Athens,GA- Georgia used several big plays to defeat the South Carolina Gamecocks 41-37 in the SEC opener for both teams. Georgia's Branden Boykin started things off with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. After running back Richard Samuel scored Georgia's second touchdown, freshman Branden Smith ran 61 yards on a dazzling reverse for another touchdown to help the Dawgs build a 31-23 lead at halftime. Defensively, cornerback Branden Boykin intercepted South Carolina's Stephen Garcia in the second quarter to set up a 50-yard field goal by Blair Walsh. And, perhaps one of the biggest plays of the game came in the final seconds as South Carolina drove down the field with the game on the line. On fourth down, linebacker Rennie Curran tipped Garcia's pass attempt to stop the Gamecocks and seal the win for Georgia.
Quarterback Stephen Garcia continuously eluded Georgia's defense as he led his team in rushing (42 yards) and repeatedly scrambled to find open recievers downfield. He found his tight end Wesley Saunders over and over, across the middle, as Saunders led the Gamecocks with 96 yards receiving. Carolina also won the turnover margin by 3 to 1 (Georgia fumbled twice and was intercepted once). Georgia quarterback Joe Cox had a much better game (than vs Okl. State), passing for 201 yards and two touchdowns. And, running back Richard Samuel did a better job of breaking tackles on his way to gaining 65 yards on 15 carries and one TD. Although South Carolina outgained Georgia's offense 427 to 308 yards, the Bulldogs big plays provided the difference in the game.