South Carolina Defeats Georgia in SEC Battle, Star is Born in RB Isaiah Crowell
If there’s a team in college football who had a more grueling start to the 2011 season than the Georgia Bulldogs, feel free to point them out. After facing top five power Boise State and then 12th ranked South Carolina, this team is probably really worn down. They have certainly given it all they’ve got, but an 0-2 record is not going to cut it in the tough SEC.
South Carolina forced timely turnovers and was able to hold off a late rally by quarterback Aaron Murray and Georgia, who saw the coming out party of freshman running back Isaiah Crowell.
I was extremely impressed with the balance in Crowell’s game despite the fact that he’s a young player. He has good size for a freshman and displayed excellent vision, speed, and power against the Gamecocks. He is going to be a fun one to watch.
One back who has already established himself as an elite player in the conference as well as one of the best runners in the country is sophomore Marcus Lattimore, who had a huge day.
Star Watch
South Carolina RB Marcus Lattimore
Lattimore was his usual self, absolutely dominating the Georgia defense to the tune of 27 carries for 176 yards and a touchdown, averaging 6.5 yards per carry.
This guy is going to be a stud in the NFL provided USC doesn’t work him to the bone. He has great size, power, vision–he is really the whole package. I love watching him play and he’s one of those young players you really just crave to see more of. His game speaks volumes for itself.
South Carolina WR Alshon Jeffery
Jeffery was slightly quiet but he had a key touchdown in the second quarter to give the Gamecocks their first lead of the game. He finished with five receptions for 85 yards and that one score, but he had some major contributions to this huge win for South Carolina.
South Carolina DB/LB Antonio Allen
Allen has been a major playmaker for the South Carolina defense, scoring a touchdown in each of the last three regular season games. He also had 17 tackles last season. He had a game-changing interception for a touchdown against Georgia on Saturday and displayed impressive athleticism. There will be a place for a player like him on an NFL roster, it just remains to be seen if he will play defensive back or linebacker.
Georgia QB Aaron Murray
Murray threw a pick-six at a key juncture of the game, which really killed a lot of Georgia’s momentum, but he had a very good outing other than that throw, completing 19 of 29 passes for 248 yards and four touchdowns. The most impressive part of his stat line was how he spread the ball around to so many different receivers. He hit eight different receivers, six of which had two or more receptions. He has shown a lot of potential and poise for a sophomore quarterback, and Georgia is really on the national map because of this guy.
Georgia RB Isaiah Crowell
Crowell finished the game with 158 total yards and two total touchdowns, really putting on a display of talent for the Georgia fan base. He was electrifying and proved that he can be a featured back in one of the toughest conferences in the country. I am excited to see more of him. He only had 18 touches in this contest, so you can bet the game plan will include more plays for this guy next week.
Georgia CB Brandon Boykin
The speedster continued to get looks on offense as well as show off his prowess defensively and in the return game, getting his first interception of the season as well as returning a kick 58 yards and averaging over 26 yards on the day in that regard. Is he the next Devin Hester?