Gamecocks Fall 24-10 at No. 2 Georgia
Nov. 04, 2017
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Jake Fromm proved he can throw – and block a little, too – as his two touchdown passes led No. 2 Georgia to a 24-10 win over South Carolina on Saturday.
Fromm was accurate and efficient, completing 16 of 22 passes for 196 yards with scoring passes of 10 yards to Javon Wims and 20 yards to Mecole Hardman. He did not throw an interception.
Fromm also had the final block to clear the way for Sony Michel to score on a direct-snap, 8-yard run in the first quarter.
Georgia (9-0, 6-0 Southeastern Conference, No. 1 College Football Playoff) has won its first nine games for the first time since 1982. The Bulldogs needed a Mississippi win over Kentucky on Saturday to clinch a spot in the SEC championship game.
South Carolina (6-3, 4-3) had its three-game winning streak snapped. The Gamecocks also lost hopes for winning the SEC East.
Nick Chubb ran for 102 yards on 20 carries for Georgia. Michel added 81 yards rushing.
Georgia, accustomed to lopsided SEC wins, faced a tougher challenge from South Carolina. The Bulldogs led only 14-7 at halftime. Each team had first-half touchdown catches determined by reviews.
Jake Bentley’s 12-yard pass to Bryan Edwards early in the second half was ruled incomplete before the officials’ review determined Edwards made the catch before going out of bounds. The touchdown tied the game at 7.
On Georgia’s next drive, a review determined Wims had his left foot in bounds on his touchdown catch.
The Bulldogs opened the second half with a 75-yard touchdown drive capped by Fromm’s touchdown pass to Hardman, who made a leaping catch over Jamyest Williams.
South Carolina’s Parker White kicked a 25-yard field goal late in the third quarter. Georgia’s Rodrigo Blankenship kicked a 20-yarder in the fourth quarter.
Following Blankenship’s field goal, Georgia stopped South Carolina at its 44 when cornerback Deandre Baker deflected Bentley’s fourth-down pass. Malkom Parrish’s interception ended the Gamecocks’ final possession.
Bentley completed 21 of 35 passes for 227 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
NOTABLE
- South Carolina tied the game at 7-all on a Bryan Edwards touchdown reception in the second quarter, but No. 2/2 (No. 1 CFP) Georgia answered on the next possession and never relinquished the lead in a 24-10 win Saturday afternoon.
- The Gamecocks are now 6-3 (4-3 SEC) on the season.
- Georgia leads the all-time series 50-18-2 and has won the last three meetings.
- South Carolina captains for the game were #10 Skai Moore, #51 Cory Helms, #70 Alan Knott and #90 Taylor Stallworth
- South Carolina won the coin toss for the eighth time in nine games, recovering a Georgia on-side kick on the opening kickoff.
- Attendance at Sanford Stadium was 92,746 (sell out). That ranks tied for 17th on Carolina’s all-time largest road crowd list.
- LB Daniel Fennell made his first career start in today’s game.
- The Gamecocks have 12 players that have started each of the first nine games of the season: QB Jake Bentley, WR Bryan Edwards, TE Hayden Hurst, RG Donell Stanley, C Alan Knott, DT Taylor Stallworth, DE D.J. Wonnum, LB T.J. Brunson, LB Skai Moore, S D.J. Smith, S Chris Lammons and CB JaMarcus King.
GAME CHANGER
South Carolina tied the game at seven on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Jake Bentley to Bryan Edwards, but Georgia answered on its next possession as a 10-play, 75-yard drive ended with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Jake Frohm to Javon Wims. Georgia never relinquished that lead, scoring 10 points in the second half in the 24-10 win.
KEY STAT
242 — Georgia ran for 242 yards on 53 carries in the win over South Carolina. Nick Chubb went for 102 yards, while Sony Michel had 81 yards and a touchdown in the win over the Gamecocks. The running attack helped the Bulldogs go 8-for-13 on third down.
UP NEXT
The Gamecocks finish their 2017 SEC slate on Nov. 11, when they host the Florida Gators. Florida leads the all-time series by a 26-8-3 count, including an 11-6-1 advantage in Columbia. Carolina has won four of the last seven contests after winning just four of the first 30 meetings between the two schools.
