How South Carolina can upset Georgia; plus, breaking down Jake Bentley’s Week 9 performance

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Recipe for an upset

Can South Carolina upset the No. 2-ranked Georgia on Saturday in Sanford Stadium? If the Gamecocks are to pull off the unlikely win, it starts with limiting the Bulldogs’ big plays, according to David Caraviello of SEC Country.

“Bulldogs quarterback Jake Fromm has come a long way from the game manager he appeared at the outset, as that gorgeous over-the-shoulder touchdown pass to Javon Wims against Florida will attest,” Caraviello wrote. “But in a game of pick your poison, the Gamecocks are better suited to stack against the run and make the freshman beat them. [Nick] Chubb and [Sony] Michel are Georgia’s biggest weapons, and any hopes of an upset begin with preventing them from breaking loose.”

Caraviello has more details on the ingredients for a South Carolina shocker Between the Hedges.

Jake Bentley’s big day

Prior to South Carolina’s 34-27 win over Vanderbilt on Saturday, quarterback Jake Bentley told reporters he spent the team’s bye week working on his footwork. Based off the sophomore quarterback’s performance against the Commodores, it was time well-spent.

Bentley completed 19 of 29 passes for 174 yards and 1 touchdown, adding an additional 47 yards and 2 scores on the ground.

“It was clear that Bentley’s bye week efforts to clean up his mechanics paid off, because he didn’t miss on many throws,” Hale McGranahan of SEC Country wrote. “Aside from the incomplete look to [A.J.] Turner on the wheel route, there were only 1-2 passes that could have been thrown better.”

On the season, the 6-foot-3 signal caller has completed 61.4 percent of his passes for 1,759 yards, 13 touchdowns and 4 interceptions.

Kickoff announced

The Gamecocks’ home game against the Florida Gators on Nov. 11 will kick off at noon, the SEC announced on Monday.

Florida is looking for its third straight win over South Carolina. The Gators lead the all-time series, 26-8-3.

Interim coach Randy Shannon will lead the Gators into Williams-Brice Stadium, having been promoted to the position from his co-defensive coordinator/linebackers role after Jim McElwain’s departure on Sunday.

More league honors

South Carolina center Alan Knott was named SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week on Monday.

The senior offensive lineman helped the Gamecocks rush for a season-high 212 yards and 3 touchdowns in their win over the Commodores.

Knott is the only offensive lineman to start every game for South Carolina this season.

‘It was a great visit’

Four-star cornerback and Florida State commit Asante Samuel Jr. had nothing but good things to say about his visit to South Carolina last weekend.

“It was a great visit; everybody showed love,” Samuel told SportsTalk’s Phil Kornblut. “They did a good job showing me a good time. I’m still 100 percent [committed], but anything can happen until Signing Day.”

Samuel is rated as the No. 98 overall prospect in the Class of 2018, according to the 247Sports composite.

Gamecocks start encore to Final Four

South Carolina men’s basketball returned to the court on Monday night with a 85-44 exhibition win over Erskine College. The game was the Gamecocks’ first of any kind since their run to the Final Four last season.

Junior forward Chris Silva led all scorers with 15 points, along with 9 rebounds.

Graduate transfer guard Frank Booker was also impressive, with 11 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists in his South Carolina debut.

“Graduate transfer wing Frank Booker, who’s also played at Oklahoma and Florida Atlantic, has a quick release from behind the 3-point line,” McGranahan wrote. “He hit 3 of 5 shots from deep and looks like a potential go-to guy for points when South Carolina needs a bucket.”

Goosebumps

An exhibition win not enough to get you excited for the upcoming season of South Carolina basketball? Check out the new intro below and try not to get too fired up.

INTRO!!!

Our 2017-18 intro video is !!!#Focused#Toughness#Gamecocks pic.twitter.com/wanHQsU8hc

— Gamecock MBB (@GamecockMBB) October 30, 2017

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