No. 5 Bulldogs ‘Spurriered’ by No. 6 South Carolina, 35-7 (UPDATED)
Georgia coach Mark Richt (R) congratulates South Carolina's Steve Spurrier on the Gamecocks' third win in a row over the Bulldogs. They're now 4-4 against each other. (AJC photo by Bob Andres)
COLUMBIA, S.C. — It’s starting to look like Steve Spurrier is going to be just as frustrating for Georgia at South Carolina as he was at Florida.
The Ol’ Ball Coach had his No. 6 Gamecocks clicking on all cylinders Saturday night against the No. 5 Bulldogs at Williams-Brice Stadium. In the most-hyped game in the history of this series, South Carolina jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back en route to a 35-7 victory.
The win was the Gamecocks’ third in a row over Georgia — the first time in the 118-year history of the rivalry they’ve done that — and makes Spurrier 15-5 as a coach against the Bulldogs. He was 11-1 as the Gators’ coach and 4-4 since he’s been at South Carolina. Including his stints in the NFL and USFL, it was Spurrier’s 250th career victory.
“Having it against the Georgia Bulldogs was special,” said Spurrier, who was 1-2 against Georgia as a Florida quarterback. “They are a team that used to beat my alma mater pretty well. I have been very fortunate against a coach as them, not so much as a player, but as coach, so that was special.”
The loss was kind of a double-whammy for the Bulldogs (5-1, 3-1) because Florida also scored a big 14-6 win over LSU Saturday in Gainesville. Georgia will need to the Gamecocks to drop two games and then have to beat what could be a Top 5 Florida team to return to the Georgia Dome as Eastern Division champions.
South Carolina (6-0, 3-0) plays on the road at LSU and Florida the next two weeks.
Georgia falls to 3-5 in top 10 matchups under coach Mark Richt and 3-10 when the ESPN College GameDay crew happens to be in attendance. The last time the Bulldogs won one of these marquee games was against Hawaii in Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, 2008.
The Bulldogs will try to regroup during next week’s off week. They’ll resume play at Kentucky (1-5, 0-3) on Oct. 20.
“Tonight we weren’t very good,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said. “But the world didn’t end. We’ve still got a lot of things to play for and a lot of good things can still happen.”
The Bulldogs had boldly stated that their goal this year was to reach Miami and to play for the BCS championship. How, then, Richt was asked, can they be expected to rebound from such humiliating loss?
“They’ll be fine,” Richt said. “They’re supposed to dream big; I want them to dream big. They’re good men and they’re going to fight. They’ll come back together and win again.”
The Gamecocks’ offensive charge was led by Georgia native Connor Shaw. The junior quarterback from Flowery Branch who’s best known for his running ability,gashed the Bulldogs’ defense with arm as well. He finished with 162 yards on just six completions – an average of 27 yards per – and threw for two touchdowns. Shaw also had 78 yards rushing and scored an in-your-face touchdown on a 7-yard run with 6:17 remaining in the game.
“He was pretty much reading me,” said Georgia’s All-American outside linebacker Jarvis Jones. “If I got up field he was going to take off running. . . . He’s a good player. He made plays with his feet and he was fast, faster than I thought he was.”
South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore had yet another 100-yard game against Georgia. The junior from Duncan, S.C., had 109 on 24 carries and a touchdown, giving him 467 yards and 4 TDs in three games against the Bulldogs.
The Gamecocks finished with 392 yards against Georgia’s once-vaunted defense. After finishing fifth in the nation last season in total defense, the Bulldogs entered Saturday’s game 55th. They will drop again this week
“I don’t think that team is 35 points better than us, or whatever it was,” UGA senior cornerback Sanders Commings said. “We just made too many mistakes tonight; gave up some big plays, had some penalties, turnovers. You can’t win games like that.”
The most impressive part of South Carolina’s victory had nothing to do with Spurrier’s famous “ball plays.” It was defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward’s unit had Carolina on the verge of shutting out the Bulldogs for the first time since they lost to Alabama 31-0 in 1995. Georgia came in leading the SEC in scoring (48.2 ppg) and yards (536 ypg). The Bulldogs hadn’t scored fewer than 41 points in a game all season.
