Georgia kicker Marshall Morgan broke a 30-year-old SEC record when he made his 19th consecutive field goal early in Saturday’s 38-35 loss to South Carolina.
By halftime, however, the streak was over.
And by the end of the game, Morgan had missed two field-goal attempts in a row.
Morgan’s 36-yard field goal midway through the first quarter broke the conference record of 18 in a row set by former Tennessee kicker Fuad Reveiz in 1984 and tied by Morgan in Georgia’s victory over Clemson on Aug. 30.
Morgan extended his record when he made his 20th consecutive field goal with a 26-yarder in the second quarter of Saturday’s lightning-delayed game.
But the streak ended at 20 when, with 2:16 left in the second quarter, he missed a 44-yard attempt, which was wide right.
Then, with 4:24 left in the game and South Carolina leading 38-35, Morgan again was wide right on a 28-yard attempt that would have tied the score. Instead, the Gamecocks held on to win.
Morgan’s misses were his first — and second — since the fifth game of last season, when he missed a 39-yard attempt at Tennessee.
Morgan entered this season with a string of 17 consecutive field goals.
Overall last season, he made 22 in 24 attempts, missing only the one at Tennessee and an earlier 52-yard attempt against North Texas. He matched last season’s number of misses on Saturday.
Georgia’s offense had to settle for field-goal tries on three of its first-half possessions against South Carolina and punted on one other.
After scoring a touchdown on two fast-strike passes on its first drive, Georgia got the ball back at the South Carolina 26-yard line with a fumble recovery. But a holding penalty set the Bulldogs back, and they settled for Morgan’s first field goal of the day and a 10-7 lead.
Morgan’s second field goal came after a 10-play, 50-yard drive stalled at the South Carolina 9-yard line.
His streak-ending miss came after a nine-play, 48-yard drive ran out of steam at the 27.
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