South Carolina Pass vs. Georgia Pass Defense
Edge: Push
South
Carolina's offense finally came alive against Virginia last
week in a 31-7 win. Dondrial Pinkins wasn't spectacular but
he got the job done going 9 for 24 with 162 yards passing
and 1 TD through the air. The South Carolina offensive line
has been much improved from last year and the running game
is existent giving Pinkins a 2-dimensional offense to work
with. Pinkins' 99 yard touchdown pass to Troy Williamson was
not only a huge boost to the USC team for that week but a
sign that Holtz isn't afraid to let this man throw the ball
when the game is on the line. Pinkins options at WR aren't
that great but they can get the job done. If Pinkins wants
to beat the Georgia secondary this year, he will need to stay
poised throughout the pocket.
On the other side, Georgia is coming off two rather good defensive
games. UGA's lack of depth and experience sure didn't show
against either Clemson or MTSU. Georgia's pass rush the last
two games has been very good and David Pollack is still the
main reason behind that. Expect Pollack to continue to be
a nuisance to the South Carolina backfield on many occasions.
Two big additions to the UGA D are returning to the team in
Kentrell Curry at CB and Ken Veal to the already effective
DT position. Both should have big impacts on the defensive
side of the ball. Blitzing has also been very effective this
year so expect different variations to be hitting a not-to-experienced
QB in Pinkins. It worked against Clemson and could be effective
against USC.
Georgia Pass vs. South Carolina Pass Defense
Edge:
Georgia
David Greene hasn't seemed to lose a touch since last season.
He looked very sharp against Clemson and MTSU. His stats aren't
staggering (33/45 - 470 yards - 1 TD) but he gets the job
done when it's needed. He doesn't make mistakes and can hurt
anyone on the deep ball. Georgia will lose their best WR in
Fred Gibson but still have PLENTY of options left at WR. Seniors
Reggie Brown, Michael Johnson, Damian Gary, and true freshman
Sean Baily are all possible play-makers. The new offensive
line has lived up to it's billing by giving Greene all sorts
of time and that will be needed against a USC defensive that
hasn't allowed Georgia to score a touchdown in almost 3 games.
South Carolina is coming off a fantastic game against UVA
where they dominated new starting QB Anthony Martinez by only
allowing him throw for 52 yards and 2 interceptions. USC's
new 4-3 defensive scheme seems to be working quite well so
far but there are still some holes to fill with the inexperience
in the secondary. Both games have seen USC face teams with
no real quarterback and this will be the first test. The LB's
have been much better then advertised and the DL play was
the main reason for UVA's ineptitude behind the line. USC's
blitz packages will have to be able to quickly get to Greene
if they expect to win. Their LB's will need to play as well
as they did against UVA if they expect to force Greene to
make mistakes.
South Carolina Run vs. Georgia Run Defense
Slight
Edge: Georgia
Daccus
Thurman ran all over the Virginia defense last week with 126
yards on 18 carries. Helping him out was an Offensive Line
that has been just dominate in the first two games. They have
opened up all sorts of holes and allowed the young running
backs to run for over 260 yards against UVA and 187 against
ULL. Both Summers and Thurman saw some action last week but
Thurman has thus far been more impressive AND Summers has
been bothered by injuries. Pinkins isn't the type of QB that
can win with a running game so Thurman or Summers stall against
Georgia, it may be trouble for the entire team.
The Georgia DL has probably been the most impressive part
of this team thus far this season. Against Clemson and MTSU,
David Pollack and company were in the backfield just about
every play causing chaos to the QB's and RB's. Not only has
Pollack been impressive but the rest of the line is also stepping
up. Geathers, Gant, Pollack, and Golston are all 4 capable
defensive players who can quickly can off the line or clog
up the middle. Georgia held Clemson to under 40 yards of rushing
and MTSU to under 70 yards. If they can continue to scuffle
the running game of USC's and make Pinkins beat them, the
game may get ugly quite quick.
