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From the editor : vance leavy As I sent down to write this offering it comes with a heavy heart for Golden Isles resident Davis Love III and his USA golf team who just ran into a Sunday European buzz-saw that proved to be too much. As always, Davis represented with the upmost class. And even though it hurts, I know he will carry on being a great ambassador for both golf and his hometown. The sting of defeat is painful no matter what sport you are talking about. And by 11 p.m. on Saturday, either Georgia or South Carolina will be feeling that agony. Anyone that follows college football knows the first loss of the season is always terribly brutal. Yes, there’s a ton at stake in Williams-Brice Stadium this Saturday. Will our boys in Red and Black rise to the occasion? Or will Georgia’s nemesis Steve Spurrier turn the knife one more time in the Bulldog Nation? As he does every year that we play Spurrier, Jeff Dantzler (page 4) reminds us of the old ball coach’s reign over Georgia. Saturday night’s game represents an opportunity for the Gamecocks to beat Georgia three years in a row for the first time ever. In case you don’t know, the Bulldogs and Gamecocks first played each other in 1894. Yes, the two teams haven’t played every year between then and now, but they have played 66 games during the said time period. Without question, Steve Spurrier will be gunning to add this Georgia accomplishment to his many others. But more than anything, it would represent another clear sign that he has South Carolina on par with all the other top teams in the Southeastern Conference. While I wasn’t at all surprised the Dawgs’ game with Tennessee was close, I figure I’m probably like most folks in trying to put a hand on how our team gave up so many points. But instead of getting too worked up about it, I’m going to put my faith behind our coaching staff that this week’s practice isn’t going to be easy. It’s obvious there’s a ton of work to be done if this team doesn’t want to
get blown off the field by Spurrier and the Gamecocks. The good news is there was plenty to be excited about from the Tennessee game. How about our awesome freshman running back duo, Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall? While I know Coach Richt and company would prefer not to have freshman on the cover of any publications, I had to do it for this issue for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, both their play and overall attitudes makes them cover worthy. And the good news is that it appears they are managing to stay away from developing big heads. The second reason I put them on the cover is because I think they will be the difference in whether we come out of the Chicken Coup with a win or a defeat. Thankfully, Aaron Murray continues to be very steady, but if our offensive line and tailbacks aren’t able to establish the ground game, it could be a long night for #11. Man oh me, don’t you know this work week is going to move at a snail’s pace in anticipation of kickoff on Saturday night. The vibe in Columbia is going to be like we’ve never seen, particularly with the ESPN Gameday crew setting up shop. It might not even be safe for women and children, but I know that won’t keep Cheri from being at this slobberknocker. It’s going to be a blast. Enjoy this issue of BI. There’s plenty of game coverage from JD, Murray and Travis. And the BI camera was out in full force for the last home game in Athens until November. It’s time to photo by Rob Saye take to the road in October and come away with nothing but Ws. It all begins Saturday night under the lights. Look forward to seeing you there. Finally, just a reminder that our next issue will come out Oct. 16 leading into the Kentucky game following Georgia’s open date on Oct. 13. Everyone here at BI works extremely hard to bring you a fun publication week in and week out and I expect they will enjoy a little breather. But of course the time off will be even sweeter, if the dream season is still alive and Spurrier and the Cocks are smarting with their first loss of the 2012 season. Go Dawgs!
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Steve Spurrier doesn’t like Georgia. One of the great players and one of the great coaches in Southeastern Conference annals has quite the history with Georgia. Saturday night in Columbia, his plan is to add another historic chapter. Georgia’s aim is to, as was the case at the league’s new Columbia, Missouri’s first intra-conference SEC game, be on the right side of history. Spurrier’s disdain for the Dogs dates back to 1966. The week prior to the Cocktail Party, undefeated Florida was tied with Auburn 27-27. The Gators faced a fourth down in the closing seconds. Florida’s kicker was honest and said the field goal to win it was out of his range. Spurrier said he could make. He did. It was a 47-yarder on the lone attempt of his career. It was the stuff of legends. On the verge of their first ever SEC championship, Florida led Georgia 10-3 at halftime. The Bulldogs dominated the second half, holding the Gators without a first down. Bill Stanfill and George Patton anchored an awesome defensive line that chased Spurrier all around the Gator Bowl. Lynn Hughes had the big play, an interception returned 39 yards for the go ahead touchdown. The Bulldogs led 20-10 in the closing seconds and punched in another touchdown to make the final 27-10. It was a signature moment in an SEC championship season that concluded with a 10-1 record and No. 4 national ranking. It was Florida’s lone regular season blemish and it cost Florida the conference title. The Gators also lost the Sugar Bowl, 19-18 to Missouri, costing the Gators a 10-win season. It would be 25 years before Florida won its first SEC title and posted its first double digit win season. It took until 1991 – Spurrier’s second year as the Gators head coach. November the 5th, 1966 is the root of Spurrier’s hard feelings, and that Georgia triumph remains Florida’s most heartbreaking SEC loss ever. Well he would get his revenge. When Spurrier was hired as the Gators coach prior to the 1990 season, Georgia led the all-time series with Florida 44-22-2. Spurrier’s Florida squads went 11-1 against the Bulldogs, with several of those wins coming by embarrassing scores – including a 52-17 bludgeoning in Sanford Stadium in 1995, while the Gator Bowl was being renovated. And he loved to jab the Bulldogs with zingers that got under red and black skin in large part due to their accuracy. Under his watch, the Gators won six SEC titles and the 1996 national championship. The series is now 48-40-2, with Georgia winning just four times since 1990 – including last year’s 2420 victory. Perhaps Georgia can turn the Florida series back around. Last year was a huge step forward. But Spurrier can make more negative history for the Bulldogs for South Carolina. Georgia has dominated the all-time series with the Gamecocks, leading South Carolina 46-16-2. The interesting twist is that South Carolina has beaten the Bulldogs in back-to-back years six times, that’s 12 of the 16 losses, in 1903-04, 1958-59,
