech fan, i get to face both the tigers and the dogs each year, and i will tell you that UGA fans should not dismiss clemson. this is a proud program with great facilities and very good athletes. as a fan who respects both programs, i look forward to seeing thease 2 old rivals meet again. and any true football fan would have to call the 1984 matchup an absolute classic game.
Mobile Dawg
May 20th, 2011
3:08 pm
“Auburn with a lake”, I didn’t know it was Lewis who coined that. He was one of a kind and definitely a favorite. Still miss his wit. Looking forward to some nostalgic memories when these two play again. I would like to see a “Lewis Favorites” blog one day when we don’t have anything better to talk about.
Hold it right there
May 20th, 2011
3:09 pm
@Coach Grohbo we will beat you like rented mules…sorry your used to playing ACC schools so your not exposed to big boy football…these two games will help you grow as a program..you won’t win but should be able to use the experience on all the other ACC schools.
Timbodog
May 20th, 2011
3:12 pm
“reebok,”
Clemson is a bunch of choke artists. They have a ton of talent, but they refuse to hire a good coach. Dabo is a punchline.
If they ever hire a coach with a clue, they will be a big-time program. Kind of like us.
Timbodog
May 20th, 2011
3:13 pm
Based on what, WDE? Your hunch? Did you see us losing 18 of 21?
reebok
May 20th, 2011
3:15 pm
Timbodog, I think your coach is a very good guy and clearly a great recruiter, but to me he seems a little burned out…like he doesn’t quite want it as much as he did 3 or so years ago. Just my opinion…
Will
May 20th, 2011
3:26 pm
I agree with you that we should be scheduling Clemson or other BCS teams more often but we are saddled with a new AD who feels the way to win is to schedule non-competitive non-conference games because that’t the way they do it at Florida.
I really enjoyed my trip to Tempe and Boulder and if you were there, you probably will agree that the atmosphere among UGA fans was much the same as it is for a mid-level Bowl game.
Too bad. And also somewhat embarassing to think that our new AD does not have enough confidence in the football program to schedule major college opposition.
Oh well, at least scheduling Buffalo and the like will give non season ticket holders a chance to experience Game Day in Athens, even if the ballyard is less than filled on Game Day.
Timbodog
May 20th, 2011
3:26 pm
He is a nice guy, but I don’t think he was ever all that great of a coach to be honest. It’s just that as his tenure has gone on the coaching talent around him in the SEC has gotten exponentially better.
And as for recruiting, I’m not sure how much I “buy” that whole issue in the first place. I think kids are gonna go where they want to play, and I don’t think coaches play that big of a role in it outside of their track record on winning games.
I mean, let’s put Richt at Louisiana Tech (or even Georgia Tech) and see what a great recruiter he is.
WDE
May 20th, 2011
3:35 pm
Timbodog its called history…they will never catch us….never. And I’m right until they prove me wrong. The tide has turned my man….most of Gator Nation senses it that’s why all the angst on the blogs. Hell they got taken to O.T by a freshman QB and CUM was the coach and lets not forget the smackdown Bama put on them last year…and now CUM is gone….doom !
Timbodog
May 20th, 2011
3:52 pm
WDE,
Florida is leaps and bounds beyond where we are as a program. And if you don’t realize that, then God help you.
WDE
May 20th, 2011
3:59 pm
Timbodog really then what happened last year? You think they just let us take them to O.T?
gvltiger94
May 20th, 2011
4:18 pm
Sure UGA owns the series.And yes, I know that Clemson hasn’t shown jack the past 20 years. I love how they conveniently left out the fact that Herschel “Multiple Personality” Walker never set his skanky feet EVER in the Death Valley endzones for a touchdown during his career along with that Coot idiot George Rogers. Nor did he mention the nail in the coffin games in ‘86 and ‘87, or the a** whipping in 1990 when UGA got thumped in Death Valley 34-3.
Nonetheless, the times they are changing and Clemson is going to rip you self impressed and narcissistic UGA fans a new one in ‘13 and ‘14.
FB Fan
May 20th, 2011
4:50 pm
HA! I really like to hear people talk about the “glory days” of Clemson. The glory days were a result of the second largest set of NCAA sanctions ever levied against a program. Second only to SMU which received the “death penalty”. Sanctions that disgraced Danny Ford and the school to this day. These “glory days” are remembered only by a few old clemson coots living in the past…no one else cares.
Georgia has won about 75% of the games against Clem. Would be 90% but for the “glory days” otherwise know as the major ncaa infraction,cheating days. If their level of cheating took place today all of their wins would have been vacated.
Georgia will wipe the floor with Clem, especially if that Doodoo Swinney character remains at the helm.
Dawg48
May 20th, 2011
5:07 pm
I thought this was about Georgia Clemson? Why so many Jean short wearing dumb gators on hear?
