UGA outlasts South Carolina in thriller

By Tim Tucker

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

ATHENS — So much for the defensive battle that everyone expected.

The Georgia-South Carolina matchup — described by ESPN’s Lee Corso earlier in the day as sure to be “borrrrring” — turned into an electrifying shootout in Sanford Stadium Saturday night.

Georgia, with the recently ill and supposedly sore-shouldered Joe Cox at quarterback for all but one snap, overcame a 10-point first-quarter deficit, built a 15-point third-quarter lead and held on fiercely to beat the Gamecocks 41-37.

A game of fireworks on offense and special teams ended with a big-time defensive play: Georgia linebacker Rennie Curran breaking up a fourth-down pass at the goal line in the waning seconds to preserve the victory.

The win evened Georgia’s record at 1-1 (1-0 SEC) and kept the Bulldogs from dropping to 0-2 for the first time since 1996.

“There’s probably 100 good things and 100 bad things [about the game],” Georgia coach Mark Richt said afterward, “but the most important thing is that we got that first victory.”

The game included a 100-yard kickoff return by Brandon Boykin — the longest touchdown for Georgia in Sanford Stadium history — and a 61-yard touchdown run by freshman Branden Smith on a reverse from Carlton Thomas.

And that was just in the first 16 minutes, by which point Georgia led 21-17.

The scoring barrage was altogether unexpected, considering that the three previous Georgia-South Carolina games had produced a total of only 67 points — 11 fewer than this one — and that the two teams scored only one touchdown apiece in season-opening games last week.

By halftime Saturday, the teams had combined for 54 points — more than in any full Georgia-South Carolina game since 1995 and the most in one half of any Georgia game since 1991 (when the Bulldogs and Kentucky combined for 55).

“That first half had to be the longest in the history of college football,” Richt said. “The defense had 49 snaps in the first half, and that’s sometimes an entire game.”

By the end of the night, the combined 78 points were the most in a Georgia-South Carolina game since 1970.

You show up at the stadium, as 92,746 did here Saturday, and you never know what you’ll see.

“We definitely didn’t imagine it being this type of game, with it being high-scoring,” said Curran, who had a career-high 15 tackles.

“You just play as hard as you can and try to have fun,” Cox said. “And I think we had a great time out there.”

The game started inauspiciously for Georgia, with an A.J. Green fumble on the Bulldogs’ second offensive play giving South Carolina the ball at the UGA 32 yard line. Six plays later, the Gamecocks led 7-0.

Then Boykin returned the subsequent kickoff the length of the field — the longest kickoff return in UGA history — to tie the score at 7.

The shootout was on.

After South Carolina built a 17-7 lead, another long kickoff return by Boykin — this one for 48 yards to about mid-field — set up a Georgia touchdown drive that brought the Bulldogs within 17-14.

The reverse around left end by the speedy Smith, who also played at defensive back and on special teams, put Georgia ahead 21-17 less than a minute into the second quarter.

The Bulldogs led the rest of the way — but had to hold on by a thread in the fourth quarter.

A Cox pass was intercepted and returned 35 yards for a touchdown by South Carolina’s Eric Norwood to bring the Gamecocks within 38-37 with 12:56 to play. Georgia’s DeAngelo Tyson blocked the extra point to preserve the one-point lead.

The Bulldogs moved down the field on their next possession, but Cox fumbled on a blindside sack. UGA tailback Carlton Thomas — the smallest player on the field — made a huge play, recovering the fumble to preserve the opportunity for a 42-yard Blair Walsh field goal that gave Georgia a 41-37 lead with 6:20 left.

Then it was up to the defense, which wound up stopping the Gamecocks seven yards short of the end zone.

“It was a crazy play in a tough situation,” Curran said of his pass breakup at the end. “The quarterback is looking at his receiver, who is right behind me, and he’s also looking like he’s about to run across the line of scrimmage. So I have to make a decision. I was just lucky enough to jump up at same time and tip the ball down.

But that was just one play that helped us win. ... Something about this game, we just seemed to be in the right place at the right time on the goal line.”

Georgia won despite running 30 fewer offensive plays than South Carolina, 53 vs. 83.

Cox completed 17 of 24 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns. Green caught six passes for 86 yards and a touchdown.

“We didn’t worry about it, man,” Green said of Cox’s much-discussed shoulder. “Joe’s a great quarterback. I never had any doubts about him.”

“It feels good,” Cox said of his shoulder after the game. “I warmed up before the game, and it felt pretty good. It didn’t bother me today. ... It’s not something that’s getting worse and worse. ... I get enough treatment on it and medicine and everything to do what I have to do.”

Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said of Cox: “I think he came out and played very well. He played with authority. He made decisions quick. And he was definitive. He came back after the mistake [interception] and led us down for a field goal. I was just extremely proud of the way he played.”