1978-79, 1988-89, 2000-2001 and 20102011. Well you don’t to be too sharp at Math to figure from this that the Gamecocks have never beaten Georgia in three consecutive years. They have that opportunity again on Saturday night. In year’s past, like the knee-knocking vitally important victories over the Gamecocks in 1980 and 2002, the Bulldogs avoided historic losses en route to greatness. The Bulldogs had history on their side. But with Spurrier, he turned around one series against his arch nemesis and badly wants to do it again and add yet another chapter in what will be one of college football’s biggest showdowns thus far this season. Georgia is 4-3 against Spurrier’s Gamecocks. The worst of those three losses was a 16-12 setback in Athens in 2007, which cost the Bulldogs a shot at the SEC Championship Game and the national title. Last year’s stung badly as well. At 01, Georgia gift wrapped 28 points for the Gamecocks on defense and special teams, losing 45-42. The Bulldogs would then go on to 10 straight victories. Since South Carolina joined the SEC in 1992, the game has been the first, second or third of the year every time. Until now, another round of expansion has tweaked the schedule. This is the latest the Bulldogs and South Carolina have played since that unforgettable showdown between the hedges on November the 1st, 1980. Georgia outlasted South Carolina 13-10 and Herschel Walker outrushed eventual Heisman winner George Rogers. That was the eighth game of the year. You know the rest, Georgia won all 12 and won it all. For the Gamecocks, these are the golden times. They don’t have near the history of the traditional SEC powers. In fact, last season’s 11-2 mark was just the second double digit win season in program history. The Gamecocks went 10-2 in 1984. Florida had never had one either. Spurrier has taken a second SEC program starved for greatness to glory days. Since 2010 – and let this really sink in, because the thinking was there was no way the Gamecocks would be able to win two or three times in the same year against Georgia, Florida and Tennessee – South Carolina is 10-0 against the Bulldogs, Gators, Volunteers, arch-rival Clemson, Alabama and Nebraska! So Spurrier again will try and crush Georgia’s dreams. But a victory for the Bulldogs means they can all come true. The results of 1980 and 2002 can be repeated. Those were heart-attack inducing hang-on for dear life victories. They broke two-game losing streaks and were big steps forward to amazing years – 12-0 and 13-1. This Georgia team can have that kind of year. One of the biggest road-blocks though will come against a coach who has beaten Georgia like no one before or since. However, as “Nature Boy� Ric Flair, another of sports and entertainment’s greatest smack-talkers always says, “To be the man, you gotta beat the man!�
Bulldawg Illustrated
poole shots By Murray Poole
This northern girl has embraced Dogs, Deep South football Growing up in upstate New York and then attending a Division III school where no athletic scholarships were given, Jennifer Samp was much more a fan of professional football than she was of the collegiate brand. But once Samp joined the University of Georgia faculty in 2001 and attended her very first game at Sanford Stadium, she was literally blown away by the pageantry of Deep South football … as you can readily see at the end of Samp’s question-andanswer with Bulldawg Illustrated when she talks about her favorite UGA sports moment. But from the days when she followed her favorite NFL team, the Buffalo Bills, Samp has evolved into a passionate fan and supporter of the Georgia Bulldogs, so much so that she now makes her contribution to the UGA athletic program by serving as an elected faculty member of the Board of Directors of the Georgia Athletic Association. And Samp, who is Associate Professor, Associate Head and Graduate Coordinator of the UGA Department of Communication Studies, quickly points out that her entire family is now dyed-in-the-wool supporters of everything Red and Black. “My husband, Andrew Cohen, is a philosophy professor at Georgia State University and we have two little boys, Spencer, 9, and Marshall, 7, who are complete, avid Georgia Bulldog fans,” Samp said proudly. Samp was raised in a suburb of Rochester, New York. She did her undergraduate studies at a small liberal arts school called Hamilton College. “That’s a Division III school that does not have graduate education,” Samp related. “It is a much different type sports program than what’ve we got here at Georgia. I then did my graduate work at the University of Wisconsin.” So it’s not like Samp wasn’t in the midst of big-time college football before coming to Georgia. After graduating from Wisconsin with her master’s degree and PH.D in 1999, she served as an assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma for two years and as you know, the Badgers and Sooners have played some pretty good football down through the years. After joining UGA as an assistant professor in ’01, Samp then became tenured as an associate professor in 2007. Samp, herself, has an athletic background, being a competitive swimmer for over 20 years. “I did swim at Hamilton but a Division III school is much different from a Division I school in a lot of important ways,” she said. “Of course, it’s much smaller than a school such as Georgia and like I said, doesn’t offer athletic scholarships.” In the following question-and-answer session, Jennifer Samp talks more about her background and her role on the Georgia athletic board. What is your occupation?
