Field Street Forum

Sometimes a good punch in the face is what you need. Not a haymaker or anything that gets you seeing stars and wobbling on your feet, but maybe a stiff jab to the nose to get you going.

On a soggy Saturday afternoon at Sanford Stadium, the top-ranked Georgia football team took a punch or two in its SEC opener against South Carolina. The Gamecocks were the sharper and more effective team early, and took a 14-3 lead into halftime. But the Bulldogs came out much better in the third quarter and controlled the game for the final 30 minutes, winning 24-14.

The yardage numbers tell a lot of the story. At halftime, South Carolina had a 180-168 advantage, with Spencer Rattler completing 16 of 18 passes for 152 yards. In the second half, with Georgia getting steady pressure on the quarterback, Rattler completed just 4 of 24 passes for 104 yards, with two fourth-quarter interceptions.

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ATHENS, Ga. — The top-ranked Georgia football team had to work for its first Southeastern Conference win of the season, rallying from 14-3 down at halftime to defeat South Carolina, 24-14, on a rainy Saturday afternoon at Sanford Stadium.

The Bulldogs (3-0, 1-0 SEC) got three rushing touchdowns in the second half, and its defense ramped up its pressure on quarterback Spencer Rattler to shift the momentum of the game, played in front of another capacity crowd of 92,746.

Quarterback Carson Beck was 13 of 18 for 98 yards in the first half, and finished the game 27 of 35 for 269 yards. The Bulldogs outgained the Gamecocks (1-2, 0-1) 458 to 309 in total yards, including a 189-53 advantage on the ground.

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Defense Posts 2nd Half Shutout In Win: USC tallied 180 yards on 26 plays in the first half for a 14-3 advantage, but then the Bulldogs blanked the Gamecocks the rest of the way. USC finished with 309 yards on 58 plays. Coming in today, Georgia had allowed just 10 points on the year.

Georgia’s leading tacklers were junior Smael Mondon (5), sophomore Daylen Everette (5) and senior Tykee Smith (5 plus 1 INT, 1 PBU). Also, senior DL Nazir Stackhouse collected his first sack of year and the second of his career. Junior Kamari Lassiter had four tackles with 2.5 TFL. USC converted a 3rd-and-15 on its opening drive for a TD (Spencer Rattler to Antwane Wells) for a 7-0 edge (10 plays, 65 yards in 5:04). It marked the first time Georgia trailed this season.

Georgia cut it to 14-10 to start the second half. On USC’s opening possession of the half, they went three-and-out, including sophomore DE Mykel Williams collecting his second sack of the year, as it punted. The Bulldogs took over at the USC 49 and went on to score a TD for a 17-14 advantage. After a touchback, USC began at the 25 before the drive stalled following a sack by junior ILB Jamon Dumas-Johnson at the UGA 39.The defense forced another three-and-out on USC’s next possession. Later, USC tried to convert a 4th-and-15 with 7:50 left at its 46 and turned it over on downs. USC’s final two possessions ended on Interceptions, one by senior Dan Jackson, the first this year and second of his career, both against South Carolina. The second came by senior Tykee Smith, his second this season.

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