Georgia vs. South Carolina

Saturday, September 13, 2008 – Columbia, South Carolina

Final: 14-7

3 Georgia is now ranked (#3) in the nation. The Bulldogs were the preseason #1, but despite starting 3-0 the team has fallen two spots in the rankings. The combination of solid play by USC and a low-scoring game between Georgia and South Carolina led to the lower ranking this week. Coach Mark Richt said, “I’m really not worried about it. We can’t control it. We can control trying to win the Eastern Division.”

5 The number of SEC teams (5) in the AP Top 10: Georgia (#3), Florida (#4), LSU (#6), Alabama (#9), and Auburn (#10). This is a first – never before have there been five SEC teams among the AP Top 10. Georgia might have lost votes in the polls because of the Carolina game, but the Bulldogs’ schedule includes games vs. all four of the other SEC teams ranked in the Top 10. Coach Richt said, “We all know we have the type of schedule that will put us back in business – if we are able to take care of business.”

21 The Bulldogs and Gamecocks combined to score (21) points in Georgia’s SEC opener. Oklahoma blew out Washington 55-14, propelling the Sooners past the Bulldogs and into the #2 spot in the polls. Quarterback Matt Stafford said, “We understand this game and a lot of SEC games are going to be close. We’re not going to blow out a lot of SEC teams 50-10 or whatever.”

79 The number of yards (79) rushing for Knowshon Moreno. He fought for every one of them – including the four most important yards of the season thus far that got him into the end zone with 5:22 left in the third quarter. The score and the successful two-point conversion rallied Georgia from a 6-7 halftime deficit to a 14-7 victory.

152 The quarterback rating (152) for Matt Stafford after three games. Stafford has completed 62.2% of his passes for 634 yards and four touchdowns. He currently has the highest rating of all starting quarterbacks in the SEC.

306 The number of yards (306) rushing for Knowshon Moreno on the season. He has carried the ball 46 times for an average of 6.7 yards per touch. Moreno also leads the SEC with seven rushing touchdowns.

Game Notes: In a 2004 Sports Illustrated poll Steve Spurrier was the #1 pick by Bulldogs fans as an “enemy of the state” of Georgia. Spurrier confessed to having wanted to be the first to “hang half a hundred” on the Dawgs at Sanford Stadium after his Gators beat Georgia 52-17 in Athens on October 28, 1995. Things have certainly changed since then – Saturday’s loss vs. Georgia was the sixth consecutive conference defeat for Spurrier.

Up Next: Georgia at Arizona State (September 20)