I teach graduate and undergraduate courses and a lot of my classes focus on how we interact with one another face to face, how we negotiate conflict and how we negotiate difficult moments in our relationships. So a lot of my work focuses on romance but some of it focuses on frictions, too. I do teach a class in conflict, an upper level undergraduate course that the students really like. How many years have you served on the UGA athletic board?
I am in my second year of an election term (by the university council). I have been on the board for three years. However, I replaced David Shipley when he became the faculty athletic representative for the executive board. Where did you grow up and what made it special?
I grew up in upstate New York and it would be irresponsible of me not to point out there’s a lot of snow in upstate New York. I grew up about an hour east of Buffalo. And the university system in New York is a little bit different than a lot of the southern schools. Growing up in New York you have a beautiful fall and that was an adjustment when we moved to the South. We
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TODAY.
TOMORROW. love it in the South but we do miss the crisp, fall weather. Upstate New York is not very well known for its excellence in college football but it’s known for its excellence in professional football and I did grow up as a Buffalo Bills fan. What has been the most exciting part for you serving on UGA’s athletic board?
It’s the opportunity to meet and work with the athletic association in both academics and athletics and I have many athletes in my classes. Many athletes take classes in communication studies so it’s been really a great opportunity to work with members of the athletic association on a more personal basis as they continue to develop and work on answering the academic profile of the athletes. And they’re doing a great job of this. What has been the most exciting aspect of your career?
I think the most exciting part of my career is a couple of semesters that go by after I’ve had a student in my conflict class, for example, and they email me or come back or they call me and tell me they realize that I really taught them some useful information and they’re actually using the goals we talked about in conflict class in their everyday lives. It’s the best; it exceeds any word at all to hear back from former students and they tell you that you made a difference.
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What do you think are the biggest challenges for Georgia athletics in the near future?
Georgia athletics now are under the leadership of (athletic director) Greg McGarity and he’s doing an excellent job in enhancing the academic profile of the student-athletes. And it’s a continuing challenge given the demands of being a studentathlete to continue to develop the profile of excellence. I know at Georgia the GPA of student-athletes has gone up and they’re pushing for it to go up even more so the athletic association is going to continue to embrace the challenge of how to increase the GPA and the academic profile of the athletes. How has the knowledge from your occupation helped in the betterment of UGA athletics?
Well, I’m all about face-to-face interaction and like I mentioned, we have a lot of student-athletes take these classes. And knowing how to approach your audience and to think about the different experiences people bring to the table when we’re talking about our relationships and how we want to interact with one another, that’s a pretty beneficial life skill. Your favorite UGA sports moment?
As I mentioned, I did go to a Division III school for my undergraduate education and so my favorite UGA sports moment was the first time I was able to go to Sanford Stadium and see a UGA football game and see a crowd of nearly 93,000-plus enthusiastic fans. That was incredible and it was really awe-inspiring. I try to go to as many games as I can. Like I mentioned, I was a swimmer so I go to swim meets and my boys are interested in baseball so we go to Georgia baseball games, too. The enthusiasm the Georgia fans have is really unparalleled so it’s always a good trip.
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Dogs vs. Cocks It won’t get any bigger than Saturday night’s Georgia-South Carolina game By Travis Ragsdale
I
t turns out that the Dawgs aren’t perfect. That became apparent after the 51-44 win against Tennessee. But is any team perfect? No. Last year, Georgia would have lost that game, so being able to escape with a Pac-12 type win in an SEC game is perfectly fine. But there needs to be improvements and quickly. South Carolina is going to be hungry for a win and in a top10 match-up anything can happen. What’s happening on defense?
