ATLANTA— Another Georgia football season arrived Saturday and the Bulldogs again were in their element.

In the national spotlight with a marquee game.

It certainly took them a while to get going, but by the end they showed once again they will be a force to be reckoned with in this new 12-team playoff, 16-team SEC era.

The No. 1 Bulldogs blew past No. 14 Clemson to run away with a 34-3 win in Mercedes-Stadium 78,827 after leading just 6-0 at halftime.

It was their 40^th straight regular season win and 11^th straight win in a season opener.

Here are three takeaways from the Georgia win:

Georgia's defense makes things miserable for Garrett Riley

The Bulldogs defense clamped down on the Tigers offense run by second-year coordinator Garrett Riley.

Just like it was the national championship game in the 2022 season when Georgia won 65-7 against TCU in another NFL stadium. Riley was TCU’s offensive coordinator then.

Clemson was held to 76 yards and 3.8 yards per play in the first half and just two first downs. They were held to just a field goal and 188 total yards.

The longest play was a 36-yard catch by Antonio Williams.

Georgia safety Malaki Starks snagged an interception that electrified the crowd in the fourth quarter. It came in the same building in which he snagged his first career interception against Oregon in a blowout win to open the 2022 season.

Linebacker Jalon Walker had a team-high six tackles and 1 ½ sacks.

Smart said in a halftime interview on TV he liked how the defense responded after the Tigers hit a “shot play” on the Bulldogs.

Cade Klubnik was 7 of 12 for 54 yards in the first half. Clemson punted five times.

Georgia eventually wears down Clemson on ground

Kirby Smart never announced it, but Florida transfer running back Trevor Etienne was suspended for his offseason arrest that brought DUI and reckless driving charges.

The Bulldogs clearly missed the preseason All-SEC first-team selection in the first half.

Starter Branson Robinson was held to 5 rushing yards on 5 carries.

Freshman Nate Frazier had 20 rushing yards on 4 carries and got going in the second half to finish with 83 rushing yards on 11 carries.

The longest first-half run? That would be a scramble by quarterback Carson Beck for 13 yards.

Beck was 15 of 19 in the first half for 126 yards with just three completions of 15 or more yards.

Frazier provided a spark with a catch out of the backfield for 24 yards in the third quarter.

Cash Jones scored on a 15-yard run using a stiff arm and keeping his balance on the sideline for the final score.

Hello, Colbie Young

Miami transfer wide receiver Colbie Young is a physical specimen. Especially up close watching him pregame.

Clemson saw firsthand again what a handful he is in the red zone.

Carson Beck finally got Georgia into the end zone with 12:01 to go in the third quarter when he threw a fade on the right side of the end zone to Young who Georgia lists at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds.

He leapt up and came down with the ball over 6-foot-2, 200-pound cornerback Jeadyn Lukas.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Georgia football takes it to Clemson in second half in pounding Tigers