Georgia football: 6 quick bold predictions for the South Carolina game

Georgia football takes on a South Carolina team mending its wounds from falling to Arkansas last week. The Dawgs are flying high as the No.1 overall team and have two blowout victories, so what will make this Week 3 matchup memorable for them?

Last year, the contest in Athens between these two SEC East teams quickly turned ugly as the Dawgs beat the Gamecocks 40-13, giving Georgia a 53-19 lead in the overall series.

Georgia doesn’t have the same team as it did in 2021, but this 2022 group has a lot of moxy. The Dawgs don’t want to lose, and they sure don’t want to do that in Columbia, S.C., to the Gamecocks.

This game will be interesting to see this young defense stack up against a one-sided offense that will only throw because their run game is atrocious. Yes, crazy things can happen on any given Saturday — look at Week 2 of this year. However, Georgia is more disciplined than that and will handle its business.

Georgia football could do these six bold things against the Gamecocks.

The Dawgs could record their third straight blowout this week, or we could see some weaknesses in them. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart will have his team ready, but how they execute will be up to them.

Right now, the spread is at 24 points, and the Dawgs should be able to cover that against this South Carolina team. On paper, Georgia should manhandle the Gamecocks and have fried chicken for dinner on Saturday night, but they should not be too cocky until they secure that win.

Let us be overly confident as we provide these six bold predictions on what could happen this week between Georgia and South Carolina.

1. Georgia football hangs 50 on the Gamecocks

Georgia averages 41 points through two ballgames right now, and the Gamecocks give up 29 on average. If this Dawgs’ offense is cooking as it should be, Georgia will easily score. While it will be tough to go into Columbia, S.C., and hang 50 on the home team if any offense can do it — Georgia’s can.

The Dawgs have a better offense than Arkansas, and this week we see both the rushing game and passing game mix together to jack up the total offensive yards. We think 500-plus yards of offense here with the Dawgs doing whatever they want because they’re having so much offense success.

2. Stetson Bennett proves himself in the first SEC game of 2022 with 400 passing yards and four touchdowns

Probably the boldest prediction on this list is that starting quarterback Stetson Bennett will throw for 400 yards. That number would set a new record for him and really give him a strong argument among early Heisman Trophy runners. However, we also think he will produce four scores — three through the air and one rushing.

Bennett has moxy and confidence this year to do big things. He needs to stay within himself and silence the outside noise. What better game to really have his moment than against South Carolina and a former Heisman favorite? Why not?

3. Kendall Milton rushes for 150 yards and 2 scores

Welcome to the stage, Kendall Milton, who has led the Dawgs in rushing the past two weeks. He averaged 8.5 yards a carry against Samford and had 85 yards. Now it’s time for him to go one more step and finally get that 100-plus-yard game.

Georgia will find running the ball may be the way to go, so we think Milton could tote the rock for 150 yards and two touchdowns. Those numbers aren’t accounting for his receiving opportunities, either. This game will be a coming-out party for him to remind the world just how talented he is. Milton deserves a big game like this to send his confidence through the roof, and we think he will get it in Columbia.

4. Georgia football picks off Spencer Rattler 2 times

We will start with this defense prediction for Georgia football because we think it’ll happen. Gamecocks’ starting quarterback Spencer Rattler was a one-time Heisman Trophy favorite, but things changed.

He has not played great for the Gamecocks yet, and instead of making this the game where he finds his confidence, Malaki Starks and company will knock his confidence down a peg or two. Starks gets his second pick, and Kelee Ringo gets his first of the season. This secondary will get plenty of opportunities because the Gamecocks will pass most of the game.

South Carolina does not have a great rush attack, so the Gamecocks will try and attack Georgia through the air. So this secondary better get ready to snag some balls out of the air.

5. Nolan Smith leads the team with 3 sacks

Georgia leader Nolan Smith has slightly flown under the radar the first two weeks of the season, but like last year, South Carolina is where he will shine. Last year he led the Dawgs in this game and won an SEC Player of the Week honor for his performance. This year should be no different.

Smith will record three sacks, two or more tackles for losses and he could even lead the team in tackles if he has that good of a day. It’s his time to rise up as a leader and be that guy in 2022 because Georgia needs that confidence when rushing the quarterback.

6. Georgia’s defense holds South Carolina to at most two touchdowns

This prediction could be the one that bites me by the end of the game, or it could really prove a point. Someone predicted that Georgia would give up 27 points to the Gamecocks on Saturday, which seems high.

Of the five games Georgia gave up 13-plus points in last year, only one resulted in a loss. Of those five games, only one scored more than 18 points — Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. The Gamecocks dropped 13 on the Dawgs last year, but that happened because the backups were in late.

Tennessee scored the most on the Dawgs in the regular season at 17. Granted, that was a generational defense in 2021, but this year’s defense also has moxy to it.

To be the only school in college football not to give up a touchdown through two weeks isn’t a fluke. This week Georgia cannot break but instead remind the world that they reload. South Carolina isn’t scoring more than two touchdowns on the Dawgs. They may get chances at field goals but to imagine Georgia giving up 27 points to a team that is so one-sided seems downright silly.

Georgia flexes against South Carolina and reminds them who is in charge of the SEC East. The Dawgs remind the world, especially those who tried to say the Gamecocks would upset this team, why they are No.1 in the country, and that it didn’t matter how many players left for the NFL.

These are our six bold predictions for South Carolina, and I feel relatively confident about most of them. Georgia could struggle in this game, but it isn’t likely. South Carolina isn’t as good as everyone thinks, and the Dawgs are just flat-out more talented. Georgia has more depth, and it could look ugly by the third quarter with the Dawgs’ third blowout fully secured.