Last year, the Dawgs had one of the stoutest defenses in the country. Going into this season, with 9 of 11 starters returning to the lineup, Grantham’s unit was expected to be one of the best in the country this year. Through the first four games the excuse was that Alec Ogletree and Bacarri Rambo weren’t yet back from suspensions. But when they did come back this past week, the defense looked the worst it has all year. Something needs to be fixed. Georgia can’t give up 44 points in a game and expect to win; the offense can only be so good. Right now, the Dawgs are 10th in the SEC in total defense. For the Gamecocks, Connor Shaw has been one of the most efficient passers in the country completing 50 of 64 on the year. This is of particular concern this coming weekend because of how poor the Georgia pass defense has been. Now, here’s the big difference between last week and this week; the offensive line. Tennessee’s O-line lived up to all the hype they’ve received. They were able to stifle all the different blitzes that Georgia sent at them and they were able to open up holes for their running backs. South Carolina’s offensive line isn’t nearly that good, but they do have #21. Stopping Lattimore
Last year, Marcus Lattimore embarrassed the Georgia defense rushing 29 times for 176 yards. Almost a year removed from a major knee surgery, Lattimore is back up to his old tricks again this year with 446 yards on the ground to go along with eight touchdowns. Between Connor Shaw’s high pass efficiency and Lattimore’s affinity for showing out against Georgia, the Dawgs have quite the challenge on their hands. Coach Grantham and the rest of the defensive staff are going to have to scheme around not only Lattimore but the short passing game of the Gamecocks as well. It’s much different than Tennessee though. Bray and the Vols offense had big play ability from everywhere on the field. South Carolina is much more methodical with their attack. Don’t be surprised to see Marcus Lattimore get the ball 30+ times to try and wear down the Dawg’s defense. Surprise offensive line
Ask any of the Georgia coaches of players. They’ll tell you that at the beginning of the this past spring, they had major concerns about the future and potential of the offensive line. In fact, they are very candid about it saying that they really didn’t think they
photo by Rob Saye
would be able to compete this year. And now? This group of offensive line is probably playing the best of any Georgia offensive line in recent memory. They are protecting Aaron Murray and allowing him to use those terrific decision making skills to distribute the ball to the myriad of receiving options. But perhaps more impressive and important for the Georgia offense is how this group is opening up holes in the run game. This is two weeks in a row that the “heavys” have asserted their will against an SEC front seven. And with that came 282 yards on the ground with the phenomenal freshmen, Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall. This week against South Carolina will be the first week that the Oline will be truly challenged though. The defensive front of the Gamecocks is without a doubt one of the best in the country with Jadeveon Clowney leading the pass rush. This group will prove to be difficult to handle but if the Dawgs can manage them, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Gurley or Marshall rush for over 100 yards again. They are both that good. Intangibles
Georgia remembers what happened last year in Sanford Stadium. The Dawgs had no business losing that game. Mistake, after mistake, after mistake allowed the Gamecocks to sneak out of Athens with a victory even though Georgia outplayed them. It’s safe to say that game will be brought up a ton this week. This should provide great motivation for the players who were in Athens for that embarrassment last year. Unlike last year however, this game is in Columbia, which is never a nice place for visiting teams to play. It’s also a night game, which only heightens that hostile environment. Oh, and ESPN College Gameday will be there as well. It’s not going to be an easy win for either team by any means. The pressure and nerves will be high. Whoever can win the ground game on offense will probably take control of this game. And whoever takes control and wins this game, takes control of the SEC East and their destiny to reach Atlanta in December.
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TRI TRIVIA VIA CONTEST CONTESST
Matt & Brandi Brand di West West e
What was w the scor score e of South *HY VSPU UH»Z ÄYZ[ L]LY MVV[IHSS NH HTL *HYVSPUH»Z ÄYZ[ L]LY MVV[IHSS NHTL as a me ember b off the th SEC? member Answer r: Geor rgia g 28, South Car rolina o 6 Go to bulldawgi Answer: Georgia Carolina bulldawgillustrated.com illustrated.com in 1992 2 Chance to win $25 $2 25 gift cards carrd ds for the UGA Bookstore Bookkstorre at TATE TATE Winner: Winne er: Mark Dunbar if you answer trivia trrivia correctly. corrrectly e y.
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Statham, of Sta atham, GA
Q: Other than H Herschel, who is your favorite Bulldog and d why? h ? A: Brandi: Richard Rich hard Seymour - I met him h in college and he was very nice nic ce & humble. He continues continues to represent repr e re esent Dawgs worker, the best of the D g in the NFL as a hard hard worker r, class lleader, leader d r, and d clas l ss act. Shockley the last SEC Matt: DJ Sho ockley - because he won w championship Q: Who is your favorite player on the e current current UGA rosroster and why? A: Brandi: Christian Chris stian Robinson - he reminds rem minds me of David Pollack with his s leadership, leadership love of the th he game, game and conconsistent play making. making. g Matt: Jarvis J th he Missouri game? Jones - Did you see the Q: What makes s you a true Bulldog? A: Brandi: The chills I get g EVERY time time I hear the trumtrumof the pet solo l to startt the th he Bulldog Nation! h Battle B l Hymn H Supports rts the Dawgs when they th hey are arre down. Matt: Suppo
Stays to the end of the S e gameand gets there therre for kick-off. kick-off. D h d l events eve ents t during d i Does nott schedule a game Q: play you have Q What is the most memorable m ha ave experiexperienced in person? e A: A Brandi: ALL plays p y of o the original blackout! blackou ut! Most awesome UGA game ever! a e ! Stattford winning the Alabama Alab bama game Matt: Matthew Statford on o the road road the last time tim me we played there therre Q: Q Which one of our rivals riivals do you enjoy beating bea ating the m ? most? A: A Brandi: Florida Matt: Florida Q: scene so special? Q What makes your tailgating t spe ecial? A: A Brandi: My friends - the same group group of us us who tailtailgated together in college g colle ege still meet up from from all over the Southeast to tailgate together on game days. S g t g days s. Matt: Everyone gets s extra d’d ! M E
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2012 Global Lead Diplomacy Day Paige Barker and Anna Claire Bradshaw
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South Carolina Gamecocks stars By Jeff Dantzler #7 JaDaveon Clowney, DE 6-6, 256 Soph. Rock Hill, S.C. (South Pointe H.S.)