It was a tough night for quarterback Aaron Murray, who came in with the knock of having never beaten a ranked team on the road. Harassed all night by the Gamecocks’ rangy defensive ends Jadeveon Clowney and Devin Taylor, he completed just 11-of-31 passes for 109 yards and threw an interception. The Bulldogs, who finished with just 220 total yards, scored a meaningless touchdown in the game’s final three minutes with South Carolina’s victory well in hand.
“Very talented defense all over the board,” Murray said of South Carolina’s defense. “They’re up there with the best I’ve ever played. They’re definitely one of the top ones.”
This one was over quick South Carolina shot out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter on two long drives and a punt return for a touchdown.
The game could not have started any worse for Georgia. The Bulldogs won the coin toss and deferred to the second half, giving the Gamecocks the ball to start the game.
South Carolina wasted no time doing something with it. Gaining 62 yards on two pass plays, the Gamecocks covered 76 yards in 2:32 and scored on a 20-yard pass from Shaw to Bruce Ellington. On both passes South Carolina receivers for behind safety Bacarri Rambo.
The Bulldogs got a 48-yard kickoff return from Malcolm Mitchell and seemed poised to answer after a 15-yard run by Todd Gurley got the Bulldogs down to the South Carolina 34. But after a failed reverse, Murray’s pass was batted up in the air at the line of scrimmage by defensive tackle Kelcy Quarles and intercepted by a diving DeVonte Holloman.
South Carolina made the Bulldogs pay. Utilizing Lattimore in both the running and passing games, the Gamecocks again drove the field. Shaw threw his second touchdown of the night, a 19-yard strike to wide open tight end Rory Anderson. And just like that, the South Carolina led 14-0 with 6:29 still left in the first quarter.
Georgia had to punt after its ensuing possession, and that’s when the Gamecocks turned it into a nightmare night. After bobbling the catch, Ace Sanders recovered and returned the punt 70 yards for a touchdown. It was Sanders’ second punt-return TD this season and it put South Carolina ahead 21-0.
“It stinks,” Murray said of the lopsided defeat. “It definitely hurts a lot. We put a lot into this game. It definitely means a lot. But there’s still a lot of games to play. They’ve got a lot of tough games left and so do we. Right now they’re in the driver’s seat and we have to win every single game to make it to Atlanta. We’ve got to grind and work and we did that last year. But it’s not a good feeling.”
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920 comments Add your comment
WalterEgo
October 7th, 2012
12:12 pm
Coaching, coaching, and more coaching. We got out-coached in every phase of the game. Lame coaching.
WalterEgo
October 7th, 2012
12:15 pm
Where was the screen pass to keep the DL honest?
USMC
October 7th, 2012
12:18 pm
“While in high school at Lassiter High School Mason starred at quarterback. He threw for a Georgia state record of 4560 passing yards with 54 passing touchdowns to go along with that his senior year.[3]“–Wikipedia
I think the fool who is going by the moniker of Pres Obama is just as much of a loser as President Obama himself.
Hutson Mason needs to play!
jack
October 7th, 2012
12:19 pm
Why does the UGA admin accept such mediocrity and hold us up for the wonderful opportunity to pay money to buy season tickets and we get results like these ?????
What is the description of insanity ? Doing the same stupid thing over and over and over and over and knowing the result will be the same.
Mark Richt’s record against teams that finish the season ranked in the top 25
Since 2008: 2-14*
Last 2 years: 0-9
Vs SEC since 2008: 0-9
Vs Top 25 since 2008: 0-9
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
October 7th, 2012
12:24 pm
DREAM TEAM III
Is coming to Sanford Stadium soon
They will win another 10 win season national title
Hank
October 7th, 2012
12:25 pm
I am sooooooooooooo sick of this crap. We are only good till we play somebody good. What gives?????? Richt must go!!!!
x
October 7th, 2012
12:26 pm
By gawd Im really rootin tootin mad now. Firts yall make fun of CMR who is a gift from the lawd bestowed on all the Gawga trailer parks, then you start making fun of koolaid. Koolaid is the greatest drank since god himself made natural lite in the UGA commemorative cans. Im about to pour out a can of whoop azz.
Hank
October 7th, 2012
12:27 pm
Is Romney black???
