Saturday's game at South Carolina was a tight one, for sure. Many people are saying that perhaps Georgia is ranked too high at #2 (now 3). I feel the game came down to three factors: 1) South Carolina isn't as bad as they appeared in previous contests. 2) Georgia made enough mental mistakes to keep South Carolina in the game. And, 3) history repeats itself.
This game was not going to be a major blowout. History does repeat itself. This game is early enough in the season that South Carolina's lack of depth isn't showing yet. Lack of depth is what keeps South Carolina from playing for the SEC title (aside from silly South Carolina-esque mistakes like fumbling into the endzone). South Carolina always gets up for this game, and even more so now that S.O.S. is calling the shots. One personal theory I have had is that South Carolina, as a state, isn't the greatest of places. It's overlooked by many and has fun poked at it by most. They see Georgia to the south and know that is what they want to be like. I think this theory applies more to the fans than the team itself, but it could have some merit.
South Carolina can certainly play defense. They have playmakers on all parts of the field defensively. Jasper Brinkley is a man among boys, and Georgia really dropped the ball not getting him to sign with the Bulldogs. He wanted to play in the red and black very badly. Offensively, they can use some work. Chris Smelley played a whale of a game and S.O.S. found a way to exploit Georgia's weaknesses, namely defending the pass. But their lack of a run game will hurt them severely as the season progresses. I don't think this South Carolina team is too bad. We were all laughing about them losing to Vanderbilt, but Vanderbilt could be pretty darn good. We will see as the schedule tightens up.
Georgia made several mental miscues on Saturday. Matthew Stafford did a good job of managing the game. The mistakes that were made should be easily fixable in practice. It will be interesting to see if Georgia learns from its mistakes on Saturday against Arizona State. I also felt the playcalling was suspect at times. Knowshon and AJ Green need more touches. Period. The goal line futility was highlighted by not being able to score with a 1st and goal. Brannan Southerland was missed deeply in that situation. Georgia probably scores with Brannan in the game. Paul Westerdawg at the Georgia Sports Blog did a play by play breakdown of Georgia mistakes. In his estimation, UGA left at least 11 points on the table. South Carolina left possibly 7. So you could be looking at a 24-14 victory for Georgia.
The South Carolina matchup is always a war for Georgia, and this hasn't changed under Coach Richt. Offensive scoring has always been at a premium. In 2001, Georgia failed to score a touchdown as South Carolina won 14-9. Georgia won the meetings from 2002-2006, but three were decided by a touchdown or less, with the 2003 game being the only "blowout" 31-7. The 2001, 2002, and 2007 games had Georgia not even scoring an offensive touchdown. The 18-0 victory in 2006 was closer than the score would indicate. Saturday showed a pattern in Georgia football. The flaws of Richt coached teams were on display again on Saturday: Georgia bogs down offensively in the red zone and it drops passes.
One thing to consider is that this was a relatively new offensive line still working out the kinks on the road for the first time against a very quality defense.
Sure Georgia made mistakes, but I belive the Gamecocks are better than most have given them credit for. Keep in mind they were backed into the corner and gave Georgia their best shot. Georgia hung on, which is what you have to do on the road in the SEC, and found a way to win. Bottom line, the defense only gave up 7 points, which is fantastic, and Georgia walked away 1-0 in the SEC. Coach Richt put it best after the game. He told the team that not only do they get to walk away with a win, but they also learned what they need to improve upon. Typically when you find out what you need to improve upon, you aren't going home happy. So, what more can you ask for?
