NCAA Game Summary - Georgia at South Carolina
(Saturday, October 6th)
Final Score: (6) South Carolina 35, (5) Georgia 7
Columbia, SC (Sports Network) - Connor Shaw threw for a pair of touchdowns and
rushed for another as sixth-ranked South Carolina rolled over No. 5 Georgia,
35-7, on Saturday.
Ace Sanders added a 70-yard punt return for a score for the Gamecocks (6-0,
4-0 SEC), who set a new school record with their 10th straight win dating
back to last season.
Shaw completed 6-of-10 passes for 162 yards and added 78 yards on 14 carries.
Marcus Lattimore totaled 109 yards and a touchdown on 24 rushes as South
Carolina improved to 6-0 for the first time since 1988.
"Connor is sensational running the ball. That's his game," South Carolina
coach Steve Spurrier said. "He can throw, too, but running Marcus and running
him we try to hit some big plays. Fortunately we did hit some big ones. That
was key for us. When you play a team like Georgia, you like to limit their
number of plays if you can by staying on the field. We did it decent the
fourth quarter."
Aaron Murray went 11-for-31 through the air for 109 yards and an interception
for Georgia (5-1, 3-1), which had its streak of 15 straight regular season
wins snapped.
Ken Malcome had 45 yards and the Bulldogs' lone score on five carries.
"We took a whipping, but the good news was that we all took it together,"
Georgia coach Mark Richt said. "I don't think anyone could look in the mirror
and say 'I had a great day but the other boys didn't.' I don't think either
side of the ball could say 'We did our job and the other boys didn't.' It was
a team loss."
South Carolina wasted no time in getting on the board as Shaw found Damiere
Byrd deep over the middle for a 42-yard gain on the second play of the game.
Three plays later, Bruce Ellington hauled in a 20-yard touchdown pass on the
left side of the end zone for the early lead.
Malcolm Mitchell returned the ensuing kickoff 48 yards to give Georgia the
ball at the Gamecocks' 47, but Georgia failed to take advantage of the
favorable field position when DeVonte Holloman made a diving interception of a
tipped Murray pass.
Shaw then converted a 3rd-and-6 with an 8-yard scramble to keep a drive alive
before capping the 11-play, 69-yard march with a 14-yard TD pass to Rory
Anderson.
After Georgia was held to a three-and-out on its next touch, Sanders initially
dropped the punt before recovering the ball, racing up the middle and breaking
a couple tackles during a 70-yard return, giving the Gamecocks a 21-0 lead
with 5:18 left in the opening quarter.
The Bulldogs were not able to cross midfield in the game until they took over
on offense at their own 19 with 9:25 remaining in the second quarter and
Murray converted three third downs through the air as part of a 15-play drive
that moved as far as the South Carolina 2-yard line.
Georgia would not come away with any points, however, as Rantavious Wooten
could not push his way across the goal line on a short reception during a 4th-
and-goal, keeping it a 21-0 game at the break.
The teams traded punts over the first three possessions of the third quarter
until Shaw hit D.L. Moore deep over middle for a 62-yard gain on a 3rd-and-10,
placing the ball at the Georgia one.
Lattimore rumbled in for the score on the next play to put the Gamecocks on
top, 28-0, with 8:30 left in the third.
Murray failed to connect with Wooten on a 4th-and-3 at the South Carolina 48
on the ensuing possession, but the Gamecocks could not capitalize as Adam
Yates' 33-yard field goal was blocked.
South Carolina was able to add to its lead when Shaw capped a 14-play, 89-yard
drive consisting entirely of runs with a 7-yard score with 6:17 left in the
game.
The march, which started in the final minute of the third quarter and lasted 9
1/2 minutes, was kept alive with a defensive offsides penalty when South
Carolina lined up for a 4th-and-1 at its own 20.
Georgia put an end to the Gamecocks' shutout bid on its next touch with
Malcome's 3-yard run into the end zone.
Game Notes
South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier recorded his 250th career victory in the
win. He has 203 wins at the collegiate level and 47 in the pros ... Georgia
coach Mark Richt fell to 3-5 in matchups between top-10 teams ... Lattimore
also had 24 yards on two receptions ... The Gamecocks had 392 yards of total
offense, compared to 224 for the Bulldogs ... Georgia leads the all-time
series between the teams, 46-16-2.
10/07 00:44:25 ET

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