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
October 7th, 2012
12:27 pm
Flat Tire imposter
Im sorry you were in your closet last night after reality sunk in
Poor kool-aid drinker cant post your real name on here cause you dont want to hear I told you so
keep dreaming and drinking the kool-aid loser
Rich Yarbrough
October 7th, 2012
12:28 pm
Painful to read, but not just for the content. Did anyone edit this thing???
President Obama
October 7th, 2012
12:29 pm
Did I say Obama phones with UGA ring tones, I meant Reagan phones…after all, that’s when the plan was implemented! I’m sure Faux News failed to mention that, though…being that it’s factual, and all.
USMC’s just made because he’s gay, and can’t get married! It’s okay USMC, I’m fighting for you!!
GO GAMECOCKS!!!
Flying Tiger
October 7th, 2012
12:31 pm
uga should get tp Atlanta with that weenie schedule they play. Then maybe bama will hang 5 or 60 on their “great” defense. uga can’t beat anyone of worth anymore and hasn’t been able to for 4 or 5 years now. Make sure you keep getting patsy schedules dogs and oh yeah you can always beat that dynasty on north ave hahahahahahahahahaha…that is about all you have to play for anymore. Your talent is there, but your coaching from top to bottom is medicore at best.
clem
October 7th, 2012
12:35 pm
UGA may need to change its mascot to a vacuum cleaner……
ISAIAH WHO?????
October 7th, 2012
12:35 pm
THIS HURTS…THIS REALLY STINKS…ON THE WEEKEND WERE BOTH #3 AND # 4 BOTH LOST…WE COULD NOT FINISH THE DRILL. ALL WE WOULD HAVE HAD TO DO WAS WIN OUT AND PRAY FOR AN OREGON UPSET AND WE WOULD BE IN THE BIG GAME…..THIS WAS THE CLOSEST WE COULD HAVE GOTTEN AND LOOK AT US NOT…I AM EMBRASSED AND ASHAME TO BE A DAWG FAN TODAY. I
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
October 7th, 2012
12:36 pm
Think about something
When our program is constantly in the news for player arrests and discipline issues along with being in the running for the Fulmer Cup every year…..
Does anyone truly think we are going to field a team that shows discipline on the field that constantly lacks discipline off the field
I really dont think so
x
October 7th, 2012
12:38 pm
What ih the hell is wrong with koolaid? We ran out of water down here at the trailer park and we brushed our teeth with it for 3 days then switched to beer for the GAWGA game that saturday. Im good with koolaid it makes my teeth red just like the GAWGA BEWLDAWGS uniform. That uniform makes me quiver when i see all those future Pizza hut manager running out on the field that Gawd himself built the day before he made man.
texasgator
October 7th, 2012
12:44 pm
This has been happening for at least 10 years. Every pre-season dog fans predict a national championship, then end up facing reality. Don’t worry, everyone here will predict a championship next year.
Peachtype
October 7th, 2012
12:44 pm
Time to kick CMR to the curb!! and his little toadies too!! It is time for the alumni to support getting a much needed replacement for the Bulldogs. I have not seen them play well in several years and I am tired of it. I am a big Dawgs fan but this was totally embarrssing to say the least! I hope someone will get the picture, and get us some new coaches! Not to mention getting some players who really have their heart in the game!!!
x
October 7th, 2012
12:46 pm
Im a good Gawga fan…drink my beer from a can…make love to a man…Im a good Gawga fan….dry my butt with a fan…..Dont you love this sawng…come and play butt pong……love CMR and butt pong at the bar……
x
October 7th, 2012
12:48 pm
CMR makes my dang sticker peck out.
impartialbystander
October 7th, 2012
12:48 pm
Pretty comical reading all these quotes. If i had no idea what UGA’a record was this year I would think that they had not won a game.
Gay dawg
October 7th, 2012
12:50 pm
Murray all but wore a ball gag for clowney last
Night
x
October 7th, 2012
12:52 pm
Oh lawd, my (aunt cousin wife daughter) just told me we lost the dang game saturday. i have been passed out since we won the vandy game. What are we gawna do? The world is ending, I cant go to Walmart in this condition and i need depends for my new girlfriend i met at the Gawga game.
Stripe
October 7th, 2012
12:53 pm
“You just upset that a black man is gonna be your Prez again.”