#21 Marcus Lattimore, TB 6-0, 218 Jr. Duncan, S.C. (Byrnes H.S.)
#14 Connor Shaw, QB 6-1, 207 Jr. Flowery Branch, Ga. (Flowery Branch H.S.)
The undisputed top prep prospect in the country for the class of 2011, Clowney had a monster impact and was the nation’s premier freshman defender a year ago. He, first round pick Melvin Ingram and Devin Taylor were a wrecking crew defensive line a year ago. In Athens, he forced the fumble that Ingram scooped up to give the Gamecocks a ten point lead in the 4542 win over the Bulldogs. Clowney’s shown flashes of Lawrence Taylor and Bruce Smith. He and Taylor are arguably the country’s best defensive end combination this year. Clowney has tremendous size, range, strength and speed. It is a pretty good bet that he’ll be the first player taken in the 2014 NFL Draft. With so many positions and regions and scout and recruiters, it is rare that a high school player is the consensus best in the country. Clowney was. And he has lived up to incredible expectations. Steve Spurrier and the reeled in Stephon Gilmore, then Marcus Lattimore and then Clowney. That’s three years in a row landing a five-star in-state top prospect from South Carolina. These are the impact players that have taken the Gamecocks into the top ten.
A bona fide All-American, Heisman Trophy candidate, Lattimore is on his way to being the greatest South Carolina player ever. He’s already broken some of 1980 Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers’s records. His knee injury at the mid-point of last season was a huge blow. But Lattimore has come back incredibly strong, topping the century mark in South Carolina’s season-opening win at Vanderbilt. Lattimore has torched Georgia the previous two years. As a freshman in Columbia, this five-star blue-chipper gashed the Bulldogs for 184 yards and two touchdowns on 37 carries. Last season in Athens, he ran for 176 yards and a score. Before going down against Mississippi State last year, Lattimore had 818 yards in seven games with ten touchdowns and an average of 5.0 yards per carry. His freshman year, Lattimore ran for 1,197 yards and 17 scores. He was SEC Freshman of the Week against the Bulldogs, Florida, Tennessee and Troy. As mentioned with Clowney, this is the type of elite player that ten years ago would have likely wound up at Florida State, Tennessee or Georgia. But he has been the centerpiece on the field of leading the Gamecocks to their greatest of days.
Often when you hear that a quarterback is a good “game-manager” and gritty, it is a backhanded compliment. Well Connor Shaw was behind center for most of South Carolina’s snaps a year ago, as the Gamecocks had their greatest season ever. And here in 2012, he has taken things to another level. Battling a badly injured shoulder, Shaw, through running and passing, led the Gamecocks to an exciting 17-13 victory over Vanderbilt in the seasonopener. He had the breakout performance of his career – after backup Dylan Thompson performed exceptionally well in routs of East Carolina and UAB, in a 31-10 pounding of Missouri. Shaw missed his first pass and then hit an astounding 20 straight. That’s right, 20-for-21. The Gamecocks are 10-1 in his career starts. With his ability to run and throw, Shaw teams with Lattimore to give South Carolina an explosive and consistent, dangerous quarterback/tailback duo.
Five keys for a Bulldog victory By Jeff Dantzler
1. Lasso Lattimore – A charter member of the mighty Southeastern Conference, Georgia has squared off against some of the greatest tailbacks in college football annals. Bo Jackson and Darren McFadden are two all-timers who have had signature performances against the Bulldogs. Marcus Lattimore is in that class. As a freshman, he was incredible, carrying 37 times for 184 yards and two touchdowns in a breakthrough 17-6 Gamecocks victory. Last year, Lattimore gashed the Dogs in Athens for nearly 100 yards in the fourth quarter alone, finishing with 176 yards and a touchdown in South Carolina’s 45-42 win in Athens. Another performance like that would likely But the Bulldogs must do a much better job keeping him in check. That’s one of this team’s greatest challenges in 2012.
2.
