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No. 1 Georgia is set to hold its position at the top of the college football rankings when they are updated Sunday following a dominant 48-7 win at South Carolina. The Bulldogs rolled up 547 yards of offense and only allowed 306 from the Gamecocks, who had just two first half offensive drives even make it inside the Georgia 40-yard line, and those two drives ended with an interception and a turnover on downs.
With the win, Georgia (3-0, 1-0 SEC) has now outscored its first three opponents 130-10 and the fact that each game has played out the same regardless of the level of competition speaks to the elite level Kirby Smart's program has reached. The Bulldogs defense lost a record haul to the NFL Draft and yet that same suffocating approach has maintained through all of the turnover.
Additionally, Georgia has showcased so far in 2022 that its offense is far from a ground-and-pound group with quarterback Stetson Bennett and the passing attack putting up totals in excess of 300 yards in all three wins. Smart has long discussed his plans to built a program that could be a sustained winner, much like the Alabama program where he was before his arrival in Athens, Georgia. Seeing how Georgia has handled its business in the wake of a national championship and major NFL Draft exodus only speaks to how similar the Bulldogs have become to the Crimson Tide, the standard-bearers or excellence in college football.
As for South Carolina, it was not a great afternoon for quarterback Spencer Rattler and the Gamecocks offense. Rattler finished with two interceptions and just 118 yards passing, but even those successful passing plays seemed to come with the stress of a Georgia pass rush that was able to get pressure in the backfield throughout the game. Trying to find success in the run game was not much easier, and the lack of sustained drives only wore down a Gamecocks defense that was dealing with a matchup nightmare trying to cover Bulldogs tight end Brock Bowers (five receptions, 121 yards, two touchdowns).
Georgia will host Kent State next week in its final non-conference game of the season, while South Carolina will look to get back on the winning side of things against Charlotte after an 0-2 start to SEC play.
