SEC Recap: Was UGA Football the Most Impressive Week One Contender?
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ATHENS - UGA Football kicked off the 2024 season with a dominant win over 14th-ranked Clemson in the Alfac Kickoff Game.
The No. 1 team in the country under Kirby Smart, Georgia looked the part on Saturday as did several other schools in the conference. The Southeastern Conference (SEC) got out to a hot start on Thursday with Missouri and Arkansas shutting out their opponents, and that continued for the most part as the weekend went on.
How did the SEC contenders fare in week one? Texas and Alabama looked strong. LSU lost to USC. Is Tennessee better than what people think?
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No. 1 Georgia beats No. 14 Clemson 34-3
This game got off to a slow start offensively. Both defenses looked stout in the first half, as Georgia was the only team to score, mustering two field goals. In the second half, Georgia dominated. The second half score was 28-3. The Dawgs scored a pair of touchdowns in each quarter, and didn’t break even when the defense allowed Clemson to get into the redzone.
It is too soon to tell how good Clemson ends up being, but projections-wise, this looks to be the most impressive win of the weekend.
No. 4 Texas shuts out Colorado State 52-0
No starting running backs? No problem. Texas cruised to a 52-point win. Quinn Ewers had a clean game outside of one interception. The new-look Texas offense moved the ball well, and Ewers had no problem hitting his new targets via the transfer portal. Texas did what it should do and won this game big.
No. 5 Alabama storms past Western Kentucky 63-0
The Kalen DeBoer era got off to as good of a start as Alabama fans could have asked for. Jalen Milroe was 7/9 on his pass attempts for 200 yards and three touchdowns, adding two more on the ground. The defense was stifling, causing multiple turnovers. The Crimson Tide will likely not be tested in any real way until Georgia rolls into town in a month.
No. 6 Ole Miss obliterates Furman 76-0
Jaxson Dart had over 400 yards and six touchdowns heading into halftime in this game. The Rebels had a field day on offense, totaling almost 800 yards. It was a ridiculous day, and more of those are likely to come over the next few weeks for Lane Kiffin’s squad.
No. 11 Missouri handles Murray State 51-0
Missouri put up 28 points in the first quarter, looking good on both sides of the ball. If it was not for Brady Cook missing four deep passes in the first half, the Tiger offense would have been humming the way that Ole Miss’ was.
No. 13 LSU falls to No. 23 USC on Sunday night 27-20
This game is not what people thought it would be. This game was destined to be a high-scoring affair, and the offenses were supposed to be electrifying. Instead, the game ended with LSU struggling to move the ball and Brian Kelly slamming on tables.
No. 15 Tennessee obliterates UT-Chattanooga 69-3
Tennessee keeps finding ways to be explosive on offense. Nico Iamaleava looked the part.
No. 16 Oklahoma crushes Temple 51-3
Like most on this list, Oklahoma did it through the air and on the ground against a team that the Sooners should have beaten. Oklahoma has Tennessee and Auburn in the first half of the season, so we will know early how good the Sooners can be in this league.
No. 20 Texas A&M drops one to No. 7 Notre Dame
This was a defensive battle through and through. The Aggies struggled more on offense than anybody mentioned in this article. Notre Dame took control in the fourth quarter and notched a ranked win to open the season. The Mike Elko era started off by losing to his former quarterback Riley Leonard and the Irish.
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