Bulldogs vs. Gamecocks: Why UGA Will, Won't Upset South Carolina Saturday

The Georgia Bulldogs face a prodigious emotional challenge in putting a bitter-tasting, big-game loss to Boise State behind them and preparing themselves to face SEC East rivals South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday in Athens.

A number of factors portend the 'Dawgs being able to re-group and "rise up" to wring the necks of those yard buzzards from the capital of the Palmetto State. Though the 'Cocks from Columbia are the favorites to repeat as SEC East champs in 2011, they certainly looked fallible last weekend against East Carolina. Their offseason was full of distractions, with both QB Stephen Garcia and his position coach, G.A. Mangus, grappling with alcohol-related issues and suspensions over the spring and summer.

If anyone is familiar with how these types of distractions can throw a monkey wrench into a team's success and chemistry, UGA's Mark Richt is.

The Bulldogs, however, have issues of their own with which to contend. This Saturday's contest is likely of critical, early season mass in determining Georgia's chances of competing for the SEC East crown, in shaping the fortunes and fate of the team's overall season success, and perhaps in resolving the questions surrounding Richt's future as head coach.

The following are reasons why the 'Dawgs will rise to the occasion: 

"Will" No. 1: Dorothy Says, "There's No Place Like Home...Between the Hedges"

Though Mark Richt's teams have a reputation for being among the best road warriors in college football over the past decade, every team prefers to play in the friendly and familiar confines of home. Teams, like individuals, are creatures of habit. Travelling to play in strange stadiums in front of thousands of hostile fans is discombobulating to the rituals and habits of team culture on a number of different levels.

While the Georgia Dome was close to home (the Bulldogs will play eight of their games in the Peach State this season), it still provided little of a home-field advantage for the 'Dawgs. None of the players on this year's squad have played a game there, unless they did so as home-grown prep participants in kickoff or postseason games. Despite having an obvious and decided advantage in crowd support against its cross-country opponent from Idaho, Georgia derived no significant advantage once both teams became acclimated and the Broncos seized the momentum.

The numbers seem to be in Georgia's favor. Georgia leads the series 46-15-2. Under Richt, it is 7-3 versus the Gamecocks. Richt has even topped Steve Spurrier at South Carolina by a 4-2 margin. Mix in the advantages of maintaining team and pregame routines; the din of almost 93,000 screaming, red-clad (let's hope, anyway) 'Dawg faithfuls; a dash of wounded pride and a smidgen of "between the hedge" hocus pocus, and the Bulldogs should edge the Gamecocks on Sanford Drive this Saturday.  

"Will" No. 2: If Close, the 'Dawgs Eke out the Win by a Couple of Feet

UGA's kicking specialists, place kicker Blair Walsh and 2009 Ray Guy Award-winning punter, Drew Butler, are arguably the most potent tandem in college football.

If the offense can move the ball with some consistency, then this facet of the game becomes advantage Georgia. Butler, as he did Saturday night averaging 48 yards per kick, will put the ball deep into Carolina's territory with consistency. If the punt coverage unit and the defense do their part, the 'Dawgs might be able to play field-position advantage all afternoon long, just as the Broncos did versus them on Saturday.

In addition, deeper penetrations beyond the Gamecock's 40-yard line put Walsh into play, giving him the opportunity to impact the game's outcome. With a tremendous record of overall field goal percentage accuracy (87 percent in 2010 and 90 percent in 2009) and long-distance capability, Walsh is almost a lock to put Georgia on the scoreboard under these conditions and could become the difference maker in a tight ballgame.

If Georgia can gain the field position edge, move the ball on offense and keep the game close on defense, these two feet will help put them in the win column come dusk on Saturday evening. 

"Will" No. 3: A Sense of Urgency Is a Strong Motivator

In the last two games, Georgia has dropped games to consecutive non-BCS teams (that is to say, teams that belong to conferences that do not receive automatic BCS bowl bids). Ouch. Cecil Hurt of the Tuscaloosa News suggests Mississippi State (2003) was the last Southeastern Conference team to achieve this ignominious feat.

Coming off back-to-back, sub-par seasons by UGA standards (6-7 in 2010 and 8-4 in 2009), Mark Richt is clearly on a precarious perch in terms of job security. Based upon his record as an assistant and a player, however, he appears to be a competitor and a winner. It seems logical that—knowing that his program is in a downward spiral and that his livelihood and football reputation may be on the line—he is coaching for his football life. That he would not come out with guns blazing on Saturday and that he would fail to pull out all the stops to lift his team out of this tailspin is almost unfathomable.