Hey “x” the lib – I’ll say to you and your ilk what you said during the Bush years: he’s not my president, I didn’t vote for him. So there! And for the record, I don’t think you Demwits really understand what’s going to happen in just over four weeks. Ryan is going to lay the smackdown on that gaffer Biden in the VP debate next week so hard we’ll be hearing the political crushing snap crackle & pop through our TVs.
Now back to the subject, let’s hope the Falcons don’t choke today on the Redskins like UGA did on SC. It hasn’t been a good week for Georgia/Atlanta sports this week. The Braves was bad enough to witness, all the way to the fans trashing the field.
reality
October 7th, 2012
12:54 pm
The only people who can produce the type of changes we need is the uga fan base. The money needs to cut off and some chunks of seats need to go empty to send the message. Otherwise, CMR will go out on his own terms years from now and then most likely try to turn the controls over to Bobo. Mark it down. This BS will most likely go on for many more years to come. I think the UGA fan base is overall too nice to to collectively boycott the program to make the needed changes. Unfortunately the heartbreak and pain will continue for many years to come.
x
October 7th, 2012
12:55 pm
i just cried so dern hard i farted and it caught up with the pilot light and burnt my dang kitchen down. i was making gawga Bweldawg cookies for the buttpong tournament at CMR’s house tonight. What am i gawna do now. He dont like store bought cookies, says they make him poo funny.
x
October 7th, 2012
12:59 pm
i got a Idea, my old frat buddy from gawga is the manager at dunkin doughnuts so he can give some of them high dollar cookies they sell. CMR will never know the diffrence.
x
October 7th, 2012
1:00 pm
Hey stripe, i have a pair of underwear we named stripe. youins related in any way?
Music City Dawg
October 7th, 2012
1:06 pm
Although just about everything has already been said, it was so disappointing to see the lack of game time coaching by our coaches on the sideline. Everytime the TV camera showed our coaches they appeared serious-faced or overwhelmed but not communicating with or coaching the players. And there was absolutely no passion from the coaches. I don’t put this on on our players (except for the out-of-bounds hit by Rambo which was stupid playing) but squarely on Mark Richt’s shoulders. It was so evident that UGA was unprepared for this game. It is one thing to lose a game when you’ve played hard and smart but in this game it was apparent that UGA just didn’t have a clue as to what SC was doing. And that’s our coaches’ fault, especially Mark Richt’s.
I don’t know what has happened in Mark’s thinking or mindset as a head coach to why UGA is so unprepared to play the really big games where UGA can take a step up to the next level. But for UGA to go 2-14 against ranked teams since 2008 shows our coaches are just cruising and not developing their own talents and skills as coaches to be able to take our players to the next level. If UGA as a sports school wants to become really elite again, it will need to make some coaching changes to get coaches who have the skills and passion to get us there. Right now we are a mid-level SEC team at best.
USMC
October 7th, 2012
1:09 pm
“You just upset that a black man is gonna be your Prez again.”–Pres Obama
I AM black…. Dufus.
cmac22
October 7th, 2012
1:25 pm
OVERRATED!!!! … even at #14!! Can’t be ranked teams!! Not much grown man football in these puppies … and it starts at the top!!
cmac22
October 7th, 2012
1:26 pm
Obozo is America’s first half white prez!
Hairy Dawg
October 7th, 2012
1:27 pm
We has one game where the players play like they need to be shoveled to dung pile. And then bad fans start the blaming Coach Richt. We still take East cause SCar got all the breaks in this one and they pay for it now. We just need to unload the whooping can on Gaytors cause SCar lose in Baton Rogue this week. Long term the fix is to replace Adams with the Pres that supports team instead of pointy head rules.
cmac22
October 7th, 2012
1:29 pm
Love how richt is almost smiling in the picture with Spurrier!! When I left the stadium at 28 – 0 for my 3 hour drive home, I wasn’t smiling. I doubt many UGAly fans were either!! Then again, most of us won’t be guaranteed to make MILLIONS of dollars no matter our job performance!! I guess I would be smiling too.