Paul in RDU
May 20th, 2011
5:22 pm
I thought the comments on UF never catching UGA are interesting. When you look at the records over the years there have been wild swings in the rivalry
2001 – 2010 8-2 UF
1991 – 2000 9-1 UF
1981 – 1990 7-3 UGA
1971 – 1980 8-2 UGA
1961 – 1970 6-3-1 UF
1951 – 1960 7-3 UF
1941 – 1950 8-1 UGA
prior to WW II 15-4-1 UGA
In 1950 UGA had a 23-5-1 lead. Since then it is 35-25-1
Einsteindawg
May 20th, 2011
5:24 pm
I think this is great!!! As a looooong time fan and season ticket holder, playing games like this is what it’s all about. Nobody cares if we beat Western Carolina, Arkansas State, Ga Southern, Coastal Carolina, etc. Play 10 games against great competition and have a few breaks in between…then a deserved bowl game. Of course, it’ll never happen because it’s all about the money.
Coach Grohbo
May 20th, 2011
5:28 pm
gvltiger is right.
Clemson has one of the top defenses in the NCAA. Clemson is also solid along the offensive line and in the backfield and is a well-disciplined football team.
They are built like Mississippi State and would physically dominate Georgia in the same way Mississippi State did.
IPTAY IV
May 20th, 2011
5:29 pm
Dear haters,
We are glad you are here.
We’re glad to be here too. Someone has to keep reminding dawgtards what a sleazy team they’re supporting.
Scorekeeper
May 20th, 2011
5:35 pm
Clemson 42, UGA 17.
Einsteindawg
May 20th, 2011
5:35 pm
Wonder who the head coaches will be at those games? Probably not Richt nor Swinney.
SCDAWG
May 20th, 2011
5:47 pm
I am a high schooler from SC and I hate Clemson. Next to UF and Au and GT these guys should get the crap beat out of them every week if it could happen. GO DAWGS. PS they have the worst uniforms and fans.
Coach Grohbo
May 20th, 2011
5:48 pm
Given the teams’ recent performance, the chances of the current head coaches still coaching these teams are:
Swinney 50% (Last won his division in 2009)
Richt 10% (Last won his division in 2005)
Coach Grohbo
May 20th, 2011
5:53 pm
Keeper,
That score is too high unless there are a lot of turnovers.
Clemson 28, Georgia 12 is a more likely outcome.
Touchdowns vs. Field Goals.
Einsteindawg
May 20th, 2011
5:58 pm
Coach, I like your assessment. I’m thinking our next coach will probably come from the West…what about Clemson’s?
Richt`s Hammer
May 20th, 2011
6:18 pm
Not another loss. Oh my
Munson Fan
May 20th, 2011
6:29 pm
UGA-Clemson, who????????? Sorry, I remember Georgia-Clemson, went to many of those games in both Athens & Clemson, but I know nothing of this UGA-Clemson thing to which many of you refer.
Ceasar
May 20th, 2011
6:49 pm
About 88rd!!!!!!!!!!
jay
May 20th, 2011
8:49 pm
I would trade Clempson for Ga Tech any day on the schedule. At least Clemp-son has been somewhat competetive.
Tiger Paws
May 20th, 2011
9:21 pm
Clemson 45, Georgia 17.
A very satisfying game to watch.
old fan
May 20th, 2011
9:24 pm
IPTAY…I plow thirty a year.
In the 50’s, Clempson (when did they change the spelling?) had to cross the Tugalo (before the lake) if they wanted to play UGa or Tech.
BTP
May 20th, 2011
9:56 pm
BK is the consumate @hole. The reason UGA does not play Clemson every year is because the UGA AD prefers to buy a victory against a D-II opponent rather than play a game that could result in a potential loss. Your implication is that Clemson is dodging UGA. Please stop writing such pretentious blogs and try to be a little more objective. For the record, I am not a Clemson fan; just a sports fan who hates a homer.
Return to Glory
May 20th, 2011
10:18 pm
1982 Labor Day brawl..Hershel was hurt but the defense stood like a stone wall and as a Dooley coached team often did it found a way to WIN.
I do miss ol Danny Ford with his big chew in walking the sideline.
Hey Clemson fans: IPTAY: It’s probation time again ya’ll…lol
Herschel - 0 for in ClemPson
May 20th, 2011
10:21 pm
Yeah nice favorites. Dawgs have the series lead. Dawgs are superior. Clemson and UGA are too similar for any school to proclaim how great they are.
I love it that the great Herschel never saw the endzone in Death Valley. No TDs.
FYI, I even graduated from UGA as an undergrad, sought Clemson for my grad degree.
Did turkey Grizzard start the heavy AJC bias against Clemson? It is almost as bad as the ESPN bias against ATL.
Gawja fans are a class act
May 20th, 2011
10:26 pm
I have heard from too many people that when Clemson went to Athens and won, on the way home… Clemson fans could see Gawja fans throwing bricks off overpasses at cars.
