No. 1 Georgia is looking to win its third straight national title this season and that journey continues Saturday when the Hedges pit the Hedges against South Carolina at home. The Bulldogs have yet to be challenged in their 2-0 start, winning their first two games by a combined score of 93-10, but the dangerous Gamecocks showed they were capable of pulling off major upsets twice last year against Clemson and Tennessee. .
It’s a series in which Georgia has had the upper hand recently. Under coach Kirby Smart, the Bulldogs went 6-1 over the Gamecocks — including a 2-0 win against former Smart assistant Shane Beamer. Georgia is more dangerous, having won 29 straight regular-season games (the series goes back to November 2020) and 19 straight overall. While Georgia carries over streaks from previous years, the team on the field in 2023 has been defined mostly by new contributors.
Midfielder Carson Beck was effective in his first start, directing an offense that piled up points early and built a lead large enough to rest heading into the fourth quarter. However, it’s not just Beck. Georgia’s leading rusher is true freshman Roderick Robinson II, and sophomore Mikey Muse is one of the team’s leading receivers after recording just two receptions in four games last season.
This group faces SEC competition for the first time on Saturday as the city’s Gamecocks look to bounce back after their season-opening loss to North Carolina. South Carolina is now 1-1 with its win over Furman, a top-10 FCS team, but faces a high level of competition against the defending champions.
Check out live updates from Georgia vs. South Carolina
How to watch the Georgia vs. South Carolina match live
date: Saturday 16 September | time: 3:30 PM ET
location: Sanford Stadium – Athens, Georgia
television: CBS | Live broadcast: cbssports.com, CBS Sports app (free)
Running on Paramount+ with Showtime (Try it for free)
Georgia vs. South Carolina: Need to know
Georgia deals with injuries to key players: Junior Ladd McConkey, the team’s top option at wide receiver last season in terms of receptions and receiving yards, did not play in the first two games while dealing with a back injury. His status in Saturday’s game is up in the air. Running back DeJon Edwards dressed for both games but did not play as he continues to recover from an MCL sprain he suffered during fall camp. And just when the defense finally approached full health, starting safety Javon Pollard left the Ball State game with an ankle injury. His status for Saturday’s game is in doubt.
Although there are talented players all over the depth chart, a “next man up” mentality will put someone on the field who was not a starter in back-to-back title runs of 2021 and 2022. If Pollard, the College Football Playoff Defensive Player of the Year in both the Peach Bowl and the national championship last season, can’t face South Carolina, David Daniel Sisavanh and Dan Jackson will be splitting the duties at safety.
Games players deal with their own injury issues: Star receiver Antwane “Juice” Wells has been limited this season with a lower-body injury and recorded just one catch for 5 yards. While Rattler’s main target from a year ago was off the field, senior receiver Xavier Legette has emerged as one of the best pass rushers in the SEC. Legette leads the SEC and ranks second nationally with 148 receiving yards per game, while also leading the SEC with 180 all-purpose yards per game and ranking second in the conference with 7.5 receptions per game. . Opposite Leggett is Ahmaran Brown, who sat out the Furman game with an injury. Wide receiver isn’t the only position seeing injury shake-ups. As a team about to play Georgia, Mississippi State and then Tennessee (at Knoxville) in back-to-back weeks, South Carolina can’t afford any more injuries.
Spencer Rattler will test Georgia’s retooled defense: The Bulldogs’ defense has been excellent and has held the program to a high standard in its performance, but those impressive numbers will be tested against Rattler. The Gamecocks’ quarterback ranks third among FBS signal callers with 349 yards per game, trailing only Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. He also completed 84.3% of his passes with three touchdowns and no interceptions. For Rattler, this is a chance to add another special upset to his resume after wins over Tennessee and Clemson in 2022.
Georgia vs. South Carolina prediction, picks
Odds via SportsLine Consensus
It will be difficult for South Carolina to maintain its offensive production against Georgia, especially given the clear advantage in the trenches when it comes time to test the Gamecocks against the Bulldogs’ front. I think Georgia’s strange drought — just one sack all season — ends Saturday and the defense shines in the Bulldogs’ win. Selection: under 55 years old
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