Sep 5, 2007, 16:14 GMT
Athens, GA - SEC foes will duke it out in Athens this weekend as the 11th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs host the South Carolina Gamecocks.
South Carolina opened the season last Saturday with a 28-14 victory over UL-Lafayette. That victory was the 15th straight in a collegiate opener by head coach Steve Spurrier. The schedule is unmerciful, as the Gamecocks will face LSU, Tennessee and Arkansas on the road in addition to home games against Florida, Kentucky and Clemson.
Georgia got off to an outstanding start with a 35-14 home victory over the Oklahoma State Cowboys of the Big 12. Last season, the Bulldogs were not in contention for the SEC title, unacceptable for a program which expects excellence year in and year out. The early schedule this season is rather soft, so the 'Dawgs have an opportunity to get off to a tremendous start.
Georgia owns a commanding 44-13-2 advantage in the all-time series with South Carolina, including an 18-0 victory over the Gamecocks a year ago.
Playing without suspended quarterback Blake Mitchell in the opener, Spurrier leaned on the duo of Chris Smelley and Tommy Beecher. Fortunately, both players performed admirably in the victory over UL-Lafayette. Beecher connected on 11- of-15 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown, while Smelley passed for 101 yards and a score on 10-of-14 passing. Mike Davis led the ground attack with 94 yards on only 15 carries, and Cory Boyd pitched in a pair of rushing scores. Mitchell is eligible to rejoin his teammates for this week's game. It remains to be seen, however, if he will take all the reps or if Spurrier will ease him into action. Regardless of who is taking the snaps, Kenny McKinley will be the top target on the outside. After hauling in 51 passes for 880 yards and five touchdowns a year ago, McKinley had six grabs against UL-Lafayette, including a touchdown reception.
As for the other side of the ball, seven Gamecock starters return from the 29th best scoring defense in the nation a year ago. Without question, the best of the bunch is middle linebacker Jasper Brinkley. As a junior, he racked up 107 tackles, including 85 of the solo variety. It certainly comes as no surprise that Brinkley led his team in tackles with eight in the opener. South Carolina was not dominant defensively in that clash. After all, the unit did allow two long touchdown drives, one which spanned 80 yards in 15 plays and the other of which covered 89 yards in 11 plays. UL-Lafayette finished with 252 rushing yards on 47 attempts, an average of 5.4 ypc. Clearly, there is plenty of room for improvement.
Georgia made an early statement against Oklahoma State last weekend, as Thomas Brown rushed for a pair of first-quarter touchdowns. The Bulldogs did their damage through the air in the second half, as Matthew Stafford threw a pair of scoring strikes after intermission. Stafford showed flashes of brilliance and signs of inexperience as a freshman last season. Now, in his first full year as the starter, the sophomore is expected to take a major leap forward. He was 18- of-24 for 234 yards and did not throw an interception against Oklahoma State. Knowshon Moreno ran for 70 yards and caught two passes for 51 yards, proving his versatility to the Georgia coaching staff. The Bulldogs are known for having depth at the tailback position, and this season is certainly no different. Expect a number of players to carry the ball this weekend.
The Georgia defense figured to have its hands full against Oklahoma State. After all, the Cowboys possess an elite receiver and a quarterback who can do damage both through the air and on the ground. Therefore, the fact that the Bulldogs only surrendered 14 points has to be viewed as a major accomplishment. On 34 rushing attempts, Oklahoma State was only able to gain 70 yards, an average of 2.1 yards per carry. The Bulldogs did an outstanding job of getting off the field, permitting only 3-of-13 third down conversion attempts to be successful. As a result, Georgia won the time of possession battle by a staggering 13 minutes.
© 2007 The Sports Network
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