Georgia at South Carolina Odds

The SEC is in action Saturday at 4:30 PM ET as the Georgia Bulldogs host the No. 12 ranked South Carolina Gamecocks.  Georgia will try to move forward after a tough loss against 5th-ranked Boise State.  South Carolina opened with their twelfth-straight season opening win over East Carolina, though they needed to rally from a double-digit deficit early on.

Georgia has typically played well in this series, holding a 46-15-2 record against the Gamecocks, but South Carolina notched a win in the most recent meeting, winning 17-6 last year.

Last week, South Carolina’s defense faltered against a talented East Carolina offense, but their own offense was hitting on all cylinders, racking up 56 points on solid performances from their leaders on that side of the ball.  QB Stephen Garcia  only threw for 110 yards and a touchdown on 7 for 15 passing, but added two rushing touchdowns as well.  Running back Marcus Lattimore is the team’s best offensive weapon and he chipped in with 3 TDs of his own along with 112 rushing yards.

Despite giving up 37 points, the Gamecock defense managed to force five turnovers, including a fumble return for a touchdown by Antonio Allen.  South Carolina added another score with their special teams as Ace Sanders scampered for a 68 yard punt return touchdown.

Georgia’s offense wasn’t especially effective last week against Boise State.  Aaron Murray threw for 236 yards and two touchdowns, but completed just 55% of his passes and also threw a critical interception.  Apart from Brandon Boykin breaking a 80-yard TD run for the Bulldogs, they weren’t able to move the ball very well on the ground.  Isaiah Crowell led the team with 15 touches, but averaged just 3.8 yards per carry for 57 yards and no scores.

Defensively Georgia had no answer for Boise QB Kellen Moore, who racked up 261 yards and 3 TDs on 28 for 34 (82%) passing.  The lone bright spot for the Bulldogs seems to be their rushing defense, who held Doug Martin, Boise’s leading rush, to just 43 yards on 24 carries (1.8 yards per attempt).  This will be a crucial factor in Saturday’s game as Lattimore is clearly the go-to guy for the Gamecocks.

Don’t let last week’s final scores fool you, this is likely to be a close game.  The odds list South Carolina as a 3-point favorite, but linesmakers clearly aren’t giving them too much credit for putting up a big number last week.  The Gamecocks’ defense looked seriously lost in the first half and though the correct adjustments were made, they’ll be facing a more dynamic Georgia offense this week.

The Bulldogs looked out-gunned offensively against Boise State, but again the Broncos are probably a better team than most people give them credit for.  This is a tough and important game for both teams.  An 0-2 start for Georgia would a huge disappointment, while many think the Gamecocks have the potential to make a run at an SEC (or even a national) title this year.  This will be one of the better games of the weekend, I’d advise you not to miss it!