Full Preview, Get to Know South Carolina Prior to Matchup with Georgia
It has been 1,434 days since the Georgia Bulldogs last lost a game between the hedges of Sanford Stadium. The opponent to defeat Georgia on that fateful October afternoon is the same team traveling to Athens this Saturday; South Carolina.
The Gamecocks, while just 1-1 this season, are still a team with two monumental upset wins in their last five outings. Last November, South Carolina defeated No. 5 Tennessee and No. 8 Clemson, depriving both of College Football Playoff births. Shane Beamer and co. would like nothing more than to spoil Georgia's 20-game home winning streak and 19-game overall winning streak.
Let's pump the breaks. South Carolina is two weeks removed from a 31-17 loss to North Carolina. A game in which it was way too reliant on quarterback Spencer Rattler's arm. The former Oklahoma Sooner passed for 353 yards, but the Gamecocks rushed for minus 2 yards, and couldn't stop the Tar Heels in either phase of the game.
They didn't have an easy time with week two opponent Furman either. Though South Carolina won 47-21, it trailed 14-7 21 minutes into the game. The Paladins didn't see a third down until reaching the one-yard line on its opening possession, and then scored a touchdown on 4th-and-goal. Furman converted two more third downs on its second scoring drive.
Offense
Rattler is off to a hot start for the Gamecocks. He has completed 55-of-66 pass attempts for 698 yards and three touchdowns through two games. He leads the SEC in completion percentage, and it's not even close. Plus, he's second in the SEC in passing yards, though Vanderbilt's AJ Swann has played in one more game, Rattler is only behind 68 yards.
296 of those yards have gone to wide receiver Xavier Legette, putting him on track for over 2,000 yards this season. No other receiver has more than 89 yards, however, and South Carolina has just 106 rushing yards as a team. That's where the Gamecocks fall apart.
They are way too dependent on Rattler and Legette, and are in desperate need of another offensive playmaker. That could spell disaster this Saturday against a Georgia defense that allows just 242 total yards per game.
South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer directs his team against the Furman Paladins during the second quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports
Defense
The highlights of the season are two interceptions against UNC quarterback Drake May, and holding Furman to just seven points in the final 42 minutes of last Saturday's game. Outside of those feats, South Carolina's defense has struggled. They are 50-percent on third down and fourth down, which isn't great considering Furman is an FCS team.
Although, they have ball hawks in O'Donnell Fortune and Kajuan Banks, and sound tacklers in Jalon Kilgore and Debo Williams. The Gamecock defense isn't an easy nut to crack, and Georgia is still struggling to overpower opposing defensive lines in the running game. Considering this is a defensive line unit that starts four upperclassmen on that front with plenty of SEC experience to boot. It should be a good litmus test for this Georgia defense.
South Carolina Gamecocks
- Conference: Southeastern
- All-Time Record: 631-606-44 (.510)
- First Season: 1892
- Head Coach: Shane Beamer, 3rd season (15-12)
- 2022 record: 8-5, 4-4 SEC
- 2022 Accomplishments: Finished 3rd in SEC East; Upset rivals Tennessee and Clemson when both were ranked in the top 10.
- Historic Peaks: 1969 Atlantic Coast Conference Champions, 7-4 record. 2010 SEC Eastern Division Champions. Three straight 11-win seasons from 2011-to-2013
- Record Against Georgia: 19-54-2
How to Listen
The Georgia Bulldogs Radio Network is readily available with Scott Howard on the call.
Other Georgia News:
- WATCH: Kirby Smart Previews Week 2, Talks Carson Beck's Performance
- Kirby Smart Updates Injury Report Heading Into Week 2
- LSU Finds Out it Isn't the "Two-Time National Champion Georgia Bulldogs" in Loss to FSU
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