Throwback Dawg Day: Clemson Unable To Cool Off Dawgs In Scorching Opener

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Sweltering heat for a Georgia football season opener?

Yes, that’ll be true on Saturday when Tennessee State comes to town…but it was also true in one of Georgia football’s biggest season-opening statement wins – 2003 at Clemson.

With a noon kickoff, you expect it to be hot, especially at a place that calls itself “Death Valley.” Factor in a heat wave, and it had all the recipes for a horrendous afternoon, so much so that concession stands did not make it through the game with their on-hand supply of bottled water.

But that was not the only thing bringing heat that day. The Bulldogs did, as well coming into a span where some expected signs of a transition to be apparent. With a basically new offensive line, being down defensive starters Will Thompson and Kentrell Curry and either others being suspended, the common thinking was not expecting a walk-over win, by and large.

That’s not how Georgia saw it.

In what’d be a script for the rest of the season, The Dawgs used a forceful defense and effective offense to dominate the opposition, as a 30-0 blanking of the Tigers was Clemson’s first shutout under Tommy Bowden and first shutout at home since 1998.

In truth, the 30-point margin could have been a lot worse. After a 56-yard strike from David Greene to Fred Gibson put Georgia up front, a trio of Billy Bennett field goals padded the lead before a pair of second-half quarterback runs by Greene and DJ Shockley provided the final margin as the UGA defense’s day of allowing less than 200 yards was punctuated by a David Pollack interception.

Pollack’s post-game quote to the associated press may have summed things up nicely.

“A lot of questions were answered today,” he said.

Indeed, Georgia would use a tough defense to propel itself to another SEC title game berth and play more than enough complimentary football to get back to Atlanta.

And all of that began on a hot day in Clemson.

Go Dawgs!

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