USC-Georgia: It’s always close

A look at the past five USC-UGA matchups:

2011: USC 45, GEORGIA 42

USC defensive end Melvin Ingram scored on a 68-yard run on a fake punt and on a fumble recovery after Jadeveon Clowney stripped the ball from Georgia QB Aaron Murray.

2010: USC 17, GEORGIA 6

Freshman Marcus Lattimore scored two touchdowns and rushed for 182 yards as the Gamecocks dominated time of possession.

2009: GEORGIA 41, USC 37

Georgia linebacker Rennie Curran broke up a Stephen Garcia fourth-down pass with 22 seconds remaining as Georgia held on.

2008: GEORGIA 14, USC 7

Reshad Jones sealed the victory for the Bulldogs when he intercepted a Chris Smelley pass with 13 seconds remaining inside the Georgia 10.

2007: USC 16, GEORGIA 12

A stout defense that didn’t allow a touchdown plus three Ryan Succop field goals helped USC upset the No. 11-ranked Bulldogs.

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Key players: Teams in good hands

Marlon Brown

Brown will get a larger role this week with leading receiver Michael Bennett being declared out for the season with an injury. Brown had eight receptions for 106 yards and two TDs at Missouri and had his third career 100-yard receiving game with a team-high 114 receiving yards on five catches and a touchdown vs. Vanderbilt.

Ace Sanders

Sanders has done it all for USC this season: catch passes, return punts and throw a TD pass. His 12 catches are tied with Bruce Ellington for second on the team (behind Marcus Lattimore’s 16). He has returned 15 punts for a 12.9-yard average, third in the SEC. And he threw a 16-yard TD pass to D.L. Moore against ECU.

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GAMECOCKS VS. BULLDOGS

WHO: No. 6 USC (5-0, 3-0 SEC) vs. No. 5 Georgia (5-0, 3-0)

WHEN: Saturday 7 p.m.

TV: ESPN

RADIO: WNKT-FM, 107.5

SATELLITE RADIO: Sirius 91/XM 91

LINE: USC by 2

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Best USC wins by rankings

This story was originally published October 3, 2012 at 10:15 PM with the headline "USC-Georgia: It’s always close."