The South Carolina Gamecocks pulled off a playoff-altering upset in double overtime as the team came out victorious over No. 3 Georgia by a score of 20-17 on Saturday at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia.
This shocking upset was accomplished thanks to stellar defense by the Gamecocks as they held the Bulldog offense that averaged 42.8 points per game to just 17.
Sophomore defensive back Israel Mukuamu intercepted Bulldogs senior quarterback Jake Fromm three times. Sophomore defensive linebacker Ernest Jones padded his stats as well with 12 total tackles and three pass breakups.
“Talking in terms of the character of the program, the culture of the program, the leadership of the program and the character of the young men in that locker room,” head coach Will Muschamp said. “We did what we had to do to win the ballgame.”
This defensive performance was evident early in the ballgame as the Gamecocks were able to hold junior running back D’Andre Swift and company to a field goal to give the Bulldogs the lead.
The Gamecocks were able to respond later with a 46-yard pass from freshman quarterback Ryan Hilinski to senior wide receiver Bryan Edwards to put South Carolina up early.
South Carolina then traded scores in the second quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run from Swift and a 49-yard field goal from redshirt junior Parker White knotted the game up at 10.
However, late in the first half, Mukuamu came up with his first interception of the game, returning it for a touchdown to give the Gamecocks the lead going into halftime.
In the third quarter, defense really became a huge factor in the ballgame.
The Gamecocks and Bulldogs traded scoreless drives before Hilinski was taken out after an injury on a roughing the passer penalty on Georgia, thus bringing in redshirt freshman quarterback Dakereon Joyner in to lead the Gamecock offense.
“My teammates did a great job of keeping me composed,” Joyner said, regarding taking over for Hilinski. “And letting me know that they trust me.”
The South Carolina defense was able to hold Georgia's offense until later on in the fourth quarter as the Bulldogs went 96 yards down the field for a game-tying touchdown that would eventually send the game into overtime.
In the first overtime, Fromm’s second-down pass was intercepted by Mukuamu, giving the Gamecocks an opportunity to win with just a field goal.
However, South Carolina was unable to capitalize on this as White missed a 33-yard attempt, sending the game into its second overtime.
White then redeemed himself with a 24-yard field goal which became the deciding factor after Bulldog senior kicker Rodrigo Blankenship missed from 42 yards out.
Senior defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw described the win very simply: “It felt good to get that one, it felt really good.”
Key Statistics
Although the Gamecock defense was the story of Saturday’s win, the offense also did its part protecting the ball as the Bulldogs forced zero turnovers against South Carolina’s four.
Also, before being taken out after his injury, Hilinski threw for 116 yards and 75% of his passes resulted in completions.
Observations
The South Carolina defense continued its dominant play Saturday after its 24-7 win over Kentucky just two weeks ago.
Jones once again led the team in tackles after leading the team last game against the Wildcats. The Gamecock defense also held Kentucky to minimal scoring as they did against Georgia.
Who’s next?
The Gamecocks will now turn their attention to another SEC powerhouse in No. 9 Florida. The Gators are coming off a 42-28 loss at the hands of No. 2 LSU and come into Columbia with a 6-1 record.
The Gamecocks and Gators are set to kickoff at noon on Oct. 19 at Williams-Brice Stadium and can be seen on ESPN.