South Carolina receiver Pharoh Cooper, left, runs as Georgia linebacker Leonard Floyd chases in one of many big Gamecocks’ plays Saturday.The Georgia Bulldogs were better defensively in the second half for a second consecutive game this season, but the difference this time was negligible.
South Carolina shredded the Bulldogs for 298 first-half yards in Saturday night’s 38-35 upset at Williams-Brice Stadium. The Gamecocks had 147 yards in the second half, when Georgia collected a big sack and a key interception but could not make a fourth-and-inches stop near midfield with 1:22 remaining.
The difference in the opener was drastic, with the Bulldogs yielding 276 first-half yards to Clemson but only 15 in the second half in a 45-21 Georgia runaway.
Saturday marked the first battle of wits between South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier and Georgia defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt, with Spurrier continually keeping the Bulldogs guessing.
“They threw a lot of formations at us,” Georgia inside linebacker Ramik Wilson said after tallying 13 tackles and two tackles for loss. “We’ve got to get aligned, and we’ve got to execute our plays. That was a great team, but we gave them that game.”