ATHENS, Ga. -- Herschel Walker rushed for more than 100 yards in his second career game with the Georgia Bulldogs.

So did Isaiah Crowell.

The touted Crowell gave Bulldogs fans plenty of optimism for the future by rushing 16 times for 118 yards and a touchdown in Saturday night's 45-42 loss to South Carolina. The 5-foot-11, 215-pounder from Columbus, Ga., also caught two passes for 40 yards and a score.

"Isaiah did a nice job," Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said. "He made plays when the opportunity came his way. He's a very good player who gives us a chance for a big play every time he touches the ball, and he made several of those tonight."

Head coach Mark Richt said Crowell hurt his ribs early in the game, which temporarily affected his number of plays. His TD reception came from 17 yards out in the third quarter and gave the Bulldogs a 20-14 lead, and his rushing score was from 15 yards out and gave Georgia its last lead with 6:28 remaining.

With so many plays to choose from, did he have a favorite?

"I think all of them were all right," Crowell said, smiling.

Boykin's big night

Senior cornerback Brandon Boykin played in all three phases for a second straight week, rushing twice for 14 yards and tallying two tackles and an interception. His seven kickoff returns resulted in 184 yards, which was the third-highest in school history and was highlighted by a long of 58.

So effective was Boykin on kickoff returns that South Carolina coaches actually high-fived their players after stopping him at the 30 in the fourth quarter.

"I tell my teammates every game that I'm going to give them all I've got," Boykin said. "I just tell them to hold their block, which they did a great job of. I was able to get through and continue to run."

Rambo's return

Junior safety Bacarri Rambo was suspended for last week's opener but made a splash Saturday with a first-quarter interception. He almost made another huge play before halftime when he recovered an onside kick, but the play was nullified because he was offside.

"I tried to time it up correctly," Rambo said. "I didn't know. I was just trying to make a play they designed for me and Nick Marshall. They threw a flag, and it hurt."

Frix wins honor

Georgia deep snapper Ty Frix, a junior from Calhoun, was among three athletes recognized by the university Saturday with the 2011-12 Joel Eaves Scholar-Athlete Award. The 6-foot, 213-pounder has a 3.71 GPA in biological engineering and was honored along with distance runner J.P. Hackney and swimmer Wendy Trott.

Frix, the son of former Georgia snapper Mitch Frix, is in his third season as the starting snapper.

Odds and ends

This was the highest scoring game in series history, as the 87 combined points topped the 86 in 1970 when Georgia won 52-34 in Athens. ... An extra point by Bulldogs senior kicker Blair Walsh with 2:15 remaining was his 315th career point, moving him past former tailback Walker and into third place all-time on the school charts behind Billy Bennett (409) and Kevin Butler (353). .. Georgia had three first-time starters: redshirt sophomore Dallas Lee at guard, redshirt sophomore Chase Vasser at outside linebacker and true freshman Amarlo Herrera at inside linebacker.