Georgia offensive tackle Kenarious Gates.ATHENS, Ga. – Georgia has multiple ways of dealing with South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney this Saturday inside Sanford Stadium, but the premise is simple.
“Don’t turn a bad play into a catastrophe,” Bulldogs offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said. “If the guy is sacking you, hold on to the ball.”
The 6-foot-6, 274-pound Clowney has been a menace for Georgia since signing with the Gamecocks in 2011 as the nation’s top-rated prep prospect. He sacked and stripped Bulldogs quarterback Aaron Murray with 3:12 remaining in the 2011 game, causing a fumble that Melvin Ingram recovered and raced in for a 5-yard touchdown that put the Gamecocks up 45-35 in their eventual 45-42 road win.
Clowney tallied two sacks in that game and added a sack and another tackle for loss in last year’s matchup at Williams-Brice Stadium, when the Gamecocks rolled 35-7 and held Georgia to 224 yards.
“He’s a great athlete overall, and the thing about going up against him is that you can’t try to be perfect,” Georgia left tackle Kenarious Gates said. “You have to play hard and give great effort, because when you try to be perfect, you try to do too much. That’s when the mistakes start happening.”