Author : college football/basketball writer @MattZemek, Editor at @TrojansWire .
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The roots of the pandemic, and the many strange aspects of a 2020 season unlike any other in college football history, form a significant part of the backdrop as the Clemson Tigers prepare to meet the Georgia Bulldogs Saturday night in Charlotte. This Southern-flavored nonconference clash is easily the biggest game in Week 1 of the 2021 college football season. The two quarterbacks involved in this showdown both enter this game needing to answer the same questions, but they will confront those questions from different vantage points.
The question both D.J. Uiagalelei of Clemson and J.T. Daniels of Georgia must answer is this: “Are you ready to be consistently great over 12 games, not just in a few specific moments?”
Uiagalelei showed how much talent he possesses last November in prime time. He was a compelling central figure in Clemson’s dramatic double-overtime loss at Notre Dame. He didn’t play a flawless game against the Fighting Irish, but Uiagalelei competed well and did not allow the game to overwhelm him. He showed why he was such a hyped quarterback prospect from USC’s back yard in Southeast Los Angeles. He wanted to go across the country to Clemson to pursue greatness. Now he needs to show that what he did in one game against Notre Dame (plus a second game versus Boston College, while Trevor Lawrence was out due to COVID-19 protocols) can extend across a full season.
J.T. Daniels is trying to take a small sample size and stretch it across a full season as well. The difference with Daniels is that his limited playing time in 2020 was not due to being buried behind a Heisman-contending quarterback, which was the case with Uiagalelei being behind Trevor Lawrence on the depth chart. Daniels’ lack of yearlong reps was caused by an injury and the need to be careful with his recovery. When finally healthy, he got the keys to the Georgia offense from Kirby Smart and looked good.
A key point: He did not face Alabama last year. Another key point: He did not face Florida last year. He played against Mississippi State, South Carolina and Missouri in Georgia’s regular season. He looked ordinary against a good Cincinnati defense in the Peach Bowl.
Daniels does look like the best QB option Georgia has, but torching Mississippi State doesn’t prove that the Dawgs’ offense is ready to perform at an elite level.
Uiagalelei vs. Daniels isn’t the only big confrontation on the field in Charlotte this coming Saturday night, but it does give this game a measure of heft. One Heisman candidate can get the clear upper hand on the other, much as one team will get the clear upper hand in the race for a playoff spot. Clemson and Georgia are two of the five teams most commonly picked to make the playoff. The winner gets leverage. The loser would very likely need to run the table to get in, especially if Clemson is the loser. The winner could lose a game later in the 2021 season and still feel comfortable about its playoff odds.
As this huge game arrives, it’s impossible to ignore the fundamental point: Plot twists from a completely unique 2020 season will form the backdrop for this 2021 lid-lifter. It lends Clemson-Georgia extra measures of unpredictability… which is why this game will be even more fascinating than many college football Week 1 games we have seen over the years.
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