SEC Kickoff: Everything you need to know for Georgia at South Carolina

Here’s everything you need to know about the 67th meeting between Georgia and South Carolina this afternoon on CBS.

When: Today
Where: Columbia, S.C.
Game Time: 3:30 p.m. EST
TV: CBS
Current Line: Georgia (-6)

Game Buzz: Georgia enters the game as the favorite, a rarity for the Bulldogs, and South Carolina looks to prove they can contend for an SEC Championship. The Gameocks’ defense has struggled through its first two outings and now faces a Georgia offense that was explosive in its Aug. 30 opener against Clemson. The winner of this game will be in the driver’s seat in the SEC East.

Saturday Down South previews

• Scouting Report: Georgia at South Carolina
• Matchup Breakdown: Hutson Mason vs. Dylan Thompson
• Matchup Breakdown: Todd Gurley vs. South Carolina front seven
• Georgia Pre-Game Pulse: Week 3
• Where did the buzz go? Georgia game defines South Carolina’s season

Georgia Bulldogs at South Carolina Gamecocks

Players to watch: 

• RB Todd Gurley
• RB Mike Davis
• QB Hutson Mason
• LB Leonard Floyd
• LB Skai Moore
• FS T.J. Gurley

Keys to the game:

• Georgia has to throw the football effectively. Gurley’s going to get his, but Mason needs to be efficient throwing the ball against a porous South Carolina secondary. Expect offensive coordinator Mike Bobo to get a lot of weapons involved to spread the Gamecocks out.
• For the Gamecocks, they need to get Mike Davis the ball. According to media reports, Davis is healthy heading into kickoff, and could have a major impact in this game.
• Both teams need to improve on defense. The ‘Dawgs are coming off a second half against Clemson in which they pitched a shutout and allowed just one first down. South Carolina’s secondary has struggled mightily thus far, but likely will be left on an island with the Gamecocks front seven or eight focusing on stopping the run.

Glaring weaknesses to watch: For the Gamecocks, the defensive backfield is the area to watch. Lorenzo Ward’s defense has struggled tackling and has given up over 450 yards after the contact. For Georgia, the passing game is the unknown. Mason didn’t have to do much against Clemson and the ‘Dawgs are injury-plagued at the receiver position. Look for Carolina to challenge Mason to throw the ball.

Most interesting part of the game: Gurley vs. Davis. These are two of the top backs in the conference, and Gurley is coming off a career performance in the opener and Davis is looking to return to his 2013 form in which he rushed for more than 1,000 yards.

Team Buzz: South Carolina’s looking to get its season back on track after getting embarrassed in the season-opener, and a win on Saturday afternoon would do just that. Georgia’s looking to cement itself as a SEC and national championship contender. Another strong team performance would certainly legitimize the Bulldogs chances.

Jordan Cox

After living in Birmingham, Ala., Jordan left the ground zero of SEC Nation to head south to Florida to tell the unique stories of the renowned tradition of SEC football. In his free time, his mission is to find the best locales around.