JT Daniels, No. 2 Georgia Dominate South Carolina 40-13 for SEC Win
No. 2 Georgia continued its strong start to the 2021 season Saturday night, blowing out South Carolina 40-13. It was yet another dominant performance from the Bulldogs defense, which has made a very strong case for being the stingiest in the nation.
Through three games, the Georgia defense has given up just one touchdown, and it came in garbage time Saturday night. No surprises there—a season-opening 10-3 win over Clemson showed off what this defense was all about.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
For all of the SEC offenses who have the Bulldogs (3-0) on their upcoming schedules, well, good luck.
The question was whether the offense could match that level.
With the exception of three turnovers, it was a complete performance for Georgia against South Carolina (2-1), with JT Daniels expertly running the offense after returning from an oblique injury that kept him out of last week's 56-7 blowout of UAB.
All in all, Georgia looks the part of a national championship contender thus far. While a number of top teams around the country struggled against inferior competition Saturday, the Bulldogs rolled.
Key Stats
JT Daniels, UGA: 23-of-31 for 303 yards, three touchdowns and an interception
Adonai Mitchell, UGA: Four receptions for 77 yards and a score
Jermaine Burton, UGA: Three catches for 70 yards and a touchdown
Luke Doty, USC: 13-of-26 for 153 yards, a touchdown and a pick
Josh Vann, USC: Three catches for 128 yards and a score
Kevin Harris, USC: 16 rushes for 31 yards
Georgia Can Safely Scrap Any Two-QB Experiments
Daniels was humming along nicely in the first quarter, completing 8-of-9 passes for 119 yards and a score, when Kirby Smart decided to give Stetson Bennett—who threw for five touchdowns last week in relief duty—a snap at quarterback center.
That proved disastrous, as Bennett threw an interception.
Obviously, Daniels is the starter so long as he's healthy. He has earned as much. But Bennett's early appearance Saturday night called into question whether Georgia might occasionally experiment with playing both quarterbacks.
If so, it's probably time to put that idea to rest. The two-quarterback platoon very rarely works, and it's hardly necessary with a player as good as Daniels leading the way. Georgia has the best defense in the country and plenty of talent on offense—no need to get cute.
Georgia's Defense Just Keeps Living Up To The Hype
The Bulldogs held South Carolina to just 296 total yards, and 96 yards on the ground (34 attempts). They forced two turnovers. They constantly hassled Doty when he dropped back to pass. They registered a safety.
This group is ferocious. Nothing comes easy against Georgia.
What's Next?
Georgia travels to face Vanderbilt on Sept. 25 at noon ET on the SEC Network, while South Carolina hosts Kentucky that same day at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