Georgia
Run vs. South Carolina Run Defense
Edge:
Georgia
Before
the year started, Georgia's running game looked bleak as their
best rusher (Musa Smith) had left for the NFL Draft. But now
that the season has started, Michael Cooper, Tony Milton,
and Ronnie Powell have all stepped up and performed quite
well. Cooper has looked the best so far as he racked up over
90 yards against MTSU and a great 4th quarter against Clemson.
Now, Tony Milton is bothered by small injuries right now so
he status is uncertain at the moment and true freshman Kregg
Lumpkin is also in the mix but his hamstring injuries are
leaving him on the bench. Richt hasn't really let anyone know
what his plans for USC's game are but my guess would be a
70/30 mix of Cooper/Powell.
USC's rush defense has been decent at best the last two weeks.
I won't say either RB from ULL or UVA ran over the Gamecock
D because they didn't but both had success all game. Smoothers
from ULL ran for over 100+ yards and a TD while Pearman from
UVA ran for 91 yards on 17 carries and a TD. If USC wants
any chance of winning this game, the DL will need to step
up and shut down the UGA OL. If Cooper or Powell can both
get over the 110 yard mark combined, it will spell trouble
for USC as Richt loves doing a 50/50 pass/rush plan that wears
down the defenses.
Special
Teams
Slight
Edge: Georgia
Georgia
has arguably one of the best kickers in the game in Billy
Bennett. Last season saw him kick his way into the UGA kicking
record book and this season already seems the same. Through
two games he has already kicked six FG's and 5/5 XP's. Punting
for UGA will be newcomer Gordon Ely-Kelso who struggled mightly
in the first game against Clemson barely average 33 yards
but increased that to 45 yards against MTSU. Punt returning
duties are left to Damian Gary who has the talent to be one
of the best in the SEC but has yet to really show it this
season. Kickoff duties are usually left to Fred Gibson who
will be out this weekend and that is quite a huge loss. The
new KR should Decory Bryant. South Carolina new punter Josh
Brown deserves a medal after the last two games. He has had
to kick over 550 yards worth of punts and an average over
40+. USC's kicking game is still a little questionable as
new kicker Daniel Weaver is only 1/1 (42 yards) and 6/6 at
XP's. Troy Williamson is the main Kickoff Return man and Demetris
Summers is the new Punt returner and both have solid speed
and breakaway ability to surprise Georgia.
Final Thoughts
Throw out the records for this game. The last 3 years have
specifically shown why this one of the most, if not THE MOST
important game for both teams. Whoever losses this game starts
off the year with a loss and a bit of criticism. If USC losses,
it could be a repeat of last season. If UGA losses, the over-rated
word may get called out to them. Whoever wins this game has
got a step in the right direction. South Carolina has beaten
Georgia two of the last three years and have dominated Georgia's
offense continuously with defenses from Charlie Strong. Now
that Strong is gone, it will be interested to see if USC can
continue their success with such a young group of players.
Georgia has obviously gotten better on the offensive side
of the ball and Richt has stepped in as arguably one of the
best coaches in the SEC. Holtz on the other hand is trying
to reel from a horrendous 5 win season. But through that bad
season came a close win to Georgia that was trashed when RB
Andrew Pinnick fumbled the ball on the goal-line with only
a few seconds left in the game.
This game should come down to experience and that is where
I see Georgia pulling away. The offensive line has given reigning
SEC Offensive Player of the Year David Greene enough time
this year to trounce on defenses and a running games is in
place. Reigning SEC Player of the Year David Pollack seems
in top form along with a young, talented team that is continually
getting better. This is not to say USC doesn't have talent.
They have a vast amount running up in Colombia but it's just
not enough to over-come to Dawgs who have gotten progressively
better since the 2000 game.
Neilson's Pick: Georgia 27, South Carolina 20
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