Sept. 10, 2011

Recap | Final Stats | Notes | Photo Gallery

South Carolina Head Coach Steve Spurrier

Opening Comment…
“This was a good win for us. Give Georgia credit, they outplayed us but we were fortunate to win. That’s how football is sometimes. We had some big plays and had a few defensive scores, which helped us out a lot. I think Melvin Ingram deserves a lot of credit for making some huge plays. He’s a heck of an athlete. “

On Marcus Lattimore…
“We weren’t going to forget about him. He gives us out best chance to win. At the beginning, there wasn’t much room to run there because Georgia’s line was able to stuff us. It opened up some in the second half and he was able to move the ball. It’s a great back and we had to keep going to him. He gives us hope to make any kind of run.”

On importance of holding Georgia to field goals…
“They were dominating the game and had to kick field goals. That’s the way it goes sometimes. Those type of plays can come back to haunt you. We lost one here a few years ago like that. Our defense played well in the first half, but the pass defense got shoddy in the second half. Luckily we were able to get some scores from our defense which helped us get the win.”

Sr. QB, #5 Stephen Garcia

“It feels good to get a win in a hostile environment, especially because first game ever won when trailing in the fourth quarter. The non-offensive touchdowns that we got were the difference in the game. Definitely, the most bizarre win I’ve ever gotten in college, but all that matters is that we got the win.”

Jr. WR, #1 Alshon Jeffery

On the long drive in 4th quarter to take lead back…
“It was a big drive late in the game and we took back momentum. We never came from behind before, so that was good. To win game you have to finish in all three phases — defense, offense and special teams.”

Sr. DE, #6 Melvin Ingram

On the fake punt…
“We had it in the playbook all year. We called it a couple times earlier in the game but it wasn’t on so we didn’t run it. This is another stepping stone. We’re trying to get better every week.”

Georgia Head Coach Mark Richt

“South Carolina is a tremendous team, and I think Georgia’s a darn good team if we don’t help the opponent too much. I saw an awful lot of fight from our guys, I saw some outstanding plays at crunch time, I saw banged-up guys sucking it up and going – all the ingredients of a very good football team. But very good football teams don’t turn it over the way we did. So we’re potentially a very good football team.

“I thought we kept fighting. We took the lead a couple of times and never gave in. The clock just ran out on us basically.

“We have a number of guys who are inexperienced, but they will get exponentially better. I think we can have a heck of a football team. I think this is a team that will get better as the season goes along. In time, we’re going to shake off the mistakes and become a good football team.

“A lot of guys showed a lot of character. They played their tails off. We just can’t make that many mistakes and expect to win the game. … We’ve still got a lot of football to play, and I think we’re still in the Eastern Division race.

“We’ve definitely been through some really tough games, games that take a lot of guts, energy and games where you need the majority of things to go right to get the victories. We lost and we understand that. But we’re going to be a good football team. We’re resilient enough to shake it off and make the corrections.

“We have a tight-knit group. Our guys love each other and believe in each other. We will tweak a couple of things and be in good shape. The future is still very bright. We’ve just got to do things to get results on the scoreboard.”

RSoph. QB, #11 Aaron Murray

On the interception…
“I think I just threw it a little behind Orson. There was pressure, it was a tight window, and you have to put those right on the money, and I didn’t. The defender made a great play on it.”

On the game…
“I think we had great plays on both sides of the ball. We had some great plays on offense, and the defense had some awesome plays. We just gave up too many big plays and those mistakes hurt us. We can be a great football team, we have a ton of talent on both sides of the ball, but those four turnovers hurt us.”

Fr. TB, #1 Isaiah Crowell

On the game…
“I hate to lose, but we have to deal with it. We have to come out this week and be ready to work. There isn’t time to put our heads down.”

On being put back on the field after the fumble…
“I learned that they have confidence in me. [The fumble] was my fault. I told them it wouldn’t happen again. It was nice to get back out there so I could try to redeem myself.”

Jr. ILB, #45 Christian Robinson

On the game…
“They made some great plays, and we didn’t do what we needed to do. It’s disappointing, but we’re going to go back to the film room, look at our mistakes and get better.”

On critics…
“It’s our job to get the job done, and we didn’t do that today. It’s not the coaches, it’s us. We played our hearts out and just didn’t finish. I’m looking forward to getting back out there.”

Sr. CB/KOR, #2 Brandon Boykin

On mood in the locker room after the loss…
“People were disappointed, but no matter what, we all know that we have to come back on Monday ready to work. We know that we’re capable of winning a lot of games, and winning close games. We’re ready to get back out on the field.”

On kickoff returns…
“I told [the team] before the game that I was going to give all I got. The blockers did a great job of opening the holes, and I just got myself through the holes. I was happy I was able to give the offense good field position.”