Scouting the Gamecocks’ next opponent: The Georgia Bulldogs
South Carolina at Georgia
When: Saturday, 6 p.m.
Where: Athens, Ga.
TV: ESPN
Last week: Georgia got off to a slow start at Vanderbilt before pulling away for a 31-14 win, thanks in large part to star running back Nick Chubb.
Three story lines
1. Greyson Lambert beat out Brice Ramsey for Georgia’s starting quarterback job but Lambert has not been overly impressive thus far. In two games Lambert is 19-for-33 for 257 yards with two touchdowns.
2. Brian Schottenheimer is in his first year as Georgia’s offensive coordinator, taking over for Mike Bobo, who is now the head coach at Colorado State. Schottenheimer played for Steve Spurrier at Florida. The former NFL offensive coordinator will face off against a former NFL assistant in USC’s Jon Hoke.
3. The Bulldogs are searching for playmakers to step up at wide receiver. Senior Malcolm Mitchell is the clear-cut No. 1 guy, but there are question marks after that.
Three players to watch
1. Nick Chubb is the SEC’s leading rusher and faces a South Carolina defense that is allowing nearly six yards per carry.
2. Jordan Jenkins is a preseason All-SEC selection and has lived up to the hype thus far. He leads the Bulldogs in tackles (18), tackles for loss (6.5) and sacks (3).
3. Georgia sophomore safety Dominick Sanders clinched the victory over Vandy with a pick-six to put the game away in the fourth quarter. Perry Orth or whoever is playing quarterback for USC will have to account for Sanders.
Pick
Georgia 24, South Carolina 17. The Gamecocks will try to stuff the box and force Georgia to beat them through the air. I think Hoke’s unit will carry over its success from the second half against Kentucky and at least slow down Chubb and company. But USC doesn’t have enough offensive playmakers to win in Athens.
Matt Connolly