ATHENS, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 12: George Pickens #1 of the Georgia Bulldogs pulls in this reception against Jaycee Horn #1 of the South Carolina Gamecocks in the first half at Sanford Stadium on October 12, 2019 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
The unranked South Carolina Gamecocks stunned the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs with a 20-17 victory in Athens. South Carolina was just 2-3 heading into the SEC matchup where Georgia was a 21-point favorite in the point spread, per OddsShark.
Georgia’s offense struggled to find its footing and needed a last-minute touchdown just to send the game into overtime. Jake Fromm threw three costly interceptions that had a major impact on the game.
The first interception turned into a pick-six right before halftime to give South Carolina a 17-10 lead heading into the break. Fromm’s pick in overtime went off the hands of his receiver, but an earlier mistake in the fourth quarter was another poor pass.
The Georgia quarterback is known for his efficiency and ability to avoid mishaps thanks to his decision making. Fromm did not look like himself against South Carolina, but neither did the entire Bulldogs offense. The upset has a bit of significance for South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp who played at Georgia.
“I enjoyed it probably too much there in my time in college, but I had a great experience,” Muschamp explained to Post and Courier prior to the game. “I’ve really only been back to Georgia, one time at LSU, (two times among two stops) at Auburn and one time at South Carolina in my coaching career.”
Georgia Kicker Rico Blankenship Missed His First Field Goal of the Season in Overtime to Give South Carolina the Victory
Despite their mistakes, Georgia had a chance to continue playing in overtime, but Rico Blankenship missed a field goal to secure the win for the Gamecocks. Neither team was able to score a touchdown in overtime, and it marked the first field goal Blakenship has missed this season.
Dakereon Joyner entered the game for an injured Ryan Hilinski for South Carolina at quarterback. Joyner was 6-of-12 for 39 passing yards and added 28 rushing yards in the game. The story of the day was the South Carolina defense that forced Fromm into throwing three interceptions in the game.
Georgia Still Has a Chance to Win the SEC & Potentially Make the College Football Playoff
South Carolina feeling an upset??
The Gamecocks lead Georgia after this pick six from Israel Mukuamu on Jake Fromm’s first interception of the year.
It is going to be hard to overcome a loss to an unranked South Carolina team, but Georgia’s season is far from over. Georgia likely needs to win out to have any chance at making the College Football Playoff, and the Bulldogs can still win the SEC. The Bulldogs have major upcoming games against Florida, Auburn and Texas A&M to potentially help bolster their resume.
Georgia will need to win the SEC East in order to have a chance at the conference title. If the Bulldogs can go undefeated and win the SEC, they will likely still be in the conversation for a spot in the College Football Playoff. However, Georgia now has zero margin of error and likely will need a bit of help.
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Georgia Upset by Unranked South Carolina in SEC Stunner