South Carolina receiver Pharoh Cooper, left, runs as Georgia linebacker Leonard Floyd chases in one of many big Gamecocks' plays Saturday.The Georgia Bulldogs were better defensively in the second half for a second consecutive game this season, but the difference this time was negligible.
South Carolina shredded the Bulldogs for 298 first-half yards in Saturday night's 38-35 upset at Williams-Brice Stadium. The Gamecocks had 147 yards in the second half, when Georgia collected a big sack and a key interception but could not make a fourth-and-inches stop near midfield with 1:22 remaining.
The difference in the opener was drastic, with the Bulldogs yielding 276 first-half yards to Clemson but only 15 in the second half in a 45-21 Georgia runaway.
Saturday marked the first battle of wits between South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier and Georgia defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt, with Spurrier continually keeping the Bulldogs guessing.
"They threw a lot of formations at us," Georgia inside linebacker Ramik Wilson said after tallying 13 tackles and two tackles for loss. "We've got to get aligned, and we've got to execute our plays. That was a great team, but we gave them that game."
The Gamecocks were stout from the start offensively, as Dylan Thompson completed throws of 21, 20 and 13 yards on the opening possession before finding Shaq Roland for a 10-yard touchdown. It was that way for most of the first half, as Thompson racked up 11 completions of 10 or more yards and five of 20 or more.
Thompson finished the first half 19-of-26 passing for 240 yards and three touchdowns.
"We just had a few pass patterns on -- I guess one of their guys messed up -- but they didn't have anybody in the middle of the field," Spurrier said Sunday afternoon. "Of course, when they had the interception at the end of the game, they had a guy in there and picked it off. Sometimes you just have the right play on against the right defense."
The right play against the right defense occurred too much, according to Bulldogs inside linebacker Amarlo Herrera.
"They knew what coverages we were in," Herrera said. "They were just going to their spots."
A successful passing attack not only needs quality play at quarterback and at receiver but by the offensive line as well. The Bulldogs never sacked Thompson in the first half, though Herrera eventually got to him in the third quarter for a 13-yard loss.
Georgia's touted outside linebacker tandem of Jordan Jenkins and Leonard Floyd were dormant most of the evening, with the two combining on eight tackles and no lost-yardage stops.
"When a guy has time to sit back and throw it, anybody can get picked apart," Bulldogs cornerback Damian Swann said. "They game-planned well against our pass rush, because we couldn't get back there like we normally could. We've got to look at the tape, correct it, and get better."
Said Spurrier: "I think our offensive tackles blocked pretty well, pass protection-wise most of the game, and our inside guys were pretty good also."
The Gamecocks turned to their ground game in the second half, when Brandon Wilds and Mike Davis combined on 21 carries for 135 yards and salted the game away.
"We know they have good backs, and we know what they can do," Swann said. "We just didn't stop it like we were supposed to stop it."
Questioning calls
Not that it will change the outcome from Saturday night, but Mark Richt said Sunday afternoon that film of Brandon Kublanow's holding call that negated a 54-yard Todd Gurley touchdown run is being sent to SEC coordinator of officials Steve Shaw for review.
"On that particular play, we thought Kublanow was in the framework of the defender," Richt said. "We thought it was legal. We'll turn it and see what they think."
Also being questioned is the intentional grounding on Hutson Mason in the fourth quarter. Richt said the pass hit a defender [defensive end Gerald Dixon] and bounced away from the eligible receiver [Quayvon Hicks].
Odds and ends
Georgia dropped Sunday to 13th in the Associated Press poll and 14th in the USA Today coaches poll yet remained ahead of South Carolina in both. ... Spurrier on if he was surprised with Georgia's play-calling on first-and-goal from the 4 in the fourth quarter: "I think we all were." ... Georgia leads the series with South Carolina 47-18-2, but the Bulldogs are just 3-6 when both teams are ranked. ... Senior defensive tackle Toby Johnson made his first career start for the Bulldogs, as did freshman receiver Isaiah McKenzie.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.