Bulldogs hold off Gamecocks
in defensive battle 14-7
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- No. 2 Georgia
and Knowshon Moreno made sure South Carolina didn't ruin a second-straight
shot at a championship season.
Moreno's sliding 4-yard touchdown run in
the third quarter lifted the Bulldogs to a 14-7 victory over the Gamecocks
on Saturday.
Reshad Jones sealed the victory for the
Bulldogs (3-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference), intercepting South Carolina's
Chris Smelley's pass with 13 seconds left inside the Georgia 10.
The Bulldogs had all offseason to remember
how last September's 16-12 loss to South Carolina (1-2, 0-2) likely kept
them from playing for the SEC and national titles.
Instead, Georgia had to settle for the
title of team no one wanted to face at the end of 2007.
For much of this one, it looked like the
Gamecocks could do it again as the Bulldogs trailed 7-6 midway through the
third quarter.
Georgia had already muffed a scoring chance
near the goal line, settling for Blair Walsh's 23-yard field goal after
having a third-and-goal at the South Carolina 1.
Moreno, who finished with 79 yards on 20
carries, didn't squander the Bulldogs' next opportunity.
He ran left, then took a hard cut up the
middle with his feet sliding out from under him. Moreno steadied himself
with his right hand, then slipped through for his seventh touchdown of the
year.
Stafford converted the 2-point try on a
pass to Kris Durham and Georgia led 14-7.
Moreno's TD was the first Georgia's scored
in the past eight quarters against the Gamecocks.
South Carolina had three chances in the
fourth quarter to tie things up.
The Gamecocks drove to Georgia's 2 midway
through the period. But linebacker Rennie Curran smacked the ball free as
tailback Mike Davis tried to leap the pile and it bounced into the arms of
Georgia defensive back Asher Allen.
South Carolina got to Georgia 17 in the
final minute before Smelley was intercepted by Jones to keep the Gamecocks
winless against teams' ranked in the top two.
For South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier, it
was his sixth straight SEC loss, by far the longest of his stellar career.
Only the most ardent Gamecock fans coming
in could've expected South Carolina to hang with the mighty 'Dawgs.
Georgia, armed with the memories of last
year's game and the dynamic Moreno, figured to romp to victory. But right
from the start, South Carolina showed the Bulldogs things would not be easy.
Georgia's first two series dissolved into
punts. It had two scoring drives that took a combined 28 plays and ate up
more than a quarter of the first half, but both ended with field goals.
South Carolina's offense, which came in
ninth in the 12-team SEC, did little to improve that ranking.
But the Gamecocks finally got something
going midway through the second quarter. Smelley found Moe Brown for a
19-yard gain to get inside Georgia territory. Two plays later, Brown slipped
behind defender Ramarcus Brown for a 34-yard TD pass from Smelley.
