Tigers Enter Opener vs. Bulldogs with ‘Chip on Our Shoulder'

As fall camp comes to a close, Clemson is honing in on game one and getting ready for the season opener against Georgia, with kickoff for the Aug. 31 contest just days away.

On Monday, Clemson redshirt sophomore tight end Josh Sapp spoke about that marquee non-conference tilt and said the Tigers have “a good game plan going in” against the Bulldogs.

“Camp’s been good, so now it’s time to turn that page for sure, get ready for game one,” Sapp said. “Everybody’s on the same page and everybody’s ready.”

Georgia (13-1, 8-1 SEC in 2023) is the No. 1 team in both the preseason AP Top 25 and preseason Coaches Poll , while Clemson (9-4, 4-4 ACC in 2023) is ranked No. 14 in both polls ahead of the upcoming season.

The Tigers are currently a 14-point underdog heading into the matchup vs. UGA – and that’s perfectly fine with Clemson, according to Sapp.

“For sure. I definitely know we got a chip on our shoulder, just coming in, being that underdog,” he said. “That’s what we like around here at Clemson, being that underdog.”

Sapp sees the Week 1 showdown as a great opportunity for the Tigers to make some noise when the two teams open the 2024 campaign in the national spotlight on Saturday, Aug. 31 in the Aflac Kickoff Game at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium (12 p.m., ABC).

Clemson is looking to earn its first win against Georgia since 2013 in a matchup of regional rivals that have accounted for four of the last eight national championships.

“They’re the No. 1 team, so that’s a good start for us to knock them off from that,” Sapp said.

“They’re an overall solid defensive team,” added Sapp, a Clemson legacy with seven career catches for 60 yards and two touchdowns in 89 snaps over 15 career games (one start). “They’ve got a lot of players everywhere, so we’ve just got to be prepared for everything, honestly. That’s all that I can say.”

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