[COLOR= rgb(0, 0, 0)]Game Week #3 Discussion Thread:[/COLOR] Georgia[COLOR= rgb(0, 51, 102)] [/COLOR]
Game: South Carolina Gamecocks (2-0, 0-0) at #2 Georgia (2-0, 0-0)
Game Time: Saturday September 18th, 7:00 PM at Sanford Stadium, Athens, GA
Broadcast:
South Carolina continues it's road travels as the Gamecocks open their Southeastern Conference slate of 2021 in Athens, GA. against the 2nd-ranked Georgia Bulldogs this Saturday September 18th at 7:00 p.m. Both teams are undefeated currently moving into Week #3 of the season. South Carolina is coming off of a tough fought 20-17 win at East Carolina, while UGA is fresh off of a much easier 56-7 win in Athens against UAB. After the Gamecocks took a substantial step up in competition from FCS opponent Eastern Illinois to FBS East Carolina, they now take an even bigger step up against SEC and CFP contender Georgia. The oddsmakers are in agreement with this kind of thinking, as they have placed USC as 30.5 point underdogs per CBS Sports.com.
Lets review the upcoming SEC opponent and see what weaknesses and strengths the Bulldogs bring to the table:
Looking at the Stats:
With just two games into the 2021 season, the Georgia Bulldogs are shaping up to be a very strong defensive squad, which makes sense being led by defensive-minded Kirby Smart. Having won games 10-3 against top ten Clemson who has a decent defense of their own, and a 56-7 win over UAB who does not have a decent defense, the Bulldogs come into Week #3 with a modest 33.0 scoring offense, good for 8th in the conference and tied currently with the Gamecocks. They are 10th in the SEC in total offense at 404.0 yds per gm, just ahead of USC at 11th with 382.0 ypg. They have thus far been the better passing offense, at 6th in the SEC with 262.0 ypg, with a 69.2% completion percentage, 6 TDs and only 2 INTs. This is in comparison to USC's passing game which has struggled thus far, at 12th in the SEC averaging 200 ypg, with 60.8 completion %, and 5 TDs with only 1 INT.
In the run game, UGA is 11th in the league at 142.0 ypg with just 1 team rushing TD, averaging 4.12 ypc, compared to USC at 8th in the SEC with 182.0 ypg, also with just 1 TD, and a 4.23 ypc average.
Defensively is where the Bulldogs have thrived thus far, with stellar numbers across the board: they are 1st in the SEC in scoring defense allowing 5.0 ppg (we are 3rd allowing 8.5), and 1st in total defense allowing only 177.0 ypg (we are again 3rd, allowing 186.0 ypg). In passing defense they are 2nd allowing 112.5 passing yds per game, while we are 3rd allowing 115.0 ypg, and in rushing D they are 4th allowing 64.5 rushing ypg and 0 touchdowns, while we are 6th allowing 71.0 ypg and only 1 rushing TD thus far.
This is an occasion where the stats can be somewhat misleading, as UGA has played the tougher schedule thus far against better opponents: UAB is much tougher than Eastern Illinois, and Clemson is much tougher than East Carolina.
The Top Offensive Performers for the Bulldogs:
The passing offense for UGA is an embarrassment of riches, at least at the QB position. Coming into the season, junior J.T. Daniels was solidly inset as the QB1 for the Bulldogs, with redshirt freshman Carson Beck the #2 guy slightly ahead of senior Stetson Bennett. Daniels starts against Clemson, and goes 22-30 for 135 yds, 0 TDs and 1 INT. But Daniels suffers an oblique strain, and is unable to play against UAB. So Beck steps in , right? Nope, Bennett gets the call due to his experience - he goes 10-12 for 288 yds and 5 TDs with 0 INT against UAB. Beck gets in some quality snaps against UAB, and he goes 4-10 for 88 yds, with a TD and a INT.
So now there's a QB controversy of sorts at UGA between Daniels and Bennett. The question will be how healed is Daniels from his oblique. My guess is he will be good to go. But it creates a quandary of sorts between the consistent short-yardage passer in Daniels and the rip-roaring, "let her fly" gun slinger in Bennett.
Rushing the ball for the Bulldogs seems more clear-cut, with junior Zamir White leading the way with 108 net yards on 20 carries (5.40 ypc), then sophomore Kendall Milton with 53 yards on 14 rushes (3.79 ypc). Neither have yet to score on the ground. They also have senior James Cook with 10 carries for 37 yds (3.7 ypc) and 1 TD, and sophomore Daijun Edwards with 7 carries for 29 yds (4.14 ypc). Thus far it looks to be White then running back by committee.
At receiver, two Bulldogs have stepped above the fray in freshman TE Brock Bowers with 9 receptions for 150 yds (75.0 ypg) and 2 TDs, and sophomore Jermaine Burton with 5 catches for 103 yds (51.5 ypg) and 1 TD.
The Top Defensive Performers for the Bulldogs:
There's a good number to go around here: junior DB Lewis Cine leads the defense with 11 total tackles, 1 INT and 2 pass breakups, while senior ILB Channing Tindall is 2nd with 10 tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss and 1.0 QB sack. Senior OLB Adam Anderson and junior ILB Nakobe Dean each have 8 tackles and lead the defense with 2 TFL that are both sacks, also leading the defense. Also sophomore DL Jalen Carter has 2.0 TFL, 1.0 sacks, and leads the team easily with 6 QB pressures, so he is a definite backfield threat against our offense.
Overall UGA has 4 team defensive interceptions, good for the lead in the SEC, tied with Alabama and our own Gamecocks. Both the Gamecocks and the Bulldogs have scored twice each off of their INTs.
This game will be a tough order to fill for the Gamecocks. They are one of the top 2-3 opponents this season on a tough top-25 strength of schedule. Coach Beamer and staff are still looking for answers in eliminating penalties and turnovers, and against this stout defense that objective is more crucial than ever. The Bulldogs have won 5 of the last 6 games against us, and last season's loss was a blow-out. The lone win however was two seasons ago, a 20-17 win the last time we visited Sanford Stadium. We better be ready to play.....
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