ATHENS, Ga. – Sure, Georgia's defense made a couple of huge second-half stops, but Saturday was a night for the Bulldogs' offense. A year after sputtering in a humiliating 35-7 loss at South Carolina, Georgia accumulated 536 yards on 76 plays in Saturday's 41-30 win against the Gamecocks.
Let's pass out some credit with this week's helmet stickers:
Aaron Murray: You've seen the stats about how Georgia's quarterback can't win the big one. We all have. If it's true, then Saturday must not have been a big game because Murray was nearly perfect. He was 17-for-23 overall for 309 yards and four touchdowns and 6-for-7 on third downs with an average of 19.9 yards per attempt on third down alone. He avoided the turnovers that haunted him in previous losses to South Carolina and kept the Bulldogs afloat even when the defense struggled at points.
Todd Gurley: Georgia center David Andrews told the Bulldogs' star tailback all week that he wanted at least 25 carries from Gurley against the Gamecocks. Gurley gave him 30, a career high, and pounded out 132 rushing yards. Gurley rushed for one touchdown and also caught an 8-yard touchdown pass from Murray in another exceptional performance.
The offensive line: Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of Georgia's season-opening loss to Clemson was the play of its veteran offensive line, which surrendered four sacks and failed to generate enough running room for Gurley and Keith Marshall at points. The group was outstanding against South Carolina, however, and largely neutralized All-America defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, who finished with one sack and two tackles for a loss. On Georgia's final drive, which started inside the Bulldogs' 1-yard line, the line pounded away at the Gamecocks' front, helping run the entire remaining 8:28 off the clock as the Bulldogs put away an enormous SEC East victory.