In addition, if he indeed has the hearts and minds of his players in his hip pocket—a requisite to having a great program and being a great coach—and if his players have any semblance of a clue regarding his and their collective plight, they will answer the battle cry at home and will serve Coach Richt and hungry Bulldog fans up with a scrumptious chicken dinner (and a little breathing room) Saturday evening.

"Will" No. 4: Them's Fighting Words There, Buddy

There is no love lost between South Carolina's Steve Spurrier, the former Florida Gator quarterback and coach, and the UGA program and its fans. Tracing back to his playing days at the University of Florida, the animosity has been stoked over the years by Spurrier's boundless arrogance and by disparaging comments that he has made about Georgia's program. Of course, Spurrier's utter dominance of the Bulldogs while at Florida plays no small role in explaining the rancor, as well.

Adding insult to a previous comment (Spurrier: “UGA recruits all those great players—something must happen to them once they get there…”) in which he not-so-subtly called out and questioned the abilities of Georgia's coaching in the past, Spurrier exacerbated the already venomous environment with another barb last September. After freshman tailback Marcus Lattimore had run roughshod over the 'Dawgs, Spurrier commented,  “That little inside zone play, the NFL doesn’t run that play. That’s a new scheme, I guess.”

Most immediately recognized this Spurrier sarcasm was directed at new UGA defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, who was fresh from the NFL. Grantham returned fire by saying, “I kind of took it more as a shot at the NFL. I really wasn’t sure if it was because of his lack of success there or what. So I kind of took it more like that than anything.”

Among men, words are oft forgiven but rarely forgotten. If both of these Spurrier affronts are not framed in prominent places in UGA's coaching offices and team locker room, then the person in charge of Georgia's motivational materials needs to be replaced. Grantham will have his Bulldog defenders primed and ready for Spurrier's offensive attack. Silencing the "Old Ball Coach" should serve as an extra incentive for the Bulldogs.

Besides, arrogance breeds contempt, and contempt gives rise to taking your opponent for granted, to taking him lightly, if not publicly, then privately. And no one is more "cocky" than Spurrier.

"Will" No. 5: "We Have Met the Enemy, and the Enemy Is Not You"

One of the biggest advantages that Georgia has going for it coming into the South Carolina game is that the Gamecocks are not Boise State. That is not to say they are not formidable—they are. They are a talented SEC opponent with a great coach, defending champs of the East and have some imposing and daunting assets on both sides of the ball.

In the Broncos, the Bulldogs faced a mature, experienced, unconventional (for the SEC, at least) and excellent opponent with a great quarterback and an underrated defense in a game that was "hyper-hyped." South Carolina has had to replace some key personnel on its offensive line and at linebacker from last year's divisional champions. The Gamecocks do not have the senior-laden depth chart BSU possessed. While up-and-coming in the last couple of seasons, the 'Cocks are still not as acculturated to winning as were the Broncos. And Garcia, while talented, can be a wild card, equally capable of either winning or blowing a game.

To Georgia's advantage, the Bulldogs opened the season with an emotional game on national television versus top-flight competition. They have their big-stage, big-game jitters out of their systems. The Gamecocks opened in Charlotte against East Carolina, once a giant beater under former coach Skip Holtz but coming off a 6-7 campaign in 2010 in its league. The Pirates led South Carolina until early in the third quarter before finally wilting as Garcia's insertion sparked the 'Cocks offense, but in the process, they managed to put up 260 yards passing, put up 37 points, picked up more first downs and barely trailed South Carolina in total yards.

The Bulldogs were tested last Saturday and probably emerged with a 'C'. But it was a major test. It would appear that, at home, the Bulldogs should have the upper hand against the Gamecocks in their first major examination and road game of the 2011 season.

Unfortunately, there are also some formidable factors that suggest that the Birds just might escape the Bulldogs' bite and that the 'Dawgs won't prevail in this contest. Here goes...

