Georgia Bulldogs have their day

Sep 7, 2013; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs players celebrate with fans after beating the South Carolina Gamecocks at Sanford Stadium. Georgia won 41-30. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports /

The Mark Richt detractors can now make their way off the ledge.

One week after falling to Clemson because of spacey line play, blown coverages and special teams errors, the Georgia Bulldogs righted the ship against South Carolina, winning 41-30.

The victory snapped a three-game losing streak to the Gamecocks dating back to 2009. Aaron Murray rebounded from an abysmal 2012 showing against USC to throw for 309 yards and four touchdowns. His final touchdown was a backbreaking 85-yarder to Justin Scott-Wesley with 13 minutes to go.

Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall, a couple of North Carolina sophomore sensations, compiled 192 rushing yards and a touchdown (Gurley) and 62 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Their 254 total yards is more than triple their 78 total yards last season against the Gamecocks.

On the other side Connor Shaw played nearly flawless football as well. He had more total yards than Murray with 228 yards and two touchdowns passing and 82 yards rushing. His only mistake proved to be a costly one as he fumbled on a drive inside Georgia territory in a tie-ballgame.

Jadeveon Clowney rebounded to sack Murray for a 10-yard loss, one of his two TFL on the day. He spent a lot of the day limping on a bum foot that was reinjured from an accident in practice.

Sep 7, 2013; Athens, GA, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (7) works against the blocking by Georgia Bulldogs offensive tackle Kenarious Gates (72) during the second quarter at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /

The Dawgs seemed to find their groove on the offensive line as they cleared gaping lanes for the running backs and star fullback Quayvon Hicks. The defense will still need to see some improvements as USC averaged 9.1 yards per passing attempt and 6.3 yards per carry. There were big plays for the Classic City Canines like the fumble and the four tackles for loss, but limiting the long drives will be a necessity going forward.

South Carolina took a step backwards to 1-1 and will host the Commodores in Columbia as the ESPN night game. Both teams are 0-1 in conference and could be erased from the division title race with a loss.

Georgia improved to 1-1 on the season, gaining a huge edge on the rest of the SEC East field. They will have next week to rest up before welcoming the Mean Green of North Texas (1-1) to Sanford Stadium.

Home/College Football