With the 10th annual Chick-fil-A Kickoff games coming up this weekend, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution takes a look back at 10 of the best moments from previous games.
2008: Alabama’s current dynasty begins
In the inaugural Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, No. 24 Alabama defeated No. 9 Clemson 34-10.
During the game, Alabama outrushed Clemson 239-0. Former wide receiver Julio Jones also recorded his first collegiate touchdown reception in the third quarter, putting the Crimson Tide up 31-10.
Many consider this matchup between the Crimson Tide and Tigers to mark the beginning of Alabama's current dynasty in college football. Since the 2008 Chick-fil-A Kickoff game, Alabama has won five SEC Championships and four national titles, the most of any FBS program in the past 10 years.
Highlights from the first Chick-fil-A Kickoff game inside Atlanta’s Georgia Dome can be watched below:
2009: Mark Ingram kicks off Heisman campaign
Alabama running back Mark Ingram began his Heisman Trophy campaign at the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game.
Ingram’s 150 rushing yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns led No. 5 Alabama to a 34-24 win over No. 7 Virginia Tech. After he scored his first touchdown on a 6-yard run, Ingram caught an 18-yard pass from former quarterback Greg McElory with 6:35 left in the game to seal the game.
The win was the first in Alabama’s undefeated 2009 season and the first step in the Crimson Tide winning the 2009 national championship — their first in 17 years.
2010: LSU holds off UNC rally for the win
After building a 31-10 halftime lead, No. 16 ranked LSU held off a fourth-quarter rally by No. 18 North Carolina to win a nailbiter in 2010.
The third Chick-fil-A Kickoff game was in doubt the entire second half after the Tar Heels cut their 21-point halftime deficit to six in the fourth quarter.
The Tigers recovered a fumble by Tar Heels quarterback T.J. Yates late in the fourth quarter, which gave Clemson hope of running out the clock. Yates was then sacked by former LSU defensive back Tyrann Mathieu with 1:29 left in the game, giving LSU possession at the UNC 39-yard line.
About 20 seconds later, LSU running back Stevan Ridley fumbled the ball, giving UNC possession on their own 27-yard line.
The Tar Heels marched down to the LSU 6-yard line with less than two seconds remaining when Yates threw what would have been the game-winning touchdown through the hands of tight end Zach Piannalto.
LSU hung on for the 30-24 win.
2011: Murray’s sophomore debut crushed by Boise State
Much hype surrounded the first game of Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray’s sophomore season against the Boise State Broncos in the 2011 Chick-fil-A Kickoff game, but the Bulldogs fell flat.
After a sluggish start by his team’s offense, Georgia cornerback Brandon Boykin came in as a running back and ran for an 80-yard touchdown, giving the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead.
Boise State took control in the third quarter when quarterback Kellen Moore threw his third touchdown pass of the night to take the lead, 28-7.
The Bulldogs scored touchdowns on back-to-back possessions, but turned the ball over on downs in each of its final two possessions to lose the game 35-21.
After losing to the Broncos and the South Carolina Gamecocks the following week, the Bulldogs won every other week until the 2011 SEC Championship game against LSU.
2012: First doubleheader weekend
The Chick-fil-A Kickoff game hosted its first doubleheader in 2012 when Tennessee defeated No. 25 N.C. State on Aug. 31 and No. 14 Clemson defeated No. 24 Auburn on Sept. 1.
Clemson became the first and only ACC team to win the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game. The game was tied 16-16 entering the fourth quarter, but Clemson scored 10 consecutive points, giving the Tigers the 26-19 win.
Since 2012, the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game hosted two additional doubleheaders. Once in 2014 and the other this weekend.
Another doubleheader weekend is scheduled for 2020 between Florida State and West Virginia followed by Georgia and Virginia.
2013: Alabama, Virginia Tech meet again
Four years after former Alabama running back Mark Ingram ran over Virginia Tech, the two teams faced off again in Atlanta.
In 2013, No. 1 Alabama and Virginia Tech met, and the Crimson Tide dominated the Hokies, as expected.
After Virginia Tech went three-and-out on the game’s first possession, Alabama's Christion Jones set the tone for the game, scoring on a 72-yard punt return— his first of two returns for touchdowns of the day. In the second quarter, Jones returned a kick 94 yards, increasing the Crimson Tide’s lead to 17 points, at 27-10.
Virginia Tech’s only touchdown came from a 77-yard touchdown from running back Trey Edmunds near the end of the first quarter. Edmunds scored 16 seconds after Alabama scored their second touchdown of the game.
Alabama went on to earn a 35-10 win.
2014: No. 18 Ole Miss, Boise State take fans on fourth-quarter thrill ride
In the first game of the 2014 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game doubleheader, Ole Miss led Boise State 7-6 through three quarters, but in the game’s final 15 minutes, the Rebels put on a show.
In front of the smallest crowd in Chick-fil-A Kickoff game history (32,823), Ole Miss scored 28 points in the fourth quarter. Senior quarterback Bo Wallace threw for 387 yards and four touchdowns in the Rebels’ 35-13 win.
The Rebels went on to earn a 9-3 regular-season record and a No. 9 ranking for their Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl matchup against No. 6 TCU.
In the second game of the 2014 doubleheader, No. 2 Alabama defeated West Virginia, 33-23.
2015: Auburn wins its first Chick-fil-A Kickoff game
After losing to Clemson in 2012, No. 6 Auburn evened its Chick-fil-A Kickoff game record with a 31-24 win over No. 25 Louisville.
Auburn led 17-0 at the half after forcing two turnovers. The worst of the Cardinals' two first-half fumbles was recovered by Auburn's Justin Garrett on the Tigers’ 16-yard line and returned for an 82-yard touchdown.
Behind the mobility of future Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson, Louisville rallied in the second-half scoring three touchdowns on its final three possessions, but fell short.
2016: Chubb rushes over 200 yards in win over UNC
In 2016, No. 18 Georgia erased a 10-point deficit in the third quarter to overcome No. 22 North Carolina and win Kirby Smart’s coaching debut in front of a record-setting crowd of 75,405.
Returning from a knee injury, Georgia running back Nick Chubb clinched the 33-24 win on a 55-yard touchdown run with less than four minutes remaining in the game.
Chubb recorded 222 yards on 32 carries against the Tar Heels and broke the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game records for most carries in a game and most net yards rushing.
Freshman quarterback Jacob Eason entered the game in the second quarter and won the starting spot. Eason passed for 131 yards and a touchdown against the Tar Heels and started the Bulldogs' 12 remaining games over quarterback Greyson Lambert.
2017: The highest ranked opener of all-time and a flashback to an SEC rivalry
The first game of the 2017 Chick-fil-A Kickoff game doubleheader is between No. 1 Alabama and No. 3 Florida State, who are the two highest-ranked teams to meet on college football’s opening weekend.
The two teams with the most wins in college football since 2010, Alabama and Florida State will be the first teams to play a college football game inside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The second game of the 2017 doubleheader is between former rivals Georgia Tech and Tennessee. When the Yellow Jackets were in the SEC from 1933-63, the two teams were among each others’ top two rivals. Georgia Tech and Tennessee haven’t met on the football field in 30 years, but will continue what was once a respected and gutsy rivalry inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Monday night.
The last time the two met was in 1987, when Tennessee won 29-15 at Knoxville’s Neyland Stadium.
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