ATHENS, ga. — Aaron Murray threw for 309 yards and four touchdowns, Georgia’s beleaguered defense finally came up with a stop, and the 11th-ranked Bulldogs defeated No. 6 South Carolina 41-30 on Saturday for an early edge in the Southeastern Conference East.
Coming off a 38-35 loss at Clemson, Georgia could not afford another defeat if it wanted to remain a serious contender for a national title.
Murray took care of that, turning in one of the best games of his career and shaking off his reputation as a quarterback who can’t win the big game. The fifth-year senior capped his stellar day for the Bulldogs (1-1, 1-0 SEC) with an 85-yard touchdown pass to Justin Scott-Wesley with 13 minutes remaining.
The defense made sure it stood up, stuffing Mike Davis on fourth-and-goal from inside the 1.
Georgia snapped a three-year losing streak against the Gamecocks, seizing control of the SEC East though South Carolina (1-1, 0-1) still has a chance to get back in the race, thanks to a more favorable schedule. In fact, the Bulldogs won the division the last two years despite losing to their neighboring rival.
Todd Gurley had another huge day for the Bulldogs on the ground, rushing for 136 yards on 30 bruising carries and scoring two touchdowns. His first came on a 2-yard run in a wild first half, which ended with the teams tied at 24. Then, in the final seconds of the third quarter, he hauled in an