Glad for win, Smart praises Bulldogs’ grit

Daniels’ INT shows he’s human; run game shows improvement.

Georgia’s 45-16 win over South Carolina on Saturday in Columbia, South Carolina, probably didn’t garner more than a shrug from the rest of college football. But the Bulldogs did their coach proud, particularly within the context of what teams are having to endure these days just to keep playing.

Kirby Smart referenced many programs across the country having trouble not just keeping their players motivated, but convincing them to play at all. Opt-outs are increasing weekly.

Georgia’s roster appears to be holding strong despite players being subjected to COVID-19 testing three times a week and being asked to sacrifice a lot of freedoms in order to ensure the greater good and health of the team.

“I don’t know if anybody really understands the college football environment this year,” Smart said in his postgame remarks

at Williams-brice Stadium. “2020’s just been so different in terms of motivation and what these kids go through. They’ve sacrificed a lot to have this season. They don’t get to go do things they normally get to do. The season has been long with the injuries, the COVID concerns, the cancellations. It’s been a very unique year, and I just want to give our kids a lot of credit for sticking through it, staying together, continuing to fight.”

The Gamecocks (2-7) deserve some credit for battling, as well. They got within 11 points, at 21-10, in the first half and had a chance to trim the margin more. But interim coach Mike Bobo’s team was overmatched and finally overwhelmed.

“Hats off to Georgia. They came in and dominated the game in all three phases,” Bobo said.

Next up for the No. 9 Bulldogs (6-2) is winless Vanderbilt (0-8), which fell 41-0 at Missouri.

Here are some things we learned Saturday night:

1. Daniels is human

We know for sure now that JT Daniels is not a robot. In his second start as the Bulldogs’ quarterback, Daniels threw his first interception. But even that miscue seemed excusable.

Daniels’ pass for Kearis Jackson on a deep out route was actually right on target. However, the ball bounced off Jackson’s hands as he was hit from behind and it careened back toward the field into the arms of safety Jammie Robinson, who was trailing the play. So instead of a 24-yard gain into field goal range at the South Carolina 30 with 16 seconds remaining in the first half, it was the Gamecocks’ ball.

Daniels’ passing talents overall just weren’t needed in this game. He still was 10-of-16 for 139 yards and two TDS. As Georgia’s quarterback, he has completed 70.4% of his passes for 540 yards and six TDS with one interception.

2. Mathis update

Smart did not shed light on quarterba ck D’wan Mathis not traveling with the team. But he did indicate he’s in close communication with the onetime starter and that, at the least, it was an excused absence.

“D’wan and I have had several conversations,” Smart said when asked about it after the game. “D’wan has been very communicative. He’s handled things really well.”

There are reports that the 6-foot-6, 210-pound redshirt freshman from Belleville, Michigan, intends to transfer. As of Saturday, however, Mathis’ name was not in the transfer portal.

3. Bulldogs in a rush

Georgia’s 332-yard rushing total was its best since getting 426 against Umass in 2018. The Bulldogs’ 45 points were also their most against South Carolina in Columbia, topping the previous best of 41 in 2018.

Georgia backs averaged 8.2 yards on 44 carries. James Cook led the way with 104 yards on six carries and two touchdowns and Zamir White added 84 on 13 and also scored twice. Freshman Daijun Edwards played most of the fourth quarter and finished with 77 yards on 14 carries. It appeared he had scored his first career TD, but the 15-yard run was nullified by an illegal formation penalty.

4. Firsts

On an otherwise quiet night for the passing game, it was a big night for two Georgia receivers in particular: tight end Tré Mckitty and flanker Arian Smith.

Mckitty, a graduate transfer from Florida State, caught his first touchdown as a Bulldog. And he almost didn’t get credit for it. Daniels hit Mckitty on a quick-out right from the 6 and Mckitty had to dive for the pylon to try to score. He was initially ruled out of bounds just inside the 1 by the side judge. But a review determined MCKitty got the nose of the football inside the pylon before landing out of bounds. That replay also revealed a nifty switch of the ball from MCKitty’s right hand to his left to pull it off.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs got another first when Smith, a freshman, hauled in a 31-yard pass for a touchdown on his first career reception. He is the first Georgia player to score on his first touch since Demetris Robertson scored on a 72-yard run against Austin Peay in 2018.

5. Defensive check-up

Georgia’s defense did what it had to do to win and at times was dominant in so doing. At other times, though, the Bulldogs proved vulnerable.

The Gamecocks managed drives of 65 yards and 57 yards to score 10 points on consecutive possessions in the first half. The Bulldogs stuffed them throughout the third quarter to put the game out of the reach. But when some backups entered the game in the fourth quarter, South Carolina executed an 11-play, 98-yard touchdown drive.

“I’m not concerned,” said sophomore safety Lewis Cine, who led the Bulldogs with 12 solo stops. “You’ve got to realize the type of league we’re in. This is the SEC and other teams prepare very well.”

There were plenty of defensive highlights, including Tyson Campbell’s interception and 40-yard return and four sacks.