Opening the season against Clemson is no small task, but opening on the road at Clemson was even tougher. Georgia learned that last week and also suffered a crucial loss for the season when their projected #1 WR (JR) Malcolm Mitchell suffered a torn ACL after celebrating his teammate’s touchdown. Still, not all was bad in the team’s 35-38 loss, as a few underclassmen wide receivers proved more than capable of leading this pass attack.
And now Aaron Murray and the Georgia offense will attempt to rebound after a close loss against one of the SEC's best teams in South Carolina and best player in Jadeveon Clowney.
Juniors Chris Conley and Michael Bennett, as well as third year sophomore Justin Scott-Wesley impressed with their catch radius and ability to create yards after the catch. Scott-Wesley and Bennett alternate at the slot position and provide more length than you typically see at that position, so it’ll be important for both of them to take advantage of mismatches in man coverage.
On the perimeter, Chris Conley would have likely been matched up against South Carolina’s top cornerback Vic Hampton, however, a neck injury suffered on a punt return will limit Hampton to a reserve role off the bench. With the injury to Hampton, senior Jimmy Legree will likely take over as the team’s primary cover corner, despite a rough start to the season a week ago versus North Carolina. Legree is long and possesses an ideal frame to develop, but doesn’t use his length effectively at the line of scrimmage or down the field with physicality. He’s been a streaky player that can undercut routes when his instincts are on point for big time interceptions, or struggle to remain attached to the receiver’s route and allow a high volume of receptions.
Conley is a bigger, more physical receiver that can beat you at every level of the field, as an underneath route runner and playmaker after the catch, middle of the field possession target or vertical weapon outside the numbers. He, along with Michael Bennett showcased very good chemistry with quarterback Aaron Murray and will need to stay in rhythm to attack the Gamecocks’ secondary. Tight end Arthur Lynch made several key playside blocks to spring Todd Gurley into the second level last Saturday, and he may even be kept inside for pass protection on 3rd and long situations this week against a much more devastating front four pass rush.
The biggest question mark heading into this game is whether or not the Georgia offensive tackles can make enough self-corrections to have a chance versus South Carolina’s duo of Jadeveon Clowney and Chaz Sutton at defensive end. Both ends have been used all over the front to create mismatches and Georgia must provide help towards Clowney in particular, as left tackle Kenarious Gates made Clemson’s Vic Beasley look like the second coming of Bruce Irvin in last week’s debacle. Despite having a wealth of experience as a unit, Georgia’s offensive line did not perform well last week and will have to play far better to avoid a winless start to the 2013 season.
Running the ball wasn’t an issue for this offense last week with sophomore sensations Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall leading the way, so expect another heavy dose of #3 and #4 in this one. Sutton in particular has difficulty stacking and shedding at the point of attack, and I anticipate Georgia will run quite a bit of power and strong toss concepts #90’s way. Where Sutton will give this Georgia team fits is his multiplicity as a front defender; you’ll see him at end, defensive tackle or walked up to the line of scrimmage as a stunting backer. Using explosive burst and quickness to get into the blocker’s framework, Sutton’s athletic ability allows him to make plays despite having unrefined handiwork.
If you’re reading this, you likely watched last week’s set of games, and if you watched last week’s set of games then you probably know what to expect next. The elephant in the room for this particular matchup is Jadeveon Clowney’s “lack of conditioning.” My response to that would have to begin with the fact that Jadeveon Clowney brought up the conditioning issue as his main weakness entering the season, so of course there’s greater scrutiny with regards to his every-down play this year. Yes, he was gassed quite early in last week’s victory over North Carolina, but let’s be accurate in stating the entire South Carolina defense was gassed early that game.
At some point you’ve got to give North Carolina head coach Larry Fedora credit for dictating tempo early and running a high volume of plays. This game showed that Clowney isn’t a perfect prospect yet, but by no means is a red flag per se. Should he tire early and play less than 70% of snaps every week this year, then it will be a red flag. Against Georgia last year, Clowney showcased the ability to win with speed, power or counter moves and impressed athletically by avoiding chip blocks while working versus an offensive tackle. He’ll have to continue to improve his pad height and be more forceful with his hands than he was versus North Carolina, but I’m expecting a bounce back performance for the most talented player in college football.
Offensively for the Gamecocks, head coach Steve Spurrier gave senior quarterback Connor Shaw a longer than usual leash versus North Carolina in the team’s opening game last week. Normally, Spurrier won’t waste any time switching to his more gifted passer in junior Dylan Thompson. Thompson threw just one pass last week and it resulted in a 29-yard touchdown. Although Thompson is clearly the better NFL prospect, he’ll have to wait until next season when the job will be his alone.
Back to the senior starter, Connor Shaw has made subtle improvements in going through his progressions and making level throws over the middle of the field, and even flashed the timing to work in a few bench routes a week ago. Last season the Spurrier specifically went after seniors Shawn Williams and Bacarri Rambo, who were experienced, veterans but also quick to jump intermediate patterns or pull into the box with an effective play fake. South Carolina should be able to execute a similar gameplan this season against a more youthful and inexperienced Georgia secondary that had difficulty defending Clemson’s play action, roll out passing game and read option concepts. Shaw’s arm limitations are concerning for evaluators, but he is an underrated athlete with toughness and football savvy –I wouldn’t be surprised to see Shaw selected in the 7th round or signed as a priority free agent and given an opportunity to work at receiver and quarterback, similar to recent 49ers draft choice BJ Daniels.
Aiding this pass attack will be a healthier slot wideout Bruce Ellington, who led the Gamecocks’ in receiving during the 2012 season. Ellington was dealing with a hamstring injury leading into the North Carolina game but should be a full go today. Other notable draft eligible USC receivers to keep an eye out for include Damiere Byrd and Nick Jones, who possess the deep speed to take the top off the defense.
This receiving corps lacks the length and size of previous South Carolina teams, but more than compensates with explosiveness and speed. I’ll be interested to see who Georgia’s top cornerback Damian Swann covers in this game, as he was tasked with Sammy Watkins last week and didn’t fare so well from a tackling standpoint. Dropping his hat and failing to wrap up, Swann’s missed tackle led to a 77-yard touchdown catch and run. Also take note of junior tight end Rory Anderson, a long-bodied and athletic tight end that can serve as a matchup weapon off the line or as an effective in-line blocker.
Others to Watch:
(JR) A.J. Cann, OG, South Carolina – #50, 6’4, 314
Ronald Patrick, OG, South Carolina – #67, 6’2, 315
(JR) Corey Robinson, OT, South Carolina – #53, 6’8, 341
(JR) Kelcy Quarles, DT, South Carolina – #99, 6’4, 298
Rantavious Wooten, WR, Georgia – #17, 5’10, 176
(JR) Jonathan Rumph, WR, Georgia – #18, 6’5, 208
(JR) David Andrews, OC, Georgia – #61, 6’2, 295
Chase Vasser, OLB, Georgia – #33, 6’3, 219
Connor Norman, S, Georgia – #11, 5’10, 201
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