Georgia football winners and losers after big win over South Carolina

Georgia football winners and losers after big win over South Carolina

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Georgia football winners and losers after big win over South Carolina

Winner: Georgia’s offensive line

A week after being summoned by Kirby Smart for his performance against the State of Mississippi, Georgia’s offensive line responded in style.

The Bulldogs accumulated 332 yards, the best of the season, in the 45-16 win. James Cook led the effort with 104 running yards and two touchdowns. Zamir White added 84 running yards and two touchdowns.

But with Kenny McIntosh making 79 yards and freshman Daijun Edwards finishing 77 yards, it became clear that the Georgia front was opening holes all night for anyone running the ball for the Bulldogs.

“They knew that South Carolina had some players out, but they didn’t play at that level,” said Georgia coach Kirby Smart. β€œThey played physically, they took people off the ball, they ran the ball and I thought the second effort on our O-line and the second on our back were the difference in the game.”

After the team ran just eight meters against the State of Mississippi, that effort against South Carolina was very necessary for players like Jamaree Salyer, Justin Shaffer, Trey Hill, Ben Cleveland and Warren McClendon.

Loser: Commodores Vanderbilt

It was a tough weekend for Vanderbilt’s football program. It all started on Saturday with a 41-0 loss, where the only highlight for the Commodores was a well executed shot by Sarah Fuller, who became the first woman to play on a Power 5 program.

The 41-0 loss lowered Vanderbilt to 0-8 this season. Then, on Sunday, the school separated from Derek Mason. He was in his seventh season at school and compiled a record of 27-55.

After his resignation, Mason posted a note on his Twitter account.

“I am blessed to have worked side by side and built relationships with some of the best and most dedicated coaches, staff and teachers in the country,” wrote Mason. “It was truly an honor to have had the opportunity to teach, mentor, defend and train hundreds of young Vanderbilt and a courageous woman.”

Vanderbilt appointed offensive coordinator Todd Fitch as interim coach. Your first challenge will be to face a team from Georgia that comes from their most complete performance of the season.

Vegas experts don’t like Vanderbilt’s chances, as Bulldogs stand out as 35-point favorites over Commodores. For what has been a difficult season for Vanderbilt, Saturday seems to be another challenging day for the Commodores.

Winner: Jalen Carter

My dad is a casual football fan from Georgia. He knows about JT Daniels and the best players, but he is not up to date with all the players in Georgia and who was classified as a recruit.

But it was very obvious to him on Saturday night that defensive tackle Jalen Carter was a problem for South Carolina. When alerted that he was just a freshman, he was even more impressed.

Carter had three tackles, one of which was for defeat and also for pressure from the defender. He leads all Georgia defensive line players with 3.0 tackles to defeat this season and also has five defenders for the Bulldogs.

Georgia had to pass younger inside the defensive line, due to injuries from Jordan Davis and Julian Rochester. This gave Carter an even greater role in defense.

β€œHe grew up a lot faster than some of the other guys. He’s very talented, ”said Smart. β€œHe continues to work hard and improve. The sky is the limit. But he has to work hard to realize his potential. But he made a few moves back. And we have to be more upsetting to guys like him. “

Carter was a 5-star signatory in the 2020 recruiting class and so far he has looked as good as advertised. Carter showed his athleticism earlier this year with a touchdown against Tennessee.

If he continues to play as he did against South Carolina, it won’t be long before all casual Georgia football fans know his name.

Loser: whoever is the fourth team of the College Football Playoff

Who wants to be the fourth team to enter the College Football Playoff? Texas A&M certainly didn’t look like it, as the Aggies fought for a 20-7 victory over LSU on Saturday.

Florida will likely have its chance against Alabama, but will have to play better in the first 30 minutes than against Kentucky. Kyle Pitts was once again unstoppable for the Gators when he received three more touchdown passes from Kyle Trask, but Florida needed a punt return touchdown from Kadrius Toney in the final minute of the first half to take the league.

Related: SEC summary for week 13

Oregon lost to the state of Oregon, almost torpedoing the chances of PAC 12. Northwestern lost to Michigan State, ending its unbeaten run.

Then there is the state of Ohio, which is dealing with an outbreak of COVID-19 that forced them to cancel the game against Illinois. At most, the Buckeyes will only play seven games this season and that is if they can play in the next two weeks against Michigan State and Michigan. If none of these games are played, the state of Ohio will not qualify for the Big Ten championship game unless 12 of the remaining 14 games are eliminated as well.

And all this for what? The right to be demolished by an Alabama team that has dominated since the break against Georgia? Crimson Tide overtook Auburn on Saturday, winning 42-13.

Alabama, Clemson and Notre Dame look like playoff teams. But finding the fourth team is a little difficult now.

Winner: young Georgia players

With Georgia on 35 points after the first play of the fourth period, the Bulldogs had a chance to do something they had not done often this season.

The Bulldogs managed to play young players like Broderick Jones, Mekhail Sherman and Arian Smith. Smith actually recorded his first career capture, which was for a 31-yard touchdown.

β€œI was proud of these guys. I wish we could play them more, ”said Smart. “This is what children do, they come to Georgia to play.”

Smart added that he was not very happy with the appearance of some of the young defense players on Saturday. But that experience will end up being a good thing for them and the team going forward.

“This is how you learn,” said Smart. β€œI’ve been around for years where I’ve been in places where you get a clue, put it on and you find out a lot about a child. You find out, hey, it may still take a year, but having that experience under your belt is priceless. “

With the Bulldogs facing Vanderbilt on Saturday, there is a chance that Georgia will do the same, considering the performance of the Commodores this season.

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