By PAUL NEWBERRY
AP Sports Writer

ATHENS, Ga. - Backup quarterback D.J. Shockley ran for one touchdown and passed for another as No. 8 Georgia escaped a major upset, rallying for a 31-28 victory over Clemson on Saturday night.

Billy Bennett kicked a 43-yard field goal with 5:19 remaining to snap a 28-all tie in the renewal of a longtime rivalry.

Georgia took advantage of atrocious play by Clemson's special teams.

Fred Gibson returned a kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown. Aaron Hunt missed two field goals, including a 46-yard attempt with 1:43 remaining that would have tied the game for the Tigers. A shanked punt and a long punt return set up two more Georgia TDs.

The two schools, only about an hour's drive apart, played for the first time since 1995. Both made a plethora of mistakes, not surprising for a season opener, but there was plenty of drama in the final quarter.

Shockley, a redshirt freshman playing his first college game, threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Terrence Edwards with 12:35 remaining to erase a 28-21 deficit.

Then, Damien Gary returned a punt 40 yards to set up Bennett's winning kick.

Clemson got in position to send the game to overtime, driving to Georgia's 26 before stalling. Hunt came up a few feet short on the field-goal attempt.

David Greene, the Southeastern Conference freshman of the year in 2001, played most of the game at quarterback for the Bulldogs. But Shockley came up big in his brief time on the field.

During his only series of the first half, Shockley ran 9 yards for a touchdown. He sidestepped Clemson safety Eric Meekins with a brilliant move and dove into the end zone.

Shockley returned in the fourth quarter, guiding the Bulldogs to the tying touchdown. On third-and-3, he stepped up in the pocket and found Edwards over the middle.

Clemson likely would have won if not for a bunch of mistakes, many by the special teams.

Gibson was barely touched when he returned the kickoff for a touchdown - and the play shouldn't even have happened. Clemson was forced to re-kick after being called for illegal procedure on its first attempt.

Former Georgia punter Wynn Kopp, now kicking for the Tigers, set up Shockley's TD run by dropping a snap, then shanking a rushed punt only 17 yards.

Clemson wasted plenty of other chances. Deep in Georgia territory, Willie Simmons failed to spot an open receiver in the end zone and wound up being intercepted by Decory Bryant.

Simmons' receivers let him down on two other throws. A deep pass hit Airese Curry on the fly at the Georgia 15, but the ball slid off his fingertips. On another long attempt, Derrick Hamilton got free in the end zone, but fumbled away another perfectly thrown pass by Simmons.

The Tigers also fumbled four times in the first half, losing valuable yards even though they managed to recover all of the loose balls.

Simmons did throw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Youngblood with just eight seconds left in the first half, pulling Clemson to 21-14.

Georgia couldn't hang on to the ball in the third quarter.

The first miscue began on a rather innocent play: a sweep from the Clemson 29. Musa Smith bobbled the pitch, there was a scramble for the ball and Bryant McNeal finally picked it up. He rumbled 55 yards for a tying touchdown without being touched.

On the ensuing kickoff, Gibson was trying to make a cut when the ball simply slipped out of his hands. The Bulldogs dodged that mistake when Hunt banged a 37-yard attempt off the right upright, but Clemson marched right back down the field.

Yusef Kelly's 2-yard run put the Tigers ahead for the first time.

Back to ACC Home

Email this article

Printer-friendly format