South Carolina vs. Georgia: Bulldogs Commit Too Many Turnovers in Shootout Loss

The Georgia Bulldogs offense finally came alive, but after huge mistakes and poor defense late in the game, the South Carolina Gamecocks held on to win a nail biter 45-42. 

Mark Richt desperately needed a win, and now that he and the Bulldogs start the season off 0-2, Bulldog Nation will undoubtedly call for his head. 

However, the blame for this loss doesn’t fully fall on Richt. The offense turned the ball over three times, which was the difference maker in this game.

The coaching staff was tremendously better than in the season opener, and they cannot be attacked for this loss. The Bulldog Nation needs to be calm and realize that this team is rapidly improving, and if not for the turnovers they would have most likely won this game.

Just when the Bulldogs would gain great momentum, they turned the ball over; an interception and two fumbles resulted into quick scores for the Gamecocks. 

Georgia practically gave the game away, and when they had a chance to make crucial stops in the closing minute, they failed. 

Bash Richt all you want, but he doesn’t deserve to be canned right now. There are a lot of games left, so let’s just see how the season plays out before jumping down his throat.

I'll admit, if this team continues to lose then he has to go, but you cannot deny that the Bulldogs made great strides against another elite opponent in South Carolina. Unfortunately, they just committed too many mistakes.   

Stopping Marcus Lattimore was the key for Georgia, but they just couldn’t do it as he rushed for 176 yards on 27 carries. The sophomore running back made exceptional plays late in the game to preserve the win for South Carolina.  

Some positive notes to take away from the loss, however, was freshman running back Isaiah Crowell, who had 158 total yards and two touchdowns. He carried the ball 16 times tonight, and it's clear Georgia has to give him the ball more. 

Mike Bobo has been heavily criticized for his play calling, but tonight he did a great job hanging 42 points on a tough South Carolina defense. 

But again, it all comes back to the turnovers. If the Bulldogs don’t turn the ball over, than the outcome of this game is completely different. 

Aaron Murray made mistakes, but his offensive line also struggled to protect him against the beastly freshman Jadeveon Clowney, and the rest of the Gamecocks defensive line. 

Per Heath Cline’s Twitter, after the game, South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier said, “Georgia outplayed us. Give them credit.” 

Make no mistake about it, the Bulldogs were the better team tonight, but they shot themselves in the foot one too many times.

Georgia had 23 first downs to South Carolina’s 15, while also piling up 436 total yards. A missed field goal by Blair Walsh in the second quarter, and a fake punt call by Spurrier were two critical plays that had a huge impact. 

The opportunity to win the game was there, yet Georgia failed to capitalize. 

Some good news for Georgia is that the schedule gets much easier from here. The Bulldogs are the only team in the country that had to face ranked teams in the first two weeks, and those teams happened to be in the top 12. 

It’s very early right now, and this season can be salvaged. There is a lot of football left, and it’s very easy to see that the Bulldogs are getting better. 

The future looks bright for Georgia, but they have to make sure they can bounce back mentally. Simple mistakes need to be avoided from here on out. If Georgia can do this they still have a shot at a strong 2011 season.