After thrashing the Oregon Ducks in Atlanta in Week 1, Georgia shut out the Samford Bulldogs in Athens during the Dawgs’ first home game as reigning champions. In a game that was expected to be a breeze, the Bulldogs did not score as many points as most expected; however, they also did not allow a single point to a potent Samford offense. The Bulldogs now shift their focus towards a young and scrappy South Carolina team. The Gamecocks’ lost their game this past weekend to a stout Arkansas team by double digits; although, Columbia will surely be fired up as the second-ranked Bulldogs come into town this weekend. Second-year Coach Shane Beamer appears to have the Gamecocks improved and pointed in the right direction. After a first season that was deemed by most as a success, the young head coach was able to recruit numerous highly touted players to Columbia, including many from the transfer portal. The Dawgs – who have significantly more depth and talent – will be looking to begin SEC-play with a win in a raucous environment.

300

Stetson Bennett threw for 300 yards or more for the second-straight week. The 24-year old has played intelligent football and has avoided making any costly mistakes through two games. Teammates have attested to Stetson’s confidence this season. Bennett is finally the unquestioned starter and leader for the offensive for the first time in his career. Stetson is continuing to play the best football of his life, and is only two games into the season. The Heisman hype is building, and as of right now, it is not entirely irrational to think that he could find his way to New York come December. Bennett may need to have many more 300-yard games, as the Dawgs have yet to develop a dominant running game. If Stetson Bennett can continue to make smart decisions with the ball and utilize the intermediate passing game, the Dawgs will have success in Columbia.

19

Georgia only gave up 19 yards on the ground against Samford. The Dawgs were questioned heavily heading into the season as to whether or not they could still dominate teams up front after losing so much talent to the NFL. Despite the fact that it was a lesser opponent in Samford, Georgia still asserted their authority in keeping their offense one dimensional. South Carolina has multiple running backs that are very physical, and limiting the run early is essential to Georgia’s gameplan.

12.2

Kenny McIntosh averaged 12.2 yards per reception and once again was Georgia’s leading receiver. The multi-purpose back from Ft. Lauderdale has 178 yards receiving in just two games. All fall camp, we heard murmurs regarding how well McIntosh was playing and how much he had improved. Similar to Stetson Bennett, McIntosh was heading into his first season as the presumed starter and has shown incredible poise and effectiveness. With South Carolina priding itself on their run defense, utilizing Kenny in the passing game could result in serious production.

25

UGA had 25 total first downs against Samford. The Bulldogs were able to convert 22 more first downs than the visiting Samford Bulldogs. Georgia had the ball on offense for over 40 minutes compared to Samford’s 19 minutes and 57 seconds. By dominating possession, UGA was able to control the clock and keep their defense off the field for extended periods of time. The Dawgs should be fresh heading to Columbia. Conversely, South Carolina is coming off a physical and disappointing road loss to Arkansas.