Get to Shaw – What a start to the season it’s been for South Carolina quarterback Connor Shaw. Despite an injured shoulder, Shaw piloted the Gamecocks to a 17-13 victory at Vanderbilt to open the season, displaying tremendous toughness. His signature performance was in South Carolina’s 31-10 win over Missouri at Williams-Brice Stadium. Shaw completed 20 straight passes after missing on his first attempt. He is an excellent runner and passer. Shaw and Lattimore running the zone read gives the Gamecocks big play potential on every snap. Georgia must pressure Shaw on the pass and be physical against the run. Remember, when you hit the quarterback, it’s no longer an option.
3.
Win the Turnover Battle – Okay, it has been well documented and is painfully memorable for Georgia fans. Last season, South Carolina returned a fumble for a touchdown, ran back an interception for a touchdown and set up another score with a re-
turn to the Georgia five. Clearly, the Bulldogs can’t have anything remotely similar to that happen and hope to have a prayer at what will be a raucous Williams-Brice Stadium. Nothing gives a team on the road a bigger lift than creating turnovers. Jarvis Jones had an incredible game at Missouri, returning an interception to the Tigers one, and forcing a fumble that was recovered on the Mizzou five. Those were the knockout blows. To get a second SEC road win, the Dogs need to force turnovers and finish in the plus column.
4. Good Play in Kicking Game – So Georgia’s struggles in the kicking game a year ago have been well documented. And one of the unforgettable negatives was Melvin Ingram running down the North sideline on a fake punt for a touchdown. The Dogs got caught with their pants down. That’s 28 points allowed/set up by the Gamecocks defense and special teams in their 45-42 win. Georgia’s special teams have had some up’s and down’s in 2012. This is the first game this season, where the Bulldogs opponent has an offense and a defense as good as Georgia’s. Just getting a push in the kicking game this week may not be enough.
5.
Lead with the Run – Georgia is at its best when the running game is rolling and Georgia can throw off of play-action. South Carolina has one of the country’s best defensive lines, and the Bulldogs offensive front will be put to the test. But Georgia must stay patient and feature a steady and heavy dose of tailback carries, primarily featuring the magnificent freshman Todd Gurley. Aaron Murray, with his ability to run and throw the deep ball, could produce big plays off the lead of the run. And a strong running game, and that respect the defense must show it, would also slow down the Gamecocks fierce pass rush.
Scouting the Cocks By Murray Poole Location: Columbia, S.C. Conference: SEC East Enrollment: 30,967 Gamecocks in a thumbnail: The Gamecocks are hoping to return to the SEC championship game this season after rolling to an 11-2 overall record and 6-2 SEC mark in 2011, which made South Carolina runners-up to Georgia in the East Division. From that squad, the Gamecocks returned eight defensive starters and six defensive regulars. And as they enter Saturday’s huge clash with the Bulldogs, the 6th-ranked Gamecocks (prior to the Kentucky game) are right where they wanted to be. At 5-0 (3-0 SEC), South Carolina has toppled Vanderbilt (17-13), East Carolina (48-10), UAB (49-6), Missouri (31-10) and Kentucky (38-17). A look at the South Carolina offense: The Gamecocks, of course, like to throw a heavy dose of Marcus Lattimore at their opponents. The 220-pound junior tailback has snapped back well from his knee surgery of last year by running for 110 yards against Vanderbilt, 85 yards each against UAB and Missouri and a seasonhigh 120 yards against Kentucky. Spurrier has used two quarterbacks in junior Connor Shaw and sophomore Dylan Thompson. In the win over Missouri Shaw, from Flowery Branch, Ga. and the younger brother of former Georgia Tech and Georgia Southern QB Jaybo Shaw, set a new school record by completing 20 consecutive passes in a 20-of-21, 249-yards performance. Their favorite receivers have been sophomore Bruce Ellington, junior Ace Sanders (who also excels on punt returns) and sophomore Damiere Byrd. A look at the South Carolina defense: The Gamecocks certainly boast one of the strongest stop-em crews in the country as no opponent this season has tallied more than 17 points against South Caroliina. And it all starts with stellar defensive ends Devin Taylor (6-8, 267, Sr.) and Jadeveon Clowney (6-6, 256, Soph.). Clowney of course is a sack artist and both players make life miserable for opposing quarterbacks. But under new defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward, the Gamecocks also get plenty of production from senior linebacker Shaq Wilson – the team’s leading tackler – senior linebacker/safety DeVonte Holloman and senior safety D.J. Swearinger, who was suspended for the Missouri game by the SEC due to a flagrant hit in the win over UAB. What Gamecocks head coach Steve Spurrier says: “We'll be ready to play as well as we can. I don't know if we can beat Georgia. We have to go play. Hopefully, we won't play with the errors we had early in this game, like being on the one-yard line and not scoring. We'll have to take advantage of our opportunities. It's a big game, but it's not the only game in our season. Obviously, the winner has a huge advantage in the East. Again, we have a lot of big games. We'll give it our best shot against the Bulldogs and see what happens.” Game Prediction: Before this season kicked off, I said this would be the Bulldogs’ only defeat of the regular season, tabbing Georgia to fall to the Gamecocks for a third consecutive season, by 2724. But that was prior to each team going through its first five games of this season. This Georgia team seems to have the talent, the unity and the will to win maybe unlike any Bulldog team in recent years and with the great balance Georgia has displayed thus far on offense and with the way the defense is capable of making the big plays when it matters the most, I go with the Dogs to get it done at Williams-Brice Stadium this coming Saturday evening. But with ESPN GameDay on hand in Columbia, it won’t be easy and, surely, the Gamecock Nation will be rocking. The Bulldogs can’t afford the turnovers they made in the 51-44 win over Tennessee and I’m sure they realize that. Make it Georgia, 28-21.
