Category: UGA Football

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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Kirby Smart is in his eighth year at the helm, and after last Saturday, the Bulldogs are on a 19-game winning streak and have won their last 20 games at home. Overall, Smart’s Bulldogs are 83-15 including back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022. The Bulldogs rank ninth all-time in victories with 870.

Due to the cancelation of a previously scheduled matchup at Oklahoma (who now will join the SEC in 2024), Georgia plays host to four straight games to start the campaign and seven total in 2023. The last time the Bulldogs played four straight contests in Sanford Stadium was in 2004.

The last schedule that featured four home games to start a season was in 1999. That year, the Bulldogs went 4-0, beating Utah State, USC, UCF and LSU.

Georgia has set a school record with 29 consecutive regular season victories dating back to a 31-24 home victory over Mississippi State on Nov. 21, 2020. The NCAA’s longest active regular-season win streak belongs to Mount Union as the DIII school has won 55 in a row.

Georgia will face its first Southeastern Conference opponent with South Carolina coming to Dooley Field in Sanford Stadium on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The game will be televised by CBS in what is the final year of the network’s contract with the SEC. The 2023 Bulldogs return nine players with starting experience on offense, including junior C Sedrick Van Pran and All-American and John Mackey Award winner junior TE Brock Bowers, who was the 2021 and 2022 leader in catches, receiving yards and touchdowns.

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