No. 9 Georgia faces South Carolina tonight at Williams-Brice Stadium at 7:30 pm ET on the SEC Network. Here are three things you should know before the game:
Dysfunctional defense
While quarterback JT Daniels and Georgia’s airstrike impressed the state of Mississippi, Georgia’s secondary has raised concerns. Previously touted as one of the most elitist defenses in the country, secondary production has fallen and much remains to be proven.
Florida and quarterback Kyle Trask exposed Georgia’s secondary in Week 7 through explosive moves, and the unit has not recovered since. Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers finished 41 out of 52 for 338 yards and a touchdown on 21 November.
The Bulldogs in Athens could not get the Starkville Bulldogs out of the field. Georgia’s top seven also looked strange, as the only two bags of the night came during the last two trips from the state of Mississippi. Georgia’s defense has struggled with execution and failed to create turnovers.
Linebacker Nakobe Dean explained that the group recognizes its flaws and the need for improvement.
“We know we have to do better,” said Dean during the post-game virtual press conference last Saturday. “I kind of put that on the shoulders of linebackers and defense leaders. We know that we have to perform better and play better. ”
Georgia will still be without main safety Richard LeCounte and will face Jordan Davis against South Carolina on Saturday, while he seems to adjust to his usual mold.
Remember October 12, 2019?
Georgia football certainly does. At number 3 at the time, Georgia was surprised by an unrated South Carolina 20-17 in Athens, in its first loss to an Eastern SEC opponent since the 2016-17 season.
South Carolina kicker Parker White missed his first 33-yard field goal attempt in overtime, but made up for it in the next ball possession to give the Gamecocks the lead. Georgia kicker Rodrigo Blankenship missed a 44-yard opportunity to tie the game in 20, and South Carolina celebrated its shocking turnaround by tearing pieces from the hedges of Sanford Stadium.
A South Carolina player holds a piece of Hedges in his mouth. The Georgia Bulldogs lost in the double overtime for the South Carolina Gamecocks with a final score of 17-20 on Saturday, October 12, 2019 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo / Gabriella Audi https://gabbyaudi10.wixsite.com/mysite-1)
Although Georgia enters this confrontation with different expectations for the postseason, the Bulldogs came in 9th in the first Football College Playoff Ranking of the 2020 season. A victory in Columbia, South Carolina, can support Georgia’s hopes for the Six Bowl New Year’s Eve.
Safety Lewis Cine said Georgia has in mind last season’s defeat with plans to avoid a similar story in 2020.
“I wouldn’t use the word revenge,” Cine said at a virtual press conference on November 24. “But I would say redemption.”
Meeting with Mike Bobo
Mike Bobo took over as interim coach from South Carolina following Will Muschamp’s resignation. Bobo was the coach of Georgia’s defenders from 2001 to 2006, before taking on the role of offensive coordinator from 2007 to 2014.
Bobo and his former teammate Kirby Smart from Georgia will meet for the first time as head coaches on Saturday. But the two are used to facing each other on opposite sides of the field.
Bobo helped lead Georgia to 90 wins, two SEC championships, three SEC East titles, seven bowl wins and six Top 10 submissions. Since Bobo occupied Muschamp’s position in South Carolina, five participants chose not to participate and the Gamecocks are coming out of the 17-10 defeat to Missouri on 21 November.