USC vs. Georgia: 15 things you might have missed

1. The South Carolina football team’s 24-10 loss to Georgia was the third Gamecocks loss in a row in the series. It was the closest USC has played a top-5 team since No. 1 Clemson in 2015.

2. Jake Bentley threw for 227 yards, his highest total since Texas A&M in late September. That included seven passes of 15 yards or more, the best total of the season.

3. South Carolina struggled to get much going on the ground, posting 54 yards on 15 carries (outside of sacks). That was off a three-game run of averaging 188.3 yards per game on the ground.

4. True freshmen that played were: wide receiver OrTre Smith, wide receiver Shi Smith, Buck lineman Brad Johnson, defensive end Aaron Sterling and corner Jamyest Williams. The Bulldogs seemed to at times pick on matchups with Williams, who grew up in Athens and was recruited hard by the Bulldogs.

5. Linebacker Sherrod Greene was in uniform on the sidelines against UGA but did not get in the game. Daniel Fennell took all the work at strongside linebacker and made one tackle.

6. Gamecocks coach Will Muschamp praised running back Caleb Kinlaw for a heady play to open the game. Georgia went with a surprise onside kick, but Kinlaw managed to secure the ball.

7. Tight end Hayden Hurst set a career high in receiving yards with 93 on seven catches. That included a 23-yarder on a miraculous Bentley scramble, and he also threw a pass on a fake punt.

8. Kicker Parker White had another miss on an opening-possession field goal from 46 yards, USC’s fourth such miss in nine games. He came back to hit a 24-yarder, and Muschamp expressed confidence in his player after the game.

9. After the game, Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart praised his friend and former teammate’s squad, saying the Gamecocks will be “a force to be reckoned with.”

10. The end of the first half was a frantic scramble, which included a near-huge-play-turned-interception for USC and a last-second Hail Mary try for Georgia.

11. On that Hail Mary play, top wide receiver Bryan Edwards played safety.

12. USC’s secondary was stretched thin at one point, when safety D.J. Smith missed a stretch with an apparent injury and Steven Montac was out for a couple plays. It meant USC couldn’t get Chris Lammons in the slot as much early, but the Gamecocks caught a break when dangerous receiver Terry Godwin also missed much of the game.

13. Twelve South Carolina players have started every game this season: QB Jake Bentley, WR Bryan Edwards, TE Hayden Hurst, RG Donell Stanley, C Alan Knott, DT Taylor Stallworth, DE D.J. Wonnum, LB T.J. Brunson, LB Skai Moore, S D.J. Smith, S Chris Lammons and CB JaMarcus King.

14. Bentley had thrown 152 straight passes without an interception, but had two in the final 31 minutes Saturday.

15. South Carolina came out of Georgia with players and coaches saying they wanted no moral victory. Bettering the spread by 10-plus points probably qualifies, but USC will have a chance at a real and key victory next week against sputtering Florida.

This story was originally published November 5, 2017 at 1:34 PM with the headline "USC vs. Georgia: 15 things you might have missed."