Gameday Guide: South Carolina vs Georgia football kickoff time, odds, stream, TV info

Augusta Stone
·6 min read
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South Carolina football begins Southeastern Conference play this weekend. The Gamecocks travel to play the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia on Saturday. What you need to know about the Week 3 matchup:

When do the South Carolina Gamecocks play UGA?

Who: South Carolina (2-0) at Georgia Bulldogs (2-0)

When: 7 p.m. Saturday

Where: Sanford Stadium (92,746) in Athens, Ga.

TV: ESPN

Stream: via ESPN app

On-air announce crew: Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; Molly McGrath, sideline.

Radio: 107.5 FM in the Columbia area (Todd Ellis, play-by-play; Tommy Suggs, analyst; Jamar Nesbit, sideline) … See all the radio affiliates around South Carolina here.

Satellite radio: Sirius 135/XM 201

Series history: UGA leads 52-19-2. Head coach Kirby Smart is 4-1 against South Carolina.

Point spread for UGA vs USC Gamecocks

Georgia is a 31.5-point favorite as of Friday, according to the VegasInsider consensus. It’s the most lopsided point spread in the history of the South Carolina-Georgia matchup and one of the biggest ever for USC. The Gamecocks were 18-point underdogs in 2020 and were 21-point underdogs in 2019.

Weather forecast for Athens, Ga

There’s a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms during the day on Saturday, but the rain chance falls to 20% by nightfall. The high temperature during the day will be 85 degrees, with temperatures in the upper 70s by kickoff and low to mid-70s by game’s end.

South Carolina vs Georgia game prediction

ESPN’s Football Power Index gives Georgia a 94.9% chance of winning against the Gamecocks.

What Vegas Thinks: South Carolina has ‘never been this big of an underdog’

Week 3 SEC college football betting odds

Odds according to VegasInsider consensus.

Noon: New Mexico at Texas A&M (-29.5) Noon: UT Chattanooga at Kentucky — no line Noon: SE Missouri State at Missouri — no line Noon: Tennessee Tech at Tennessee — no line 3:30 p.m.: Alabama (-15) at Florida 4 p.m.: Georgia Southern at Arkansas (-23.5) 4 p.m.: Mississippi State (-3.5) at Memphis 7 p.m.: South Carolina at Georgia (-31.5) 7:30 p.m.: Auburn at Penn State (-6) 8 p.m.: Tulane at Ole Miss (-14) 8 p.m.: Stanford (-12) at Vanderbilt

South Carolina football injury updates

  • Quarterback Luke Doty continues to progress in practice and is expected to be 100% by Saturday, head coach Shane Beamer said. Doty hasn’t taken a snap this season as he recovers from a left foot sprain suffered in fall camp. He has practiced all week and “hasn’t been sore all week,” Beamer said Thursday.

  • Defensive lineman Rick Sandidge remains sidelined with a leg injury. He hasn’t played in either of the Gamecocks’ first two games and won’t play against Georgia, either, though Beamer said his recovery is “moving along well.”

Before they were rivals, a Gamecock and Bulldog starred as high school teammates

Gamecocks vs. UGA Bulldogs: What to watch for

South Carolina will roll into Athens on Saturday night as heavy underdogs. The Gamecocks face Georgia’s No. 1 total defense in FBS football, which held Clemson to a field goal and didn’t allow a touchdown to UAB. The Bulldogs’ opponents average 177 yards per game. South Carolina, meanwhile, struggled to get its offense going early against East Carolina, and could have matchup problems at the line of scrimmage against the Bulldogs’ front seven.

Both the Gamecocks and the Bulldogs have uncertainty at their quarterback position. South Carolina has gone with former graduate assistant coach-turned-QB Zeb Noland for its first two games. Both Noland and Doty are listed as possible starters on the Gamecocks’ depth chart.

Georgia’s starter, J.T. Daniels, didn’t play last week against UAB while he deals with an upper body injury. Stetson Bennett stepped in for the Bulldogs in Week 2, going 10-of-12 passing for 288 yards and five touchdowns, but Bennett is now dealing with a lower back injury, per UGA head coach Kirby Smart. Smart said Daniels, Bennett and redshirt freshman quarterback Carson Beck have all taken reps throughout the week.