"Won't" No. 1: Can't Have Much Rush When the Push Ain't Enough

Since the departure of Knowhson Moreno for the NFL after the 2007 season, the Bulldog ground attack has been average—at best. Initially, popular theory was that his heirs apparent, Caleb King and Washaun Ealey, just needed time to gain experience before becoming the epitome of what is expected at "Tailback U." As more time has passed, however, it has become clear that, while those backs were not world beaters, much of the problem has been in the offensive live. The highly talented Stacy Searels never developed the dominant offensive line that was expected and has departed for Longhorn country. Will Friend was brought in to improve the productivity of this critical component.

While the jury is still out, the play of the offensive line in the opener generated neither rave reviews or reason for optimism. Most of the rushing yardage came on runs off the edges by receivers, and the passing scores were on big plays when Aaron Murray had the time to connect with open targets.

Without some decent holes and seams to work with, it will likely be very difficult for Georgia's precarious and inexperienced running corps to find much running room and advance the rock. Richard Samuel demonstrates no real knack for changing direction and appears destined for a substitute role. Isaiah Crowell appears much better suited to finding a little wiggle room in the tight running lanes that this line is providing. Overall, the sledding looks, well, like really tough sledding.

Without some consistent movement of the ball on the ground, Murray will again find himself in predictable throwing situations but, this week, against SEC-caliber athletes rushing him and covering his receiving targets. The Georgia passing attack showed little in the way of underneath imagination so far. All of these flaws could signal a long afternoon for the offense. Living by the big play is living hard and usually results in an offense's success on a given afternoon in the SEC being NFL...not for long.

"Won't" No. 2: Too Many Bullets to Dodge and Not Enough Kevlar in the House

Stephen Garcia, Alshon Jeffery and Marcus Lattimore. A feisty, experienced and mobile quarterback; a big, fast, NFL-caliber receiver; and a tailback that, last year, was tantamount to the unstoppable force. Add to that mix a few other talented and experienced offensive pieces, a good performance by the offensive line and the savvy and genius of Steve Spurrier, and you have yourself an equation for disaster for Georgia's defense. While not as unconventional in their attack as Boise, Spurrier's Gamecocks are bigger, faster and challenging in their own right, and Spurrier knows a thing or two about exploiting a defense.

While Todd Grantham's defense looked good in spots, especially the first quarter, last Saturday, in others they looked confused, lost and sieve-like. There were often gaping holes in their zone coverage, and the underneath coverage, in particular, provided a playground for Bronco receivers, who often found themselves uncovered. While they did not give up any plays larger than 22 yards, the Bulldogs inability to cover the short passing game was fatal. It is like the difference between being eaten by piranha instead of by a great white shark. Whether the result of countless little bites or due to one big, bone-crushing chomp, dead is dead. Pick your poison.

Unless the 'Dawgs manage to hem up Lattimore, keep consistent pressure on Garcia and shore up those nasty perforations in their coverage, the outcome will be problematic on Saturday. Bend but don't break is cool and all, but the "don't break" part is the critical element.

"Won't" No. 3: When Your Man Is on the Ropes, You Go for the Knockout...Don't You?

You never kick a man when he's down, right? While this season just began, the fact is that Mark Richt and the Georgia Bulldogs are 14-12 over the past two years. When you subtract out these five victories of dubious quality, Idaho State (6-7 2010), Vanderbilt (4-20 2009-2010), Louisiana-LaFayette (3-9 2010) and Tennessee Tech (6-6 2009), this unimpressive stretch of mediocrity becomes even less stellar.

Steve Spurrier and Ellis Johnson, the Gamecocks' defensive coordinator, are both grizzled veterans of the SEC wars and darn good coaches. They are the kind that grew up in the old National Wrestling Alliance mentality of "giving no quarter and asking none." It is a certainty that they smell blood in the water—Bulldog blood—already. They will have the Gamecocks prepared and moved beyond the season opening malaise that they experienced against ECU.

The Bulldog faithful, though disappointed in the debut, remain optimistic about their beloved Bulldogs' chances of returning to relevancy in the division and in the race for the SEC crown. A win over last season's division champs and the preseason favorite to repeat in the Gamecocks would go a long way toward stemming the free fall and boosting the confidence of this team for a run in the remainder of the season. The schedule should become much more favorable after this extremely challenging start. Breaking even could be just the tonic that the Bulldogs need.

Spurrier and company, however, are bringing a bitter pill to Athens that they hope to shove down the 'Dawgs' throats instead. Saturdays in the SEC? Anything can happen, but mercy for those down on their luck is not one of them. Come Saturday at sundown, the curious will know which treatment the doctor prescribed.