Georgia football: 3 things the offense must do to beat the Gamecocks

Georgia football will have everyone watching at noon as the Dawgs take on South Carolina in their first road test of the season. Will fans see something similar to what the Dawgs did against Oregon, or will there be struggles?

Despite being one of the best offenses in college football right now, some fans still feel like what they saw against Samford wasn’t good enough. Those feelings are valid and understandable because Georgia should have hung 50 points on the Bulldogs, but it was still a 33-point win.

The Dawgs also have one of the most efficient offenses in the SEC and college football, so why wouldn’t it continue? Of course, the defense will also have to help, but that’s another article for Thursday.

In this article, we will discuss the three things Georiga must do on offense to stay undefeated on the season and leave Columbia with a victory.

These are three things Georgia football will do on offense to hunt down the Gamecocks.

Starting quarterback Stetson Bennett will have an almost full offense to work with — minus two receivers. He should have no problem running this offense efficiently and leading them to the third win of the season.

He will likely play a whole game against the Gamecocks and should, so his production can really show how well Bennett is playing.

As a whole, Georgia’s offense ranks in the SEC as the No. 6 in scoring offense, No. 10 in rushing, No. 1 in passing and No. 1 in total offense.

If we look at South Carolina’s defense, the Gamecocks rank in the SEC as the No.13 scoring defense giving up 29 points, No. 14 in rush defense giving up 247.5 yards, No. 2 in pass defense with 136 yards and No. 12 in total defense giving up 384 yards.

The Gamecocks only have two sacks on the season, so if Georgia’s offensive line does its job, Saturday should be a good day for the good guys.

Here are the three things Georgia must do to have roast chicken for dinner on Saturday night.

Georgia football should run it down the Gamecock’s throat

While the passing game has been the emphasis this season, Georgia needs to run it down South Carolina’s throat and make the Gamecocks quit. If the Dawgs can get that push upfront, Kendall Milton and Kenny McIntosh should have a lot of success toting the rock.

If Georgia can rush for 150-plus yards, they should easily win this game. Milton and McIntosh could both have breakout games. We could even see Milton run for over 100-yards himself, as he averaged 8.5 yards per carry last week. If he has that kind of success against South Carolina, this game will be over quickly.

At the same time, it’s essential to have a balanced offense because it will keep South Carolina’s defense on its toes. Georgia needs to be able to have success through the air and on the ground to deliver a complete blow.

Stetson Bennett plays smart

This game will be a big moment for starting quarterback Stetson Bennett. He went 1-of-3 for four yards and a pick. That performance was probably Bennett’s worst in 2021, and now he can take the opportunity and prove himself against the Gamecocks.

Not that he really needs to prove himself, but having a big game could really give some substance to these way-too-early Heisman trophy talks. If Bennett throws for 300-yards again, yall may have to hold off the Georgia fans because this hasn’t happened in a long time.

Georgia wins if he makes good decisions, avoids interceptions, and doesn’t force anything. He doesn’t need to be anyone but himself because that is already enough.

Sustain drives and win the third-down battle

One of the best things the Georgia football offense has done this season is sustaining drives and converting on third down. While the Samford game wasn’t the best indication of the third down conversions, Georgia did hold onto the ball for 40 minutes.

Against Oregon, Georgia converted 9-of-10 third downs and had 31 minutes of possession. Those are great numbers, and the Dawgs won’t be 90% on third downs every game, but it is about being better than their opponent. Georgia averages 60% completion on third down, so that is a great place to be.

South Carolina, on the other hand, struggles at getting teams off the field. The Gamecocks’ defense ranks No. 12 in third down conversions at 42%, so Georgia has the advantage here.

Georgia football should be able to beat South Carolina if they go into this game with focus. If the Dawgs can stay within themselves, play smart, and do their job, it should result in a 3-0 record.