Gamecocks Shut Down No. 5 Georgia, 35-7
COLUMBIA, S.C. —
Sixth-ranked South Carolina put together one of its most complete
efforts of the season on Saturday night against No. 5 Georgia en route
to a 35-7 victory in front of a record crowd of 85,199 at
Williams-Brice Stadium.
The Gamecocks rolled up 392 yards of offense and held Georgia to a
season-low 224 yards of offense. The Bulldogs entered the contest
averaging 48.2 points per game and 536 yards per contest.
With the win, South Carolina improves to 6-0 overall and 4-0 in the
SEC. The victory is the Gamecocks’ 10th straight, which is the longest
winning streak in school history, and it’s their 12th consecutive over
SEC Eastern Division opponents. The win is also head coach Steve
Spurrier’s 250th career coaching victory (collegiate and pro combined).
Georgia drops to 5-1 on the year and 3-1 in conference play.
Junior quarterback Connor Shaw and junior running back Marcus Lattimore
combined for 349 yards of South Carolina’s total offense. Shaw
completed 6-of-10 passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns through the
air and added 78 yards and a score on the ground. Lattimore carried the
ball 24 times for 109 yards and a score, giving him his 11th career
100-yard game and third against the Bulldogs.
Defensively, South Carolina limited Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray,
as he completed just 11-of-31 passes for 109 yards and threw one
interception. The Gamecocks also held Bulldog freshman running back
standouts Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall to 39 and 37 yards,
respectively. The duo entered the contest averaging a combined 192.8
yards per game.
Sophomore safety Brison Williams led South Carolina’s defensive effort
with seven tackles and two pass breakups. Sophomore Jadeveon Clowney
added four stops, including a sack and two tackles for a loss, and
DeVonte Holloman recorded an interception for the only turnover of the
game and tallied three tackles.
The Gamecocks fed off of the energy from the record crowd from the
start and took the opening possession for a five-play, 76-yard scoring
drive. A 42-yard pass from Shaw to Damiere Byrd on the second play of
the game set South Carolina up at the Georgia 30-yard line. Three plays
later Shaw threw a strike to Bruce Ellington for a 20-yard touchdown
pass, giving the Gamecocks a 7-0 lead less than three minutes into the
game.
The South Carolina defense kept the momentum going on the ensuing
possession, as Kelcy Quarles deflected a Murray pass into the air and
Holloman dove under the ball for an interception at the Gamecock 31.
The Gamecocks took advantage of the Bulldog miscue, marching 69 yards
in 11 plays for a touchdown. Shaw connected with Rory Anderson for a
14-yard scoring strike, giving South Carolina a 14-0 lead at the 6:29
mark of the first quarter.
After the defense forced a three-and-out on the next possession, the
Gamecock special teams got involved in the early outburst. On fourth
and 8 from the Georgia 30, junior punt returner Ace Sanders fielded a
Collin Barber punt at the South Carolina 30 and weaved his way through
the punt coverage 70 yards for a touchdown. Adam Yates drilled the
extra point to give the Gamecocks a 21-0 first-quarter lead.
The Bulldogs threatened to score late in the second quarter as they
went on a 15-play, 80-yard drive to the South Carolina 2. However, the
Gamecock defense buckled down at the goal line and stuffed the Bulldogs
on fourth and goal to preserve a 21-0 halftime lead.
After stalling on its first drive of the second half, the Gamecocks put
the game out of reach with a four-play, 63-yard scoring drive on their
second possession. D.L. Moore hauled in a 62-yard pass from Shaw over a
Georgia defender to set South Carolina up at the Georgia 1 on the third
play of the drive. Lattimore then burst up the middle for a 1-yard
touchdown run to give the Gamecocks a 28-0 lead with 10:32 left in the
third quarter.
South Carolina added one more score with a 14-play, 89-yard scoring
drive that ate up 9 minutes and 28 seconds off the clock. Shaw finished
off the drive with a 7-yard touchdown run to push the Gamecocks’ lead
to 35-0.
The Bulldogs avoided the shutout with a 3-yard touchdown run by Ken Malcome with 1:55 left in the contest.
The Gamecocks return to action next Saturday with a road trip to Baton
Rouge, La., to face LSU. Kickoff has been set for 8 p.m., and the
contest will be televised nationally on ESPN.
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