NO. 3 GEORGIA (5-0, 2-0 SEC) vs. SOUTH CAROLINA (2-3, 1-2)
Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019
Noon at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia
VIDEO & RADIO
ESPN & 102.3 FM
THE MATCHUP
The Bulldogs' average of 7.75 yards per offensive play ranks second in the Southeastern Conference to Alabama, while South Carolina's clip of 4.87 ranks last in the 14-member league. The Gamecocks have to get something on the ground against Georgia, which leads the league in run defense, allowing a stingy 59.6 yards per game. Tavien Feaster rushed for 107 yards and Rico Dowdle 102 the last time the Gamecocks played in a 24-7 win over Kentucky on Sept. 28, but nobody is confusing Kentucky for Georgia.
ONE TO WATCH
Georgia junior quarterback Jake Fromm is off to a stellar start this season, having completed 86 of 111 passes (77.5%) for 1,076 yards with eight touchdowns and no interceptions. In last week's 43-14 win at Tennessee, Fromm was 24-of-29 for 288 yards and two scores, and he dropped back 30 times without ever getting hit. "He's an extension of what they want done on the field as coaches," South Carolina coach Will Muschamp said. "He's going to get them in the right look in the run game, and he's going to get them in the right protections. He's going to take the ball to the right place, and he's going to be very accurate with the football when he throws it. He does a fantastic job of running that football team. You hate to use the word manage, because people view that as conservative, but he does a phenomenal job of managing that offense." Fromm was 15-of-18 in last year's 41-17 win at South Carolina.
IN THE END
Muschamp has one of the toughest Power Five conference coaching jobs. His biggest rival, Clemson, has won two of the past three national championships. His top league rival, Georgia, has rolled to 15 consecutive SEC East victories. How do you recruit against that? "Recruiting is hard all the time, regardless of where you are and the situation you're in," Muschamp said. "Obviously both of those are on really good runs in their history, but at the end of the day, recruiting is very difficult regardless of the situation or circumstances." Georgia and South Carolina played several great games earlier this decade, but the way more talented Bulldogs have won four in a row by double digits in the series and will get a fifth straight today.
PREDICTION
Georgia 30, South Carolina 13
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524. Follow him on Twitter @DavidSPaschall.