The Gamecocks start up SEC play after recording a 46-0 shutout win over FCS Eastern Illinois and a narrow victory at East Carolina. Georgia took down another nationally-acclaimed program, Clemson, in Week 1 and defeated Conference USA’s UAB handily. This week will be both team’s first conference challenge, but Georgia is easily South Carolina’s most daunting opponent to date.

South Carolina players to watch

1. Running back Juju McDowell has the capacity to be a game-changer on the ground. The 5-foot-9, 177-pound freshman from Leesburg, Georgia led South Carolina’s fourth-quarter charge in the East Carolina victory with consistently strong runs in the last drive. McDowell finished the ECU game with 71 yards on 11 carries and hauled in a 63-yard kickoff return against the Pirates.

2. Wide receiver Josh Vann has emerged as one of Noland’s favorite targets. In his fourth season with the Gamecocks, Vann finally hit his stride, catching seven receptions for 154 yards and a touchdown through the first two games. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound receiver from Tucker, Georgia caught a 45-yard reception against ECU last Saturday, the longest of his career.

3. Linebacker Brad Johnson is a veteran leader on South Carolina’s defense. Occasionally overlooked due to the prowess of the Gamecocks’ defensive line, the 6-foot-3, 240-pound senior leads USC in total tackles (12), tackles for loss (3.0 for 18 lost yards) and sacks (2.0 for 16 lost yards).

Three Georgia football players to watch

1. Defensive tackle Jordan Davis grabbed Beamer’s attention on tape when the 6-foot-6, 340-pound lineman chased UAB’s quarterback out of bounds last week. He’s one of the Bulldogs’ most valuable weapons on their defensive line, totaling two tackles for loss and a sack of Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei in Week 1.

2. Tight end Brock Bowers is Georgia’s leading receiver through the first two games, hauling in nine receptions for 150 yards and two touchdowns. Bowers, a 6-foot-4 freshman from Napa, California is the catcher to watch regardless of who ends up throwing passes to him.

3. Inside linebacker Channing Tindall is a Columbia native who’s having a big senior season at Georgia. He’s come down with 10 total tackles and, one tackle for loss and a sack through the first two games. Last season, he sacked Doty in Williams-Brice Stadium for a loss of five yards.

Behind the call: ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky recounts 2019 Gamecocks upset win over UGA

South Carolina football depth chart vs UGA

Any position, whether it’s a starter or a backup, is listed with an —OR— designation.

Offense

QB — Zeb Noland —OR— Luke Doty (Jason Brown)

RB — ZaQuandre White —OR— MarShawn Lloyd —OR— Juju McDowell —OR— Kevin Harris

WR — Jalen Brooks (Xavier Legette)

WR — Dakereon Joyner (Ahmarean Brown)

WR — Josh Vann (Geri-Cari Caldwell —OR— OrTre Smith)

LT — Jazston Turnetine (Jakai Moore)

LG — Jaylen Nichols (Vershon Lee)

OC — Eric Douglas (Vincent Murphy)

RG — Jovaughn Gwyn (Wyatt Campbell)

RT — Dylan Wonnum (Tyshawn Wannamaker)

TE — Nick Muse (E.J. Jenkins)

TE — Jaheim Bell (Traevon Kenion, Keveon Mullins)

Defense

EDGE — Aaron Sterling (Jordan Burch)

DT — Jabari Ellis (Tonka Hemingway)

DT — Zacch Pickens (Alex Huntley)

EDGE — Kingsley Enagbare (Jordan Strachan)

NICK — David Spaulding (Carlins Platel)

MLB — Sherrod Greene (Damani Staley —OR— Debo Williams)

WLB — Brad Johnson (Mo Kaba —OR— Darryle Ware)

CB — Marcellas Dial (Dominick Hill)

SS — Jaylin Dickerson OR R.J. Roderick (Jahmar Brown)

FS — Jaylan Foster (Tyrese Ross)

CB — Darius Rush —OR— Cam Smith

Specialists

PK — Parker White (Mitch Jeter)

KO — Parker White —OR— Mitch Jeter —OR— Alex Herrera

P — Kai Kroeger (Alex Herrera)

LS — Matthew Bailey (Hunter Rogers)

H — Kai Kroger (Alex Herrera)

KOR — Dakereon Joyner (Juju McDowell)

PR — Josh Vann (Ahmarean Brown)