Three storylines
SEC East head start. South Carolina was tabbed as the favorite to win the SEC's East Division by the league's coaches and sports writers. Meanwhile, Georgia garnered that distinction from some national analysts and publications, including Athlon's and Phil Steele magazines. The winner of Saturday's game will get a leg up on making good on those predictions.
Quieting the critics. Never before has Georgia coach Mark Richt endured the kind of criticism and general surliness he has encountered from Bulldogs fans as in the past week. Never mind his 96 wins in 10 seasons at UGA, they see the victory totals over the past four years — 11, 10, 8 and 6, respectively — as clear evidence that the program is trending downward and in need of change. A win over the Gamecocks would keep the Bulldogs nationally relevant.
Slowing Lattimore. The Gamecocks gashed Georgia last year right up the middle with freshman tailback Marcus Lattimore, who finished with 182 yards on 37 carries and two touchdowns in a 17-6 victory. The Bulldogs have to find a way slow Lattimore between the tackles, a task made tougher with the loss of starting inside linebacker Alec Ogletree to a broken foot.
A Georgia win would ...
- Put it in the driver's seat to win the SEC East.
- Be the Bulldogs' sixth in eight games against South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier.
A South Carolina win would ...
- Be its second in a row over Georgia. The Gamecocks have not won back-to-back games over the Bulldogs since 2000-01.
- Validate the Gamecocks' distinction as SEC East favorites.
Keep an eye on ...
For Georgia: Brandon Boykin. The senior from Fayetteville is a jack-of-all-trades for the Bulldogs. In addition to being a starting cornerback, Boykin also is a record-setting kick returner, with four kickoff returns for touchdowns in his career. And last week he recorded his first touchdown on offense, going 80 yards against Boise State on the first-and-only carry of his career.
For South Carolina: Jadeveon Clowney. The 6-foot-6, 254-pound freshman from Rock Hill, S.C., is hard to miss. He was the No. 1-ranked recruiting prospect in America and chose the Gamecocks over Alabama. He’s already starting and had seven tackles in the season-opening win over East Carolina.
The numbers game
64 Number of times South Carolina has played Georgia, second only to Clemson
92.2 Average yards per touchdown for UGA’s Boykin, who has five
The history book
Series record: Georgia leads 46-15-2.
Last meeting: Georgia was held without a touchdown for the first time in three seasons as the Gamecocks rode freshman Marcus Lattimore’s 182-yard rushing performance to a 17-6 victory in Columbia on Sept. 11, 2010. The Bulldogs drove to the South Carolina 3 in the third quarter when tailback Washaun Ealey fumbled and Stephon Gilmore recovered. It was the Bulldogs’ lowest scoring output against South Carolina since 1904.
The bottom line
It could be argued that this is the biggest game of Richt’s career for all it could mean to his well-being as Georgia’s head coach. Not only do the Bulldogs need to get back on the winning track, they simply need to look sharp and better prepared than they were a week ago when they were out-classed by Boise State 35-21. Lose this game to fall 0-2, and the ugliness that has already surfaced within the fan base could start to pervade every aspect of the program.
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