The Gamecocks were not supposed to lose to 7-point underdog Kentucky in their home opener last week, but they allowed 399 total yards and fell 26-22. They also lost starting QB Connor Mitch (shoulder) indefinitely in that loss. The Bulldogs surrendered 400 total yards in their SEC opener last week in Vanderbilt, but still prevailed 31-14. These division foes have played a lot of close games recently, as the past six matchups have been decided by a total of 60 points (including 28 in one game), with the home team winning five of those meetings. Last year's matchup was a thrilling 38-35 victory by South Carolina, as the teams combined for 855 yards of offense. While Georgia holds the 7-4 SU advantage at home in this series since 1993, the club is just 5-6 ATS in these recent Athens meetings. Bettors should consider head coach Steve Spurrier's 25-9 ATS record following a contest where his Gamecocks gained 6.75+ yards per play, but favorites of 10.5 to 21 points that averaged at least 5.25 yards per carry last year are a hefty 43-16 ATS (73%) over the past 10 seasons. In addition to Mitch, South Carolina has several injury concerns with TE Connor Redmond (back), LB Sherrod Pittman (leg) and DBs Antoine Wilder (ankle), Shannon James (wrist) and Chris Lammons (ribs) all listed as questionable. The Bulldogs are in great shape for this matchup, as star RB Nick Chubb, who suffered an ankle injury last game, has been upgraded to probable.
Can Georgia win handily against an angry South Carolina squad? For the answer, connect to College Football Best Bets for all the StatFox Experts picks throughout the 2015 regular season and bowl season. StatFox Gary and StatFox Brian are both 56% ATS (5-4) in CFB Best Bets to start the season.
South Carolina will start junior QB Perry Orth on Saturday after he did a fine job replacing injured Connor Mitch last week, finishing 13-of-20 for 179 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. Orth will certainly lean heavily on superstar WR Pharoh Cooper who has 12 of his team's 29 catches and 145 of South Carolina's 362 receiving yards this year. Cooper also scored a touchdown in the win versus Georgia last season, but caught just three passes for 27 yards. His targets will have to increase greatly for the Gamecocks to hang in. South Carolina will also have to run the football as well as they did last year against Georgia when they gained 176 yards (4.2 YPC) and 2 TD. Top RB Brandon Wilds had 93 of those yards on 14 carries (6.6 YPC) and a touchdown, and Wilds is off to a flying start to the 2015 season with 157 yards on 30 carries (5.2 YPC). The big problem for South Carolina's defense has been the inability to stop the run, as the team is allowing 207 YPG on the ground on 5.9 YPC. The pass defense hasn't been much better with 212 YPG allowed (7.1 YPA) on a whopping 67% completion rate. The Gamecocks cannot expect turnovers to occur, as the Bulldogs have zero giveaways this season.
Georgia's offense has been clicking on all cylinders so far, especially against conference foe Vanderbilt when it gained 423 total yards. This included 281 yards on 6.9 YPC on the ground thanks in large part to RB Nick Chubb. The sophomore ran for 189 yards (9.9 YPC) last Saturday to give him 309 rushing yards (8.8 YPC) for the season. He got just four carries against the Gamecocks last year, gaining 34 yards (8.5 YPC), but expect him to get about 25 touches this time around, especially with South Carolina's poor run defense so far. With opponents having to key on Chubb, QB Greyson Lambert has not seen a lot of pressure. The 6-foot-5 junior has taken only one sack, but he'll need to be more accurate than his 52% completions last week. Most of his targets are going to WRs Sony Michel and Malcolm Mitchell who have combined for 197 of the team's 333 receiving yards. Defensively, Georgia has been stingy against the run in holding opponents to a meager 75 YPG on 2.3 YPC. But the pass defense has been shaky with surrendering 250 YPG on 6.3 YPA and 60% completions.
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