Georgia–South Carolina football rivalry

The Georgia–South Carolina football rivalry is an American college football rivalry game played annually by the Georgia Bulldogs and the South Carolina Gamecocks. The rivalry was first contested in 1894, and has been played annually since the Gamecocks joined the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in 1992, with a total of 65 series meetings (as of 2012). Georgia currently leads the series with a record of 46-17-2.

Emergence of the rivalry
Traditionally Georgia has had three main rivals: the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Auburn Tigers, and Florida Gators.
 * The two schools played periodically until South Carolina's entrance into the SEC in 1992.
 * Recruiting battles have always existed between the two, but have recently heated up due to South Carolina's recent success.
 * Georgia's fan base has disliked current South Carolina football coach, Steve Spurrier, since his days as head coach at the University of Florida..
 * The last 14 match-ups between the schools have been nationally televised, dating back to 1997 (6 on ESPN2, 4 on ESPN and 4 on CBS).
 * In the week leading up to the 2012 nationally televised game featuring a #5 ranked Georgia team versus a #6 ranked South Carolina team, South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier was quoted as saying "They’ve got more rivals than almost anybody I know. They really do. Traditionally, we’ve only had Clemson because we haven’t beaten anybody enough to have any more rivals. Georgia, I’ve always said, is our biggest conference rival since they’re closest to us, I think, than any other school.”

Notable and recent games

 * 1980: One of the most memorable games was the 1980 matchup between Heisman Trophy hopefuls, George Rogers and Herschel Walker. Led by Walker's 219 rushing yards, Georgia won 13–10 and would go on to capture the National Championship. Rogers turned in 168 rushing yards in the contest, setting the stage for a successful finish to his Heisman Trophy campaign.
 * 1993: South Carolina defeated #14 Georgia in Athens 23-21 when running back Brandon Bennett dove over the pile into the end zone with two seconds left in the game. This was one of the most memorable plays in South Carolina football history.
 * 2000: South Carolina's defense intercepted Heisman Trophy hopeful Quincy Carter five times in a 21-10 upset of the #10 Bulldogs in Columbia. The victory broke an 18-game SEC losing streak for the Gamecocks.
 * 2002: Georgia linebacker David Pollack batted down and intercepted a pass from South Carolina quarterback Corey Jenkins in the South Carolina end zone. This memorable play jump-started a quiet Georgia team, leading to a 13-7 victory.
 * 2004: Georgia fell down early 16–0 thanks to a pick-six and an amazing touchdown catch and run by Troy Williamson. However, David Greene led a second-half comeback, complete with a deep touchdown pass to Reggie Brown late in the fourth. Georgia won 20–16 and kept their SEC hopes alive.
 * 2005: D. J. Shockley's first SEC start after being named the player of the week by the SEC for the opener against Boise State. The Heisman campaign by Shockley came crashing down against South Carolina as the Gamecocks stifled the Georgia offense. Georgia would survive and win 17–15.
 * 2007: South Carolina's second win against Georgia in the Richt era. The Gamecocks won 16–12, holding off a late drive by Georgia and recording an interception to end the game.
 * 2008: The second-ranked Bulldogs won a low scoring game on particularly hot and humid day in Williams-Brice Stadium. A goal-line fumble forced by Rennie Curran and a late game interception from Reshad Jones preserved the otherwise unimpressive 14-7 victory.
 * 2009: Considered an instant classic, South Carolina jumped all over the Bulldogs, taking an early 17–7 lead, but #21 Georgia stormed back and won a shootout, 41–37, sealed by a batted pass in the end zone by linebacker Rennie Curran.
 * 2010: The match-up in Columbia highlighted the archetype of the rivalry - a low scoring defensive shootout. #24 South Carolina defeated #22 Georgia 17–6, pulling away late in the game. Freshman running back Marcus Lattimore ran for 182 yards on 37 carries in his SEC debut. This victory set the stage for South Carolina's run to the SEC Championship.
 * 2011: The 2011 game proved to be almost identical to the 2009 game. The #12 Gamecocks defeated the unranked Bulldogs in Athens 45–42. South Carolina defensive end Melvin Ingram became the third player since 2006 to score a touchdown both on offense and defense in the same game, a 68-yard run on a fake punt and a 5-yard fumble return. He also recovered an onside kick late in the game to seal the victory for the Gamecocks.  South Carolina was the division leader for the majority of the season until the Gamecocks lost to the Arkansas Razorbacks, resulting in a Bulldog berth in the championship game.
 * 2012: #6 South Carolina defeated #5 Georgia, 35-7, in front of a record crowd (85,199) at Williams-Brice Stadium, the highest-ranked matchup of the teams in series history and the first time the Gamecocks have won three in a row over the Bulldogs.

Schedule change
In most years that Georgia and South Carolina have been in the SEC, their game was the first conference game on the schedule for both teams, usually in the second week of the season. Due to SEC expansion in 2012, the schedule needed to be modified to accommodate new SEC members Texas A&M Aggies and Missouri Tigers. The 2012 schedule has the Georgia-South Carolina game closer to the midpoint of the season.

Game results
''Georgia victories are colored ██ red. South Carolina victories are colored ██ garnet. Ties are white.''

Series record sources: ESPN College Football Encyclopedia College Football Data Warehouse.

Additional sources

 * The Tuscaloosa News - Google News Archive Search
 * Waycross Journal-Herald - Google News Archive Search
 * No rivalry in area tops Bulldogs vs. Gamecocks | The Augusta Chronicle
 * Low-scoring rivalry tough on offense | The Red and Black
 * Strange things happen when USC, Georgia meet » Anderson Independent Mail