The Tigers found a way. DJ Uiagalelei has been much maligned, with some even calling for him to be benched in favor of freshman Cade Klubnik. But Dabo Swinney stuck with his guy, and he threw for 371 yards and the Tigers scored 45 points in regulation, adding a TD in overtime to win a barnburner 51-45. Wake Forest’s offense was as advertised, shelling Clemson’s corners with deep passes most of the day to the tune of six TDs through the air. But the last ball fell incomplete in the end and the Tigers survived. The big question about Clemson was if the offense could pick up the slack if the defense had an off day. Mission accomplished.
To varying degrees, Michigan and Georgia played with their food. Georgia had a Kent State team they were favored over by over 40 points, and while it didn’t seem like the result was ever truly in doubt, the Flashes did hang around for way longer than you’d like (Dawgs won 39-22) if you’re the team we all think Georgia is supposed to be.
On the other hand, Michigan had their first test against a team that isn’t decidedly one of the nation’s 10 worst and needed a late explosive play to truly put the proceedings to bed in a 34-27 win. Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa went out after taking a shot to his ribs the status of his health—just like last year—will go a long way to determining the fate of Maryland this season.
