The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
SOUTH CAROLINA IS A TOUGH FIRST ROAD TEST
ATHENS — Georgia football gets its first test of the season Saturday in Columbia, S.C., and the nation will be looking in.
The No. 3 Bulldogs (1-0) play the No. 24 Gamecocks (1-0) in the CBS feature game at 3:30 p.m. in WilliamsBrice Stadium.
The game’s importance cannot be overstated with control of the SEC East Division on the line.
A Georgia slip-up might not be as easy to overcome as one might think when glancing at the schedule. The Georgia league schedule includes an SEC West draw of No. 7 Auburn (1-0) and No. 11 LSU (1-0), while South Carolina’s West Division opponents are Texas A&M (1-0) and Ole Miss (1-0).
Pregame jitters
It will be the first road game for several of Georgia’s young players, and the first true national TV exposure for many others who have been elevated into key roles.
The Bulldogs played 18 freshmen and 83 players last Saturday against Austin Peay. Georgia overwhelmed the FCS Governors to the extent the fourth quarter was shortened by five minutes at the request of the Austin Peay coach.
Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart said he hoped Saturday’s game would take the edge off in many ways.
“I thought there were a lot of young guys who had a lot of jitters that needed to get those out,” Smart said. “We’ve got to grow up, and we’ve got to grow up fast. The road in front of us is not easy. We’ve got to play a team I’ve got a lot of respect for and play in a place that is extremely difficult to play in.”
Kirby and Will
The relationship between Smart and South Carolina coach Will Muschamp has evolved into a friendly but important rivalry.
Both were safeties and team captains at Georgia, Muschamp playing from 1991-94, Smart a two-time All-SEC pick who played 1995-98.
Smart said this week that even though the two were briefly teammates, they didn’t become friends until coaching together at Division II Valdosta State in 2000.
“I was only here for six months while he was here, summer, fall and winter – he left,” Smart said Tuesday. “Our relationship started at Valdosta State when I got hired down there and we spent time together. Then at LSU we spent time together.”
Smart and Muschamp spent the 2004 season on Nick Saban’s LSU staff. Saban brought Muschamp with him when he took Miami Dolphins coaching job in 2005. Smart returned to Georgia to coach running backs for Mark Richt.
Muschamp left the Dolphins in 2006 to become Auburn’s defensive coordinator, and Saban hired Smart as his replacement.
In 2007, Saban left Miami to become Alabama’s coach, and Smart accompanied him as assistant head coach and secondary coach, helping to build the Crimson Tide’s dynasty.
New-look Gamecocks
South Carolina is going up-tempo on offense after ranking 122nd in the nation last season, with an average of 61.6 plays per game, and the opening game result was promising.
The Gamecocks beat Coastal Carolina 49-15, scoring the program’s most points in a game since 2013 when offensive wizard Steve Spurrier was at the helm.
Six players scored touchdowns, and junior quarterback Jake Bentley threw four touchdown passes.
“We had one drive where we went three-and-out, had a mistake in protection mode, other than that, we had a good day,” Bentley said. “I think we have to continue to increase tempo, continue to play faster.”
The Gamecocks feature a new offensive coordinator in Bryan McClendon, a former Georgia receiver and assistant coach who was promoted from within Muschamp’s staff.
Georgia question marks
The Bulldogs have questions from a scheme, rotation and health standpoint as they head to South Carolina.
Sophomore Jake Fromm is expected to start, but Smart has said the situation remains fluid as far as if or when talented freshman Justin Fields will play in the game.
Georgia’s offense was run-heavy last season, but with the program’s No. 2 (Nick Chubb) and No. 3 (Sony Michel) all-time leading rushers having moved on to the NFL, the Bulldogs are somewhat green in the backfield.
From an injury standpoint, senior receiver Terry Godwin and junior defensive back Tyrique McGhee are key players Smart said he hopes will be healthy enough to play against South Carolina.
Godwin, the team’s leading returning receiver, missed the start of fall camp on account of an unspecified knee injury and then missed the opener with what Smart said was a calf strain.
McGhee, a versatile defensive back in the Bulldogs’ shallow secondary, suffered a broken bone in his foot in the team’s Aug. 11 scrimmage and returned to practice Tuesday.
Gamecock guarantee
Former South Carolina player Tori Gurley turned heads in July when he guaranteed a South Carolina victory during an appearance on the SEC Network’s “Paul Finebaum Show.”
“There’s a lot of things I see in Georgia where they can be beaten Week 2,” Gurley said. “That’s something I’m going to guarantee that South Carolina gets the win at home.
“Yes, in Williams-Brice (Stadium) in front of 80,000, on CBS. It’s a primetime game. The Gamecocks will be ready.”
Georgia has won the past three meetings, including the most recent in South Carolina, 28-14 in 2016. That game was played on a Sunday because of Hurricane Matthew.
The Bulldogs opened as a 9½-point favorite for Saturday’s game.