Saturday Spotlight
South Carolina GameCocks at (1) Georgia Bulldogs
South Carolina: After watching them in week one, they’ve just been average at best. I remember prior to that opening game against the North Carolina Tar Heels, the major question was which version of Spencer Rattler would we see this year? Throughout his collegiate career, he’s been inconsistent and very hit or miss. I always give credit because when he’s good, he’s good and when he’s struggles, he really struggles. This year though, Spencer is off to a nice start. He’s thrown for 816 yards passing with five touchdowns and most importantly, no interceptions. All the pressure however has been on him because he isn’t getting any help from the ground attack. They just can’t get that push up front on the Offensive Line in the trenches. In the game last weekend against Furman, Spencer was locked in as he completed 25 of his 27 pass attempts for 345 yards passing and three touchdown passes and he also ran for a touchdown. My biggest takeaway from the game was how their Offensive Line responded after a down performance in week one against the Tar Heels. They allowed nine sacks in that opening game, so to regroup and bounce back the way they did in week two was impressive. This is just a middle of the pack team and it’s understandable as to why they’d fly under the radar in the SEC because they’re featured in a conference with Alabama, Tennessee, LSU and Georgia. Speaking of Georgia, that is who South Carolina will begin conference play against today in week three.
Georgia: They haven’t lost a regular season game since 2020. To this day, their defense in 2021 was the best I’ve ever seen since I started analyzing the game of college football and believe me, I’ve seen my share of outstanding defenses such as 2011 Alabama and 2018 Clemson. But that group of Dawgs in 2021 was special because they made you think you had a chance to do much of anything on them and they would impose their well. That’s what I mean by being physically dominant. I’m sorry to any Alabama fan that’s reading this, but this is the new bully in the sport. What’s the one thing we always saying not just in football, but in sports in general? What have you done for me lately? The Georgia Bulldogs have won the last two National Titles to be exact. Right now, Alabama looks off, but that’s another topic for another day. This year, they have a new starting Quarterback and his name is Carson Beck. He’s been strong early on in the year, but then again he doesn’t have to do too much because of their running game and once again, that defense will handle the rest. So far, they’ve only allowed a total of ten points on the year which shows you this defense is once again elite. Yes, they have lost pieces to the NFL, but they find ways to regroup and build the roster back up. Kirby Smart is the best coach in the country as we speak and they are primed once again to make a run at another national title. Today, they will welcome Shane Beamer and the University of South Carolina to Athens.
South Carolina X-Factor: Xavier Leggett– He’s Spencer’s top target for a reason. Xavier has what it takes to be a strong option at the next level in the NFL. He’s your typical possession receiver standing at 6’3 and 227 pounds. Xavier loves those one on one, 50/50 situations as you can just throw the football up and he will go up to get it. It’s almost as if he’s securing a rebound. He made play after play in that week one loss to UNC.
Georgia X-Factor: Mykel Williams– The Bulldogs have a thing for powering defensive players. Mykel is one of them. This young man is 6’5 and 265 pounds with an electric first step. I remember last year in the playoff game against the Ohio State Buckeyes, he was lined up on Paris Johnson Jr who was widely regarded as the best Offensive Lineman in the country in 2022. He dominated him in that game. Even when he appears to be blocked, Mykel still pursues the passer. It’s that added effort matched with his intensity.
Three Things I’m Watching
1. 4/20– Georgia has won their last four games against South Carolina and they’ve won 20 consecutive regular season games which is the longest active winning streak in college football. The GameCocks haven’t beat Georgia since 2019 and I remember that upset as well. What do I always say? In order to win your division, you must win within the division as well, especially in a gauntlet that is the SEC.
2. Dominance– Kirby Smart is matching up against a former assistant in Shane Beamer. Kirby tends to win these matchups in grand fashion. In five contests against his former assistants, Georgia averages 42 points on offense and on the defensive side, they only give up six points, you read that correctly. This truly is the most dominating team in the country and the only time they might see a challenge is come playoff time.
3. Pass, Pass, Pass– This will be the mantra for South Carolina today as they don’t have the ground attack nor the push up front to open lanes for a consistent ground attack. Georgia can be a bit vulnerable in the secondary at times. Look what LSU and Ohio State were able to do against them last season. This will be the only recipe for success today in this game for South Carolina.
Final Thoughts: There’s nothing like SEC play. This will be my first time watching Carson Beck play for Georgia and my second time watching Spencer and South Carolina. The key for South Carolina will be to attack early on and score when they have the opportunities in the red zone. Again, you are not beating this Bulldogs teams kicking field goals and taking three points each time. Which Offensive Line for South Carolina shows up today? That’s also the key and if I’m Georgia, I’m throwing many different looks against this Offensive Line that can struggle. Georgia will be way too much today which is why I’m picking the Bulldogs to win today.
Prediction: Georgia 42, South Carolina 17
