Murray Composed, But Lattimore, South Carolina Prove SEC Worth

Georgia fans have reasons to be optimistic.

I really don't know of a better way to begin this article. It's sounds foolish, doesn't it? Georgia just lost their SEC opener, 17-6, to Steve Spurrier and the South Carolina Gamecocks. The offense failed to score a touchdown and the defense was manhandled by a freshman tailback, Marcus Lattimore, for the entire game.

But before we start getting all wound up, let's stop and think. Nobody really should be surprised with the result of today's game. Yes, I picked Georgia to win the ball game, and, in hindsight, by a ridiculously inaccurate prediction of 31-21.

But if we can recall, nobody--and by nobody, I mean most Georgia fans-- really predicted Georgia to make it through their first three games unscathed. As a matter of fact, many season previews had Georgia losing to South Carolina.

Going into today, after seeing the extra wild Williams-Brice Stadium crowd and the size of South Carolina's athletes, I immediately disregarded my preseason prediction.

A one point win against the "Ole Ball Coach" would have put me in a good enough mood to drop half of my last paycheck on a Saturday night party.

I wasn't really that surprised with the way South Carolina controlled the ball and pushed it down Georgia's throat all game. I was, however, pretty pleased with the composure and savvy of the Bulldog's quarterback, Aaron Murray. I don't think anyone expected Murray to appear anywhere as near comfortable as he actually showed to be.

Despite the crowd noise, Murray was able in command behind the line and completed 14 of 21 pass attempts for 190 yards.

Had Georgia not hurt itself with special team penalties, and a fumble by Washaun Ealey deep in the red zone, Murray wouldn't have been under so much pressure during the second half of the game. Still, he looked like he had played in an SEC environment a few times before.

Just for reminder, the redshirt freshman hasn't.

So maybe I'm being ridiculous here, talking about how impressed I was with the 19-year- old quarterback, and disregarding the final score of the game. So I'll give credit where credit is due.

One thing we learned today is that South Carolina, especially on the offensive side of the ball, is the real deal. Steve Spurrier may have finally hit his breakthrough with recruiting at USC.

Not only will the win make recruiting even more competitive in the SEC East, but I think the talent level and size of the Gamecocks might have caught some Georgia fans off guard. If you didn't notice just how beastly the personnel is, then you might even be more upset with the Dawgs defensive performance than you need to be.

All week long people were talking about how South Carolina was built around Spurrier's wide open passing attack. Emphasis was put on the giant receiving corpse. Every South Carolina receiver stands at least 6'3". Alshon Jeffery was just as much of a mismatch against our corners as I anticipated.

But was anyone really ready for Marcus Lattimore? The true freshman running back in a gunslinger's offense? Marcus Lattimore was ready for Marcus Lattimore, that was for sure.

All the former No. 2 running back prospect in the country did was rush for 182 yards. But the real knocker was that he did it on 37 carries.

37. In a Spurrier offense? Get out of town.

Does our tackling need to improve? Absolutely. It needs to really improve if we want to win down the road in the SEC. But, I don't think there is a more impressive young running back in the entire country than Marcus Lattimore.

He's huge. His feet never stop churning. His yards after contact were absolutely amazing. And, for anyone, 37 carries is quite a load.

But when you can do that with a freshman, you know you have someone special. With an experienced quarterback in Stephen Garcia, who only threw for 160 yards in the game, South Carolina has the second biggest and most intimidating offense in the SEC behind Alabama.

They might even be the best team in the East.

I don't see another game on Georgia's schedule where the offensive personnel they face is anywhere near as physically imposing, other than the late road test at Auburn.

Where my preseason prediction had Georgia losing, 27-14, I still stand by my prediction that Georgia can win 10 games in the regular season and qualify for the SEC Championship game. Their schedule from here on out looks pretty winnable.

I didn't think Aaron Murray was going to look anywhere near as good as he actually has. Also, without A.J. Green, I thought the receivers did a good job today. Marlon Brown and Kris Durham definitely give Murray some nice size to throw to and Murray was protected well when Georgia wasn't having to press.

And Washaun Ealey looked okay. That was the key. Not only did Georgia struggle to find consistency on the ground, but Ealey's fumble cost Georgia in what was otherwise not a bad performance. Even with Lattimore dominating the ground attack, Georgia was able to shut down SC's passing game and get some serious pressure on Stephen Garcia.

Justin Houston and Christian Robinson had outstanding games. Overall, the penalties weren't an issue for Georgia. They didn't have any "stupid" penalties like they would have had under Martinez's regime.

And we can be sure the defense, despite a tough game, is going to get it from Todd Grantham this week in practice.

Nothing surprised me in this game. Tough environment. Tough team in South Carolina. A young an inexperienced quarterback from Georgia. With a semi-conservative game plan Georgia was going to hope for some great running and an impenetrable defense to get a win.

But the one thing that did surprise me was Aaron Murray. I didn't expect him to play with so much confidence. He rode Stephen Garcia's heels the entire game. Statistically, he surpassed Garcia. And, Murray has yet to throw an interception.

So what do we take away from this game? Sure, it sucks to lose. The game plan was a little too conservative in the first half. The first drive from South Carolina, and the fumble from Washaun Ealey, was really the entire game.

But just as it is every year, the game was close. It was a blood bath. It came down to a few mistakes and impact plays. And, it didn't matter that it was a traditional SEC power versus a second tier program.

Mainly because that is no longer the situation. South Carolina is a team to be reckoned with in the SEC.

But the Dawgs played a respectable game, especially considering the youth at quarterback. My point to make is that, on the flip side of South Carolina proving it's worth, Aaron Murray is progressing ahead of schedule at UGA.

Soon we won't need those conservative game plans. Georgia has plenty of talent as well. They had some bright spots offensively and defensively. And they didn't lose to a pushover this weekend.

Yes. We expect more from Georgia. I expect more. And an SEC loss is still an SEC loss. But before fans start griping and complaining, and Atlanta sports writers (who consciously root for the Ramblin' Wreck) call for the firing of Mark Richt, know this:

I, at least, expect great things from Georgia in the future. Every Dawg has to grow up from being a puppy before he butts heads with the competitor.

But if Aaron Murray is this composed as a puppy, just think what Georgia has for the next few years. They havn't had that freshman quarterback who got twelve games of experience, like Murray will. Remember David Greene's freshman year? Georgia lost to South Carolina.

Greene and that group of Dawgs went on to do big things.

Yes, we lost today.

But we have reason to be optimistic.

And with that said, today we learned two things.

1) Aaron Murray is the real deal at quarterback.

2) The road to Atlanta is now, officially, a three horse race. South Carolina has one heck of a team. And it could be this way for quite some time. Get used to it Georgia fans. It's going to be real tough to win the SEC east.

No wonder they call it the toughest conference in college football.

P.S.

If you didn't believe my article on this being one of the most heated rivalries in the SEC East, wait till the week before this game next September.