Georgia Football faces off in competitive showdown with Gamecocks
Georgia football will begin conference play Saturday as it hosts the South Carolina Gamecocks in Athens.
Both teams enter this matchup with a 2-0 record and a top-5 defense in terms of yards per game. Even though the quality of competition hasn’t been the same, the defense will still be an area that the Gamecocks will look to emphasize it.
Georgia will need to neutralize edge rusher Kingsley Enagbare. CBS Sports projects that he could be a potential first-round pick — more likely be selected in the top 10 by a CBS Sports mock draft.
With the questionable health of both JT Daniels and Stetson Bennett, the Dawgs’ top priority should be protecting the quarterback.
Offensively, South Carolina still has some question marks of its own surrounding the quarterback position.
The Gamecocks have been starting the former graduate assistant turned quarterback Zeb Noland in place of injured starter Luke Doty. While Noland has won both games as the starter, he has not done too much. Noland also struggled for a good portion of their narrow victory against East Carolina.
Luke Doty’s athleticism and speed add another level to the offense that Georgia’s defense would have to figure out how to stop. His ability to escape the pocket and extend plays could be vital against a defense that has already racked up 10 sacks in two games.
It remains unclear which quarterback will start, as South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer has yet to make an official announcement. Beamer did note, however, that he expects Doty to be healthy come Saturday. Regardless of which quarterback does end up getting the nod, Georgia’s defense will look to continue its impressive start to the season.
South Carolina’s most recent visit to Sanford Stadium proved that anything could happen, and overlooking a team can be costly. Though that game featured many self-inflicted errors on Georgia’s end, upsets could happen on any given Saturday.
Georgia opened this week as 30.5-point favorites over South Carolina, a spread that seems unheard of in SEC play. It is the responsibility of head coach Kirby Smart and the rest of the Georgia coaching staff to make sure that the players don’t let the hype get to their heads. Coming out flat against a team with nothing to lose has been disastrous in the past.
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Georgia football Week 3 Game Prediction
Given the way the Dawgs’ have performed to this point in the season, the focus looks like it shouldn’t be an issue. Offensively, Georgia should look to continue to get playmakers like Brock Bowers involved. The large spread is likely to be covered by South Carolina, particularly if Luke Doty starts at quarterback.
As for the final score, Dawgs on top 44-17.