RNB
October 7th, 2012
1:30 pm
Here s McGarity’s email. Use it. We need a coaching change now.
ad@sports.uga.edu
RNB
October 7th, 2012
1:31 pm
cmac22 – Good point. I doubt most Georgia fans were smiling after that performance.
cmac22
October 7th, 2012
1:32 pm
Hey Hairy Dawg, Florida will be ranked … UGAly got no shot beating them!! UGAly will still go 10 – 2 because we beat all the crappy teams (well except Colorado & UCF …. oh, and sometimes Vandy, Kentucky & Miss St!!). This team will never be great with the current leadership on the sidelines & the QB on the field!
cmac22
October 7th, 2012
1:34 pm
Last time UGAly faced a game of this magnitude was Alabama in 2008 & it was the same results!!
flatsdawg1
October 7th, 2012
1:34 pm
Wow! Well, USMC, If the line blocks like they did last night it wouldn’t matter if Johnny Unitas was back there. Utter domination by both SC lines , and the Dawgs basically gave up. Very sad to watch.Sad to see so many future NFL players get beat like that all night long. I think # 14 is where they should have been to begin with, I love my Dawgs but I think they were believing their own hype,now they are back down to earth.This team shouldn’t concern itself with an SEC championship game right now. It should concern itself with learning how to play fundamental football.
cmac22
October 7th, 2012
1:36 pm
According to recruiting services, UGAly has top talent every year. They have unbelievable facilities. Their administration spends tons of $$ for football. Their coaches make ridiculous amounts of money. The UGAly fans are forever kidding themselves into believing that this is a top program.
So what is the problem? …. COACHING!!
DawgNole
October 7th, 2012
1:37 pm
Jefferson Davis Hogg
October 6th, 2012
11:44 pm
I truly believe this will open the eyes of Mcgarrity to possibly make a change.
____________________
Good Lord! What are you drinking?! McGarity will do NOTHING. He is only the latest cowardly architect of these shamefully weak OOC schedules that get us in these predicaments against real teams year after year.
steven a smith
October 7th, 2012
1:40 pm
The time has come to bench Aaron “Scrub” Murray. He is a very average “College QB” who more than likely will never play on Sundays. The comparisons to Drew Brees are atrociously horrible! He looked like a deer in headlights last night!
CHOKE! THE OFFICAL DRINK OF THE GEORGIA BULLDAWGS!
October 7th, 2012
1:43 pm
HAIRY DAWG NEEDS SOME CHEESE WITH YOUR WHINE? LSU WILL LOSE TO SOUTH CAROLINA , .UGA TOO SCARED TO PLAY LSU? THE GATORS WILL PUT A BEAT DOWN ON YOUR OVER RATED DAWGS LIKE ALWAYS. KEEP CRYING LOSER.
steven a smith
October 7th, 2012
1:44 pm
Aaron Murray “Cemented” his UGA legacy last night. 11-31 109yards 0 TDs. Big Time Players make Big Time Plays, PERIOD. I am sick and tired of the hype surrounding this “Scrub”!
cmac22
October 7th, 2012
1:50 pm
The worst thing about last year, when richt was on the hotseat, was going 10-2. Didn’t beat anybody of value in the regular season, backed into the SEC Championship & finished 10-4. The current leadership has proven that they can’t win big games over the last 5 years. Why does everyone think this will change??
Against UT last week, UGAly had 51 points on the board with 3 minutes left in the game & there was a chance we were still gonna lose the game … AT HOME!!!
It is insanity to think that this is nothing but a middle of the road team. Can bet the crappy teams (most of the time) but can’t hang with the ranked ones … just a fact!!
DawgNole
October 7th, 2012
1:51 pm
P B
October 6th, 2012
11:45 pm
Hurtful loss but the season is not over . . . .
Let the season play out before we give up as fans
_____________________
You mean “Let ANOTHER season play out before we give up AGAIN as fans.” Right? Because that’s what we’re talking about here–yet ANOTHER season of disappointment. And giving up AGAIN on any hope for a national championship.
dddf's
October 7th, 2012
1:51 pm
Hire Mike Vick as your next coach. He knows what to do with dogs that won’t fight.
cmac22
October 7th, 2012
1:51 pm
Murray is the MOST overrated player on the MOST overrated team!!
steven a smith
October 7th, 2012
1:53 pm
Aaron Murray was Michael Spinks facing Iron Mike Tyson last night. Dude was more scared than a little “child.” The football was a hot potato in his hands!!!
Hairy Dawg Eats Idiots Sandwiches
October 7th, 2012
1:54 pm
Every day. He has been doing it for years now. He always has excuse(he cries like a bit*h) when his leghumpers get beat. Hairy Dawg go craw back under your rock.