Georgia coach Richt praises Gamecocks’ defensive line
Asked if it was a relief to score one late touchdown to avoid being shut out, Georgia coach Mark Richt said shutouts are embarrassing and prompted everyone to reach for the record books to try to find the last time Georgia was held scoreless.
One reporter in the postgame press conference promptly supplied the answer to the unstated question: 1995.
Almost nothing went right for Georgia in its 35-7 loss to USC. The defense allowed 100 yards of passing and two touchdowns in the first quarter, and the special teams gave up a 70-yard punt return by Ace Sanders for a touchdown. The Bulldogs’ only score came as the clock ran down the final meaningless minutes of the fourth quarter.
“I don’t think anyone could look in the mirror and say ‘I had a great day but the other boys didn’t,’” Richt said. “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.”
In spite of South Carolina’s dominance, the Bulldogs’ players and coaches echoed one theme: The first loss of the season does not mean that their season is over.
“Tonight we weren’t very good,” Richt said. “But the world hasn’t ended, and we do still have an awful lot to play for. We have a lot of games to play, and a lot of things can happen.”
Georgia has now fallen behind both USC and Florida in the SEC East, but the Gamecocks will play No. 9 LSU next week and will also have to face Tennessee on Oct. 27, while Georgia has just No. 4 Florida as a challenge left on its schedule. The Bulldogs will host the Gators on Oct. 27, a week after South Carolina plays at the Swamp.
“We know that it’s just one loss in the loss column,” said offensive guard Chris Burnette. “We’re just trying to push forward and see if we can win every game.”
The Gamecocks overwhelmed UGA with their speed on both offense and defense. Richt described the defensive line as “long human beings” with enough athleticism to disrupt quarterback Aaron Murray in the pocket.
Linebacker Jarvis Jones said that although the Bulldogs watched film on quarterback Connor Shaw, he was faster than they expected.
Junior tailback Marcus Lattimore received a lot of attention coming into Saturday’s matchup as the focal point of USC’s running game. Lattimore entered the game averaging over 170 rushing yards against Georgia in his first two seasons as a Gamecock, but he finished this year’s matchup with 109 rushing yards and one touchdown.
“You hold a guy to running 100 yards and most of the time it wasn’t a very good day,” Richt said. “But against Lattimore, it’s not a bad day. But he’s a good back. He’s more than that — he’s a great back. He’s a great player. But we knew that before the game.”
Richt said he couldn’t identify any weaknesses in his opponent, and many of the Bulldogs said this was the most talented Gamecock team they have faced. But players said the level of focus was also a major difference between the two squads on Saturday. Fortunately for UGA, it’ll get easier as the season draws on, with a break before playing Kentucky, while for the Gamecocks, being in the driver’s seat of the SEC East could be short-lived.
“When it came down to it, I think those guys wanted it more tonight,” said cornerback Sanders Commings. “We should have played better, but I can’t take anything away from them. They played a great game.”