ATHENS — Forty in a row.
That’s how many regular-season games the Georgia Bulldogs have won in succession, dating to the last four games of the 2020 season. That’s five short of the all-time record held by Oklahoma.
The Bulldogs haven’t lost one in the past three seasons. They’re 47-2 overall in that time, with both losses in the SEC Championship game. That’s hard to fathom.
The 40th came Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium as No. 1 Georgia used a second-half surge to blow past No. 14 Clemson 34-3 in the Aflac Kickoff game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It also was the 11th consecutive season-opening win for Georgia, including nine in a row under coach Kirby Smart.
“We believe in what we do,” Smart said of the 40-game run. “The leaders on our team that I meet with, they believe in it, they sell it, they push it to the younger players. Somebody said the other day we had 38 or 42, I can’t remember what it was, new people on our team. ... When you turn over that much, you’d better have a nucleus around them that can keep them grounded. That is what we’ve been able to sustain at Georgia.”
The streak likely will continue. The Bulldogs will be a heavy favorite when they play host to Tennessee Tech in the home opener Saturday at Sanford Stadium (2 p.m., SEC Network-plus).
Saturday’s outcome was in question for two quarters. Georgia outscored Clemson 28-3 in the second half to improve to 44-18-4 in the 127-year-old series. That includes eight wins in the past nine meetings.
Here are five things learned during the Bulldogs’ opener:
Secondary shakeup
Running back Trevor Etienne’s suspension Saturday was not the only secret Georgia carried into the opener. The fact that defensive back Joenel Aguero was unavailable to go was potentially more problematic to the Bulldogs’ cause. The 5-foot-11, 205-pound sophomore from Massachusetts was set to start at the all-important “Star,” or nickel back, position after having what had been described as a fantastic preseason camp.
However, Smart revealed that Aguero suffered “a pull” of some sort in Georgia’s final full-contact practice Aug. 24. The hope was that Aguero would be able to make it back to the field, but later in the week it became increasingly clear that he would not be available.
The Bulldogs started junior JaCorey Thomas at the star position. But very early against Clemson, All-American safety Malaki Starks moved to that position, and Georgia played freshman KJ Bolden alongside senior Dan Jackson at safety.
“That was huge,” Smart said. “... We didn’t know. (Aguero) didn’t go Monday, he didn’t go Tuesday, he walked through Wednesday. We’re all messed up because now we’re not just moving one person into his spot, we’re having to move Malaki, then Dan, then KJ. It was really scary because we didn’t have the volume of reps with that makeup.”
They came through with flying colors. Clemson managed only 188 yards of offense overall, including 142 passing, Starks recorded another highlight-reel interception and Thomas had a pass breakup.
“They did a tremendous job of knowing what to do from three different positions,” Smart said, before adding, “we really need to get Joenel healthy.”
Frazier hype
Smart found himself in hype-control mode while fielding questions about running back Nate Frazier on Saturday.
A 5-9, 205-pound freshman from Compton, California, who didn’t arrive at UGA until the summer, Frazier led all Georgia playmakers with 107 yards of offense, including a team-high 83 yards rushing. He recorded two of his team’s longest plays on a 40-yard run and a 24-yard reception.
Sophomore Branson Robinson started the game, but Frazier started the second half, when Georgia scored 28 of their 34 points.
“I don’t know that Nate opened up that,” Smart said. “… I think he brought a little juice and a little energy there. Cash (Jones) did, too. And Branson, Branson hasn’t playing football in a year, so he is going to be fine. He is a really good back and we’re going to continue to get better and look forward to using all those guys’ skill sets.”
Georgia was playing without what was thought in camp to be its top two backs. Along with Etienne’s suspension, sophomore Roderick Robinson is sidelined for several weeks after toe surgery.
“I was really proud of all those guys stepping up,” Smart said.
Instant impact
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has been outspoken about his philosophy of staying out of the transfer portal. Smart shares that philosophy to a lesser degree. But, as it turned out, the Bulldogs’ transfers had a major impact Saturday.
Transfer receivers London Humphreys (Vanderbilt) and Colbie Young (Miami) scored two of Georgia’s four touchdowns. Each of them finished with two catches, Humphreys’ going for 63 yards ,including his 40-yard touchdown, and Young’s for 15, including a 7-yard score.
Smart called Humphreys’ 23-yard, second-half catch over the middle in traffic — to convert a third-and-long — “the play of the game.”
“That was a clutch catch,” Smart said. “Once we converted that, it was kind of a springboard to us being explosive and scoring.”
Tight end Ben Yurosek, a graduate transfer from Stanford, played a lot, but he dropped the only pass that came his way and was flagged for a false start on the Bulldogs’ third offensive possession. Including snapper Beau Gardner, a walk-on transfer from UCLA, four of Georgia’s nine transfers played Saturday.
Smart was proud but didn’t gloat. “We’re very selective in the transfer department,” Smart said. “I want my team to stay my team; I’ve always said that. If you could give me every kid I sign, they stay at my program for four years and they can’t leave, I would take that every day of the week. But if we’re going to lose kids, we’ve got to replace them with high-quality kids that are looking to have an opportunity to win a championship, that want to go somewhere and play. Otherwise you can’t survive in the SEC without the depth you need. It’s a forced situation, and you have to use it.”
Specials deliver
Had Smart known how far Peyton Woodring’s second field-goal attempt of the game was, he might not have let him try it. Good thing for the Bulldogs he did, as Woodring’s 55-yard boot gave the Bulldogs a 6-0 second-quarter lead.
After the game, Smart said he knew only that Woodring’s attempt was “a little out of my comfort zone.”
“I didn’t realize (it was 55),” Smart said. “I knew it was out of the zone that I really wanted, but I didn’t have a lot of options there. We were playing field position, and I’ve seen him make them.”
It was a career long for the sophomore kicker, whose previous long was 48 yards. Woodring also handled kickoffs and finished 6-for-6 on touchbacks. Including four PATs, he scored 10 points in the game.
Junior punter Brett Thorson also had a strong performance, averaging 48 yards on four punts with a long of 57. He also pinned the Tigers at the 5-yard line one time and forced a fair catch at the Clemson 15 on another one.
Sophomore wideout Anthony Evans did a good job returning punts, fair-catching one in heavy traffic and returning three other 23 yards, with a long of 14.
Starts and stops
Six Georgia players got their first career start in the game: sophomore defensive tackle Christen Miller, sophomore cornerback Julian “Julio” Humphrey, junior nickel back Thomas, sophomore running back Branson Robinson, junior center Jared Wilson and sophomore tight end Lawson Luckie.
Luckie had two catches for 17 yards, Humphrey had one tackle and one pass breakup and Robinson 12 yards on seven carries and 4 yards on two receptions.
The Bulldogs had two starters leave the game with injuries. Defensive tackle Warren Brinson, who was slowed with an Achilles injury in camp, had to be helped off the field with a calf contusion midway through the first quarter. Early in the second half, Williams (ankle) hobbled off the field with assistance after being the victim of an illegal cut block.
Smart said neither injury was thought to be serious.
SATURDAY’S GAME
No. 1 Georgia vs. Tennessee Tech, 2 p.m., 750 AM, 95.5 FM
