Ahead of Saturday's matchup between South Carolina and Georgia, managing editor Adam Orfinger got in touch with Red & Black's sports editor John Durham to analyze the game from the Bulldogs' perspective.
TDG: Georgia had an emotional roller coaster loss to Tennessee last week. How do you expect the Bulldogs to respond Saturday against South Carolina?
JD: Honestly after such a crazy game against Tennessee, I'm not sure how Georgia will respond. Kirby Smart came in with this "24-hour rule" in which the players and coaches forget about the previous game 24 hours after it occurred. They won't talk about it or bring it up. I think it'll take longer than 24 hours to get over this past game though. The last two weeks have been as low as you could possibly get as a football team. They were blown out of the water against Ole Miss and lost that heartbreaker to the Vols this weekend. If anything, Kirby will get his team going headed into a rivalry game against South Carolina.
TDG: Jacob Eason struggled mightily on the road against Ole Miss. How do you expect the true freshman to fare against a hostile Williams-Brice crowd at night?
JD: I don't think it will come easy for Eason this Saturday night. The South Carolina defense and fans will be all over the freshman quarterback the entire game. For all the good Eason has done this year, he's also made some big mistakes this year. He hasn't taken care of the ball particularly well, either, with four interceptions. I think the freshman will make some mistakes in the hostile environment.
TDG: What's the expectation for the Georgia running game? Does it even matter if Nick Chubb can't go, or is Sony Michel good enough to pick up the slack?
JD: I think the expectations for the Georgia running game are pretty high coming into this game. The run game has been up and down all year, with good games against UNC and Tennessee and underwhelming performances against Nicholls State and Ole Miss. If Chubb misses this game, I don't think it will make much of a difference. Michel, Brian Herrien and Elijah Holyfield have all shown they are more than capable of picking up the slack when called upon at certain times this year, especially the freshman Herrien. He'll get his touches even if Chubb does play.
TDG: South Carolina has given up a lot of yards defensively this season, but the Gamecocks have done a good job keeping points off the board. How is Georgia planning to attack the South Carolina defense?
JD: It's no secret how Georgia will want to attack South Carolina's defense. As Nick Chubb said earlier this year, "we're Georgia, we're going to run the ball." Georgia is going to pound the ball and keep it out of the freshman Jacob Eason's hands as much as they can.
TDG: Fill in the blanks: Georgia will win if __________________. South Carolina will win if __________________.
JD: Georgia will win if Eason can stay cool under the pressure of a hostile environment and South Carolina will win if they stop the Georgia run game and force Eason into mistakes.