The battle for the lead of the SEC East Division will be on the line in Columbia Saturday when the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs visit the No. 6 South Carolina Gamecocks.
But this time, there is more than just the SEC East at stake. There are also national rankings and a matter of pride in what is one of the SEC’s best under-the-radar rivalries. It doesn’t get as much press as Auburn-Georgia, Alabama-LSU, Georgia-Florida, but the Gamecocks and Bulldogs rivalry is as heated as any of those more celebrated rivalries in the conference.
“Both teams have gotten here 5-0. Just looking at the division records of all of our opponents in the East, only three of us have won a division game. The other four have not won one,” South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said. “It’s sort of interesting we have a lot of big games coming up. If you’re fortunate to keep winning, they all get bigger and bigger as you go. This is a big one for us.
“We look forward to these games. I’m sure Georgia does too. They have a rich tradition of history there. It’s fun competing against them. It’s fun competing against teams that know how to win also. Hopefully we can prove that we know how to win when the game takes place here Saturday night. It should be a thrilling game for everyone involved.”
The feeling is shared by Georgia coach Mark Richt. These two teams usually open conference play against each other, but this year the game was moved back on the schedule and that has heightened the stakes.
“Normally when we play South Carolina, both teams are undefeated in league play because it has always been the first one,” Richt said. “This year, we’ve found a way to stay undefeated, both teams. We’ve got a lot of respect for South Carolina. They’ve beaten us the last two seasons and I don’t think they have lost an Eastern Division game in quite some time. They are used to winning and winning in this league. I am very impressed with what they are doing.”
This game matches the unstoppable force in Georgia’s offense against the immoveable object in South Carolina’s defense. The Bulldogs are leading the SEC in scoring and are eighth in the country at 48.2 points per game, while the Gamecocks are second in the league and sixth in the nation in scoring defense at 11.2 points per game. They have only surrendered five touchdowns all season.
Georgia’s offense is sparked by quarterback Aaron Murray and freshmen running backs Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall. Murray has thrown for 1,370 yards and 12 touchdowns and has only been intercepted three times. Gurley is averaging 107.2 yards rushing yards per game to lead the SEC. He’s also scored nine touchdowns, second in the nation. Marshall is averaging 85.6 yards per game on the ground and has found the end zone five times.
“They’re very coachable, teachable. They are very serious about learning what to do,” Richt said. “They know they have a great talent base. They are different in their styles, and I think that’s effective. I would imagine that they could only get better at what they are doing. I don’t know if the results will be better, but they’ll definitely become better players as time goes on.”
For Murray, it will be a chance for redemption after two consecutive losses to the Gamecocks in his first two years.
“We’re excited. This is one you circle on your calendar in January,” Murray said. “Watching the film of last year’s game is one of those things than makes you want to push through the spring and summer workouts. It still hurts. I think we’ve picked up some momentum the last five games and we need to keep working just as hard in practice and make sure we’re ready to go.
“They’ve got talent all over the board, especially in that front four. Watching them on film, you can see they don’t do too much in terms of blitzing. Those are the best defenses — when you trust your players to just make plays and they do that. They do a great job of getting pressure on the quarterback without blitzing and with just those four guys. We’ve got our work cut out for us this week when it comes to preparation and making sure we’re ready.”
Spurrier knows the talented Georgia offense will be the biggest challenge South Carolina has seen this season.
“It’s a big challenge for our defensive guys. I’m sure we’ll be ready,” Spurrier said. “Georgia can run the ball and throw the ball. They’ve done it very well. Hopefully our defense can play a bit better than those Georgia has been playing against. That’s what we’ll find out Saturday night. Our guys are ready to play and they are looking forward to the challenge.”
“It’s going to take a challenge as far as the front seven up front to keep them contained. We just have to do our job and hopefully everything else will play out,” said South Carolina defensive end Devin Taylor.
South Carolina also brings a potent offense into the game. Marcus Lattimore seems to be rounding into form. He rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns last week in USC’s 38-17 win over Kentucky. Quarterback Connor Shaw was 15 of 18 passing for 148 yards and two touchdowns against Kentucky on the heels of a 20 of 21 passing day in the 31-10 win over Missouri.
“He’s a quarterback that likes the big games and the full stadium. So is Marcus (Lattimore),” Spurrier said. “I was watching that pro game (Monday) night and saw the interceptions and the quarterback getting hit and fumbled, and I thought, ‘Our hope our guy doesn’t do that.’”
Lattimore and Shaw spark the Gamecocks’ rushing game but it is Lattimore that has made a career of running against the Bulldogs.
“Two years ago he broke a bunch of tackles. It was one of the most amazing days I’ve ever seen a running back have,” Spurrier said. “Last year we had holes for him. He broke a few here and there, especially in the second half. It wasn’t as many broken tackles last year as it was the first year. He has played very well against them. If we’re to win he probably needs to have another big day.”
“Their line is very outstanding run blockers to run as well as they do with (Marcus) Lattimore and Connor Shaw,” Richt said. “They (get) a lot of rushing yards, controlling the clock. They are especially able to run the ball in the fourth quarter.
“A year ago, Lattimore rushed for over 100 yards against us in the fourth quarter. He ran for 186 as a freshman and over 160 last year. We haven’t had a lot of success slowing him down. He will be a great challenge for us.”
How will the Bulldogs’ defense slow down — or at least contain — the South Carolina tailback this season?
“People want to know about our defense,” Richt said. “What I want to know is: when the game is on the line can we make the play? You might have great defensive stats, but when you need a stop at the end of the game, if you don’t make that stop, you have lost because you didn’t stop them when you needed to.”
The winner of this game will be at least tied for the lead in the SEC East; and if LSU beats Florida, the winner will be alone as the SEC leader and will stay very much alive for a berth in the SEC title game.
The Bulldogs have won 13 of the 20 meetings between the two teams, but South Carolina has won the past two consecutive games.
“I think we’re pretty evenly matched most years, the last two or three years anyway. We were here in ’05 and lost that 17-15 game that could’ve gone our way. I think we’ve played three really close games with them and they’ve won two out of three of them,” Spurrier said.
“Most all of them have been close. I think someone said our largest margin of victory was that 17-6 game here a couple of years ago. It looks like it will be a close game but who knows what will happen.”