UGA - South Carolina: Three Keys To A Win

You can forgive any Georgia fan that heads into this game feeling like the grim reaper is stalking around the corner, especially if they were here in 2019 when Georgia, facing a heavy underdog South Carolina team, inexplicably lost to the poultry from across the state line of lower Carolina.

Here we are again - Georgia is in the top five and South Carolina barely got by an East Carolina team last week that continues to reap the penalty for running off Ruffin McNeil.

Odd things happen in this series, that’s for sure.

Here’s three keys to a win for Georgia.

Establish the run

Look, last week’s video-game numbers for Stetson Bennett were great. There were multiple reasons for that, one being that Todd Monken outschemed UAB so bad it was not funny. Or even if Bennett is not under center, what if JT Daniels plays tentative and the passing game is in a rut? For the sake of keeping the Gamecocks off-balance and also to take over the game in the fourth quarter, Georgia needs to do a better job in establishing the run.

Win the turnover war

Speaking of that 2019 game, the closing minutes of the first half, Jake Fromm’s pick-six, were a prime example of what not to do against a lesser team. When you turn the ball over early, a lesser team all of a sudden has the confidence. That’s exactly what Georgia cannot do on Saturday night.

Maximize stage fright

This’ll be under the lights, so the crowd arriving on time should not be an issue. While Georgia has played in big games, most recently two weeks ago in Charlotte, the Gamecocks have not, and Georgia needs to dial up early quarterback pressure to rattle the USC Jr. offensive line and throw them off-base. If Georgia can have a two-score lead by halftime, it’ll be in good hands.

Go Dawgs!