Jeff Dantzler’s Top 25 What a week in college football. There were crazy shootouts in Morgantown, Athens and the PAC-12. There are two huge Southeastern Conference showdowns Saturday. Georgia goes to South Carolina and Florida entertains LSU. The league races will clearly become a bit clearer. The PAC-12 and Big-12 are the next two best conferences behind the SEC. 1. Alabama – The Crimson Tide cruised past Ole Miss on the strength of big plays. Nick Saban wasn’t ecstatic with his team’s performance, and worried about a letdown. He played the team Tim Tebow’s speech following Florida’s loss to Ole Miss in 2008 during the week. Bama’s defense is superb. Dee Milliner is the best corner in the country. 2. Florida State – Not too long ago, the Seminoles lost to South Florida in Tallahassee. Coming off one of the Seminoles biggest wins in the past decade – a 49-37 comeback win over Clemson – there was worry of a letdown in Tampa. But Florida State took care of business. The Seminoles are dreaming big and have a favorable schedule the rest of the way in the ACC. 3. LSU – The Fightin’ Tigers didn’t exactly blow Towson State away. Now comes the big showdown with the Gators in Gainesville. LSU has an awesome defense and excellent stable of running backs. This figures to be a tight defensive battle. LSU absolutely drubbed Florida last season at Tiger Stadium. 4. Florida – Not too many saw this coming after squeaking by Bowling Green in unimpressive fashion in the opener. But Florida has since won at Texas A&M and Tennessee and romped Kentucky at home. The Gators had this past Saturday off to get ready for this week’s mega-showdown with LSU in Gainesville. It was ugly in Baton Rouge last year. 5. Oregon – Give credit to Mike Leach and Washington State. The Cougars hung around with Oregon for a while in the first half, but the Ducks just have too much juice. Washington won’t be able to sneak up on Oregon after its impressive win over Stanford. The Ducks can strike for big plays in a variety of ways. 6. South Carolina – It’s one of the biggest games in Williams-Brice Stadium history, as the Gamecocks host Georgia in a top ten showdown. It was scary in Lexington, as Kentucky led 17-7 and was in the red zone. But a bizarre play ran the clock out on Kentucky and the Gamecocks absolutely dominated the second half. 7. Kansas State – These are happy days in the little apple, and the Wildcats faithful should be smiling again Saturday, as they tangle with rival Kansas. The gap between Bill Snyder and the second greatest coach in Kansas State history is arguably the largest of any program in America. 8. Texas – The Longhorns are back and they are winning big games. Texas took care of Oklahoma State in a shootout and now welcomes West Virginia to Sixth Street. David Ash is playing outstanding at quarterback. The Longhorns have outstanding talent on the defensive line. 9. Georgia – This is one talented team that had far too many unsound first half moments, yet survived for an unforgettable 51-44 victory over Tennessee. Now comes a tremendous challenge against Steve Spurrier and South Carolina, seeking the program’s first ever three-game winning streak against the Bulldogs. 10. Notre Dame – The Fighting Irish are undefeated – and they’ve taken down some old rivals in Navy, Purdue, Michigan State and Michigan. Now Miami comes to town. Back in 1988, these two hooked up in one of the all-time great regular season games. There was a lot of bad blood. It won’t be easy, but the Irish have a golden opportunity to pick up another win over a team they have a lot of history with. 11. West Virginia – What a shootout it was in Morgantown, as the Mountaineers won a record-setting track meet, downing Baylor 70-63. Geno Smith is putting up amazing numbers. He was 45-of-51 for 656 yards and eight touchdowns. Amazing. West Virginia heads to Texas Saturday for one of the biggest games in school history. 12. Oklahoma – The Sooners will have revenge on their minds as they head to Lubbock to take on Tommy Tuberville’s undefeated Texas Tech Red Raiders. Oklahoma’s offense has been inconsistent thus far, and Bob Stoops would most certainly like to see more stability out of his running game.