Now that is a class act. The SEC has some talent. Real nice.
The Clemson vs USuCk game is awful to go to because all the reds and never-grads come out of the woodwork and trailers to live large for one day.
Gawja vs GaTech does not have that because at least the GT fans are “professionals”. The game is only 50% red.
L-I-V-I-N'
May 20th, 2011
10:27 pm
We are all livin’ the dream… Gawja 1980, Clemson 1981.
Over 30 years ago…. GT has won more national championships since 1982 than both schools.
What does that say about Clemson and Gawja?
Not too much. Hurts doesn’t it.
sports
May 21st, 2011
12:06 am
clempson needs to be playing the YELLER JACKETS over at the landfield they call Grant Field.
UGA FRIEND
May 21st, 2011
5:18 am
For political reasons, it will never happen, but as someone suggested, maybe a UGA-Clemson rivalry would be more competitive and interesting than UGA-GT. After all, a 1-9 advantage for UGA over the last decade is somewhat boring for Dawg fans.
DawgNation
May 21st, 2011
7:09 am
UGA FRIEND….After all, a 1-9 advantage for UGA over the last decade is somewhat boring for Dawg fans.
Not this fan.
chazzo
May 21st, 2011
8:16 am
I was there in ‘84, my freshman year. Yes, the Butler did it, but you failed to mention the half time score which I remembered being Clemson up 21-0. (That seems unlikely considering the final score, but it was in that ball park.) Point being, a lot happened in the second half that led to Butler’s amazing kick. It was an incredible game that deserves more than blurb about the final 11 seconds.
Munson did not exaggerate about the stadium. I thought it was coming down. We staid there screaming and stomping for an hour after the game ended. When I was making my way out, I saw a metal stadium bench (the whole row) stomped flat to the concrete riser.
Ringleader
May 21st, 2011
8:55 am
Without the 40% Georgia boys on Clemsons roster, they would be Wake Forest. There is no reason to plaly them more often. It would be like playing FSU more often, it would only make their recruiting easier in Georgia.
And I recall, after Clemsons winning and cheating in the early 80’s, Florida hired the mastermind Charlie Pell, to do the same in Gainesville.
Barack Dawg
May 21st, 2011
9:55 am
258DAWG
We need to play impact games like Clemson because that is in our back yard and will help with recruiting in the south east. We couldn’t careless about recruiting in California, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Ohio, et cetera. So we don’t really get a lot of benefit of playing USC, Penn State, et cetera. Those only really have a down side and no upside. We play a tough schedule every year with our confernce currently so we don’t have to justify that like an Ohio State or Penn State or USC in order to get value from our schedule. Rather – we need to be smart and play games that improve our recruiting in our home base.
In addition – we have a good shot at playing schools like Penn State, Ohio State, USC, et cetera when we play in bowl games and if we are playing well then in BCS bowls so don’t add that to a battering SEC schedule unnecessarily.
We should focus on Clemson and Florida State because those schools outside of the SEC are the biggest threats to our recruiting base.
FBFan
May 21st, 2011
11:14 am
Clemson has never won except for the period in the late seventies early eighties when they were caught in the largest cheating scandal of that era and the 2nd worse scandal EVER. Why give that sorry program the exposure? The old geezers of that fan base brags about that time period as if the cheating never happened. A bunch of win at all cost losers! Forget them!
DawgVoiceofReason
May 22nd, 2011
9:40 pm
Georgia-Clemson WAS a pretty good rivalry, with the definite high-water mark being the 80s and a few games in the 90s and one or two in the 2000s. But in my view, that time has come and gone. Clemson hasn’t won the ACC since Florida State came to town. They used to be THE football school in the ACC but they just can’t seem to get back to where they were. Let’s beat them two in a row and then forget about them for another decade.
DawgVoiceofReason
May 22nd, 2011
9:46 pm
I never got to see Herschel play in-person while he was in college. I was supposed to have gone to the 81 game in Clemson. My grandfather was a Clemson alumnus and had mailed me his tickets to the game. But they never arrived; I don’t know whether they were lost or stolen; I never found them.
As it turns out, that was Herchel’s worst game of his career and Georgia’s worst game of his era. So, I’ve always had mixed emotions about it. If I had been there and seen it in person, I would have been crushed by the outcome and what happened. But, as it turned out that was my one chance to see him (and the Dawgs) while he was there.
leslie22h
May 25th, 2011
9:17 am
The UGA-Clemson game that stands out in my memory was the loss to Clemson my sophomore year in 1986 at Sanford Stadium. Treadwell kicked a last minute FG that gave Clemson the 31-28 win over Georgia. I yelled so loud for so long that my vocal cords tied up in knots and required surgery the following Spring. My voice has never been the same thanks to Clemson.