Top-ranked Georgia battled back after trailing at the half to defeat South Carolina 24-14 this past Saturday.
The Gamecocks came out swinging and quarterback Spencer Rattler proved why he’s among the best quarterbacks in the conference. Rattler went 16 for 18 for 152 yards and a touchdown in the first half.
However, Georgia settled in – on both sides of the ball – scoring 21 unanswered points in the second half while the Bulldogs’ defense contained Rattler and the offense started to open up with the run game.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said there was no panic in the locker room following a bad first half.
“The message at halftime was to win one moment at a time, win one moment at a time. If you can win one moment at a time, we can get ourselves back in this thing. We knew we were getting the ball, so we really wanted to double-possession them,” Smart said following the Bulldogs’ third-straight win in as many games this season.
“We wanted to get a possession at the end of the half and score and then we wanted to start the second half and score. Well, we lost out on one of those because we didn’t have our timeouts and we couldn’t do what we needed to do two minutes. I told them at halftime, ‘Look guys, it’s going to happen very simply: one moment at a time.’ And they believed it. They kept saying, ‘One moment. One moment. One moment.’ We gained so much momentum in the second half.”
The Bulldogs marched right down the field in the first half, covering 75 yards and scoring in six plays.
After completing two short passes to wide receiver Dominic Lovett, quarterback Carson Beck delivered a bomb to pass catcher Rara Thomas for a 36-yard gain. A few plays later, tailback Daijun Edwards scored from three yards out, which it made a 14-10 after the PAT from Peyton Woodring.
Smart said he was happy to get Edwards back after he missed the first two weeks of the season.
“Absolutely. I would’ve expected Daijun to be that effective last week, this week, or next week. He’s a good back. A tough football player and we’re fortunate that he was healthy today,” he said.
Georgia’s defense forced a three-and-out on the ensuing possession, and its offense got the ball back at the South Carolina 49. Beck locked in, completing a few passes to several different receivers before Dillon Bell scored again on the ninth play. His first touchdown put the Bulldogs on top.
The Bulldogs’ final scoring drive came midway through the fourth quarter when tight end Brock Bowers caught a 13-yard pass from Beck, setting up running back Cash Jones for a 13-yard score.
The walk-on’s second touchdown of the season gave Georgia a 24-14 lead with 9:10 left in the game.
The Bulldogs controlled the rest of the game and intercepted Rattler twice in the final few minutes.
Georgia safety Dan Jackson and nickelback Tykee Smith were the two players who picked off Rattler. Smith, Smael Mondon and Daylen Everette led the Bulldogs’ defense with five tackles apiece.
Beck completed 27 of 35 passes for 269 yards on Saturday. Edwards became Georgia’s first 100-yard rusher of the season, totaling 118 yards on 20 attempts. Lovett had seven catches for 56 yards.
Smart said his team “answered the bell” on Saturday in the second and he learned a lot about his team.
“Did they answer the bell? There’s lots we can talk about at being better. Lots. Starting fast, starting better, what’s causing it, why are we doing it? The world has questions on all these things, but I found out a lot more about my team today than I did any other day this year,” Smart said.
“I’m thrilled that when I came in the locker room, they were committed to each other, talking about what we have to do better. The offense was over here, the defense was over there, and nobody was bickering. We were in complete control, calm amongst the storm. They responded.”