I answered some questions for the UGA Rivals site ahead of this weekends game. Thought I’d share here.
What's South Carolina's injury situation heading into Saturday's game?
Alexander: "Things are certainly not ideal for the Gamecocks on that front. South Carolina has already lost linebacker Mo Kaba and left tackle Jaylen Nichols for the season. On top of that, starting safety Nick Emmanwori, starting nickel David Spaulding, depth piece at EDGE Jatius Geer, starting offensive tackle Cason Henry andfreshman offensive tackle Markee Anderson didn't play vs. Furman. Backup nickel Keenan Nelson Jr. and starting Wide Receiver Ahmarean Brown both left the Furman game in the first half and did not return.
"As of Tuesday, Shane Beamer was being coy about the prospects of any of those guys playing this weekend, "Everybody is questionable. Pretty much anybody you would ask me about would be questionable. They all did a little bit in practice today, except Ahmarean Brown." If you made me guess, Emmanwori probably has the best chance of playing, and the biggest loss of the questionables would be Brown, due to the WR room's lack of depth. This will certainly be a situation to monitor as the dress list comes out on Saturday. There's basically no chance Henry plays, which means the O-line will continue to have to piece it together at tackle in Athens."
What's the biggest thing you've learned about this year's South Carolina team heading into Saturday?
Alexander: "I think the biggest thing in the positive direction is that Spencer Rattlerseems to have truly taken a step forward, picking up right where he left off at the end of 2022 with his run of good/great games vs. Tennessee, Clemson, and Notre Dame. In his first two games in 2023, Rattler has combined for 55 of 66 passing for 698 yards and three TDs. Last week's 92.6 percent completion percentage (25-27) earned him the SEC Offensive Player of the Week. Most importantly, he has also done a much better job of protecting the football, committing no turnovers yet this season. He's been aided by the emergence of WR Xavier Legette, who has elevated his game and notched career games to start the season for himself, while last year's leading receiver Antwane Wells Jr. has been recovering from a camp injury. Obviously, this week will be a step up in competition, so it'll be interesting to see how he responds. Honestly, he could've been off to even a hotter start had it not been for...
Where's South Carolina's biggest weakness coming into the game?
Alexander: "The offensive line. This was a concern heading into the season due to the presumed starting left tackle Jaylen Nicholssustaining an ACL injury in the spring, and it got even worse when the other most talented tackle, Cason Henry, got injured against UNC on the first drive. That left a couple of G5/FCS transfers and some true freshmen to try to carry the load the last two weeks.
"The Tarheels sacked Rattler nine total times and held the Gamecocks to -2 yards rushing. Last week, after rotating in some of the freshmen and running more than 12 personnel, the protection was much better, but Furman's D-Line obviously doesn't remotely compare to what they'll face this week. There's basically no question that Georgia will get to Rattler often, but the hope is that the O-Line found some things that worked last week that will at least allow him to walk away from this one, having been given a chance to make an impact. If they play as badly as they did vs. UNC, Georgia may break the single-game sack record."
What's been the most impressive thing about the way Spencer Rattler has played so far?
Alexander: "I know this makes two parts of this gushing about Rattler, but at this point in the season it is deserved. The most impressive thing is that hasn't had very much help. Besides Legette, Rattler has had to work with backup QB Luke Doty, redshirt freshman Omega Blake, and an oft-injured Ahmarean Brown as the rest of his receiving corps, while Wells has been recovering, and he's still made each of them shine.
"On top of that, South Carolina is starting former QB/WR Dakereon Joyner at running back, and the running game has not impressed, putting even more pressure on Rattler's shoulders. Still, he's continued to carry the Gamecock offense. Even when he was running for his life vs. UNC, he remained reasonably accurate (30-39 for 353 yards) and gave South Carolina chances to win the game, even though he was routinely forced into impossible 3rd and 4th down situations. There's a feeling within the program if the Gamecock O-Line can just be average down the stretch, that Rattler will make the plays necessary to make this offense work, but average may be a step too far in this particular matchup."
How do you see Saturday's game going?
Alexander: "It wouldn't shock me if South Carolina scores early and makes it a little interesting for a bit, but the boa constrictor that is the UGA defense is going to ultimately clamp down on the weaknesses along the offensive front. South Carolina doesn't have many options for keeping them honest in the run game if the Bulldogs start to ramp up the pressure. I think this one could be fun for a quarter or two, but ultimately Georgia will settle in and pull away with their depth along the lines of scrimmage. Score prediction: Bulldogs 45, Gamecocks 21."
southcarolina.rivals.com