13. Clemson – Coming off of that emotional loss to Florida State in Tallahassee, and with Sammy Watkins sidelined, this trip to Boston College was a scary trap game. But the Tigers prevailed 45-31, and now the Yellow Jackets come to town. They got beaten badly by Middle Tennessee this past Saturday. 14. Mississippi State – Dan Mullen has a terrific team, and they are the sleeper in the SEC. Tyler Russell is the best passing quarterback Mississippi State has had in several years, and the Maroon Bulldogs have weapons at tailback and receiver. The defense and offensive line are physical. 15. TCU – These are happy days in Fort Worth. Gary Patterson led TCU to a perfect season and Rose Bowl crown, and now they are back in a major conference. The Horned Frogs took care of old Southwest Conference rival SMU, and host Iowa State Saturday. 16. Oregon State – How ‘bout the Beavers, they are smokin’ hot. Oregon State took a thriller 38-35 over Arizona to make it 3-0. Their opener with McNeese State got cancelled because of the hurricane, so OSU is a game behind. But they are in play in the tough PAC-12. 17. Ohio State – The Buckeyes didn’t exactly blow away UAB. It was a slow start, as UAB got three of the first four scores. Then the Blazers cut it to 21-15 in the fourth quarter, but Ohio State pulled it out. Now comes a big test with Michigan State in East Lansing. 18. Washington – Steve Sarkisian has the Huskies – a one-time powerhouse program and class of the PAC-10 – heading back in the right direction. Washington got its signature win before a national television audience, coming back to edge Stanford 17-13 on Thursday in Seattle. The Huskies defense played great. 19. Stanford – Coming off of that major win over Southern Cal, Stanford’s fourth straight in the series, the Cardinal had an open date before heading to Seattle. Who knows, maybe a little too much patting on the back on the Farm. Stanford didn’t score an offensive touchdown and suffered a big loss in the race for the PAC-12 North. 20. Southern Cal – Before the season, this Thursday night’s game at Utah looked very scary. But the Runnin’ Utes are struggling in the PAC-12. And the Trojans have already been saddled with a loss. Matt Barkley will probably put up some big statistics. This is an intra-division game, so USC cannot afford any kind of a letdown. 21. Boise State – Chris Petersen has done great work in Boise. The Broncos lost a ton of elite offensive and defensive talent off of last year’s standout squad. But they are still strong. Boise jumped out to a big lead and then held off New Mexico. 22. Northwestern – There are now two teams in the Big Ten (which has 12 teams) that are undefeated – Ohio State, and the Wildcats. Pat Fitzgerald is an stellar coach. It was no problem for Northwestern in a win over Indiana. It’s happened before in Evanston. 23. Rutgers – The Scarlet Knights take on Connecticut Saturday. Rutgers is going good again, highlighted in part by a win at Arkansas. This was once one of the two or three worst programs in all of major college football. 24. Texas Tech - Tommy Tuberville has the Red Raiders looking good. Texas Tech is off to an undefeated start, a streak extended with a win over previously unbeaten start over Iowa State. Can they possibly make it two in a row over Bob Stoops’s Sooners? 25. Cincinnati – The Bearcats are undefeated and they’ve put together a couple of nice wins, including this past Saturday’s over Virginia Tech in Landover, Md. Cincinnati, Rutgers and Louisville are the class of the Big East.
Kevin Butler’s Players of the Game Kevin Butler, former University of Georgia legendary kicker and a member of the Georgia radio broadcast team, will each week during the 2012 football season select his offensive, defensive and special teams players of the week for Bulldawg Illustrated. Here are Butler’s selections and reasons why for the Bulldogs’ 51-44 win over Tennessee Saturday. OFFENSE – Freshman tailback Keith Marshall, who ran for 164 yards on just 10 carries, including touchdown runs of 75 and 72 yards. “The 75 and 72-yard touchdowns were certainly game-changers,” said Butler. “A lot of focus has been on Todd Gurley (who ran for 130 yards in the win) with his power but Keith brings a very special talent to the offense. It was great to see a Georgia running back hurt a team with his speed and Keith certainly did that on both of his long runs. The 1-2 combination of Marshall and Gurley is giving Georgia an average of 166 yards per game at tailback and as we know, when a Mark Richt team has a 100yard rusher, the record is 50 and 5 and Marshall was a huge factor this week.” DEFENSE – Junior linebacker Alec Ogletree, who returned to the starting lineup after a fourgame suspension and led the Bulldogs with 14 total tackles and three pass breakups, one which resulted in a Georgia interception. “Alec had 14 tackles and a tipped pass for an interception” said Butler. “His leadership back on the defense is only going to be a positive moving forward against South Carolina. Not only is his physical presence a factor in any game but playing now fulltime, his leadership is going to play just as an important role this week as his physical performance.”
photo by Rob Saye
SPECIAL TEAMS – With no Bulldog standing out on special teams against the Volunteers, Butler singled out all the special teams as a whole while, at the same time, urging them to step up their game. “The specialty teams this week is going to have to be the whole unit and I mean every facet of the specialty teams,” said Butler. “And the reason I’m giving it to all the specialty teams this week is because they all need to step it up. We need to become more efficient on our field goal kicking, our kickoff coverage team, our punt coverage team and our return guys. That will give us the opportunity to be the best team we can be against South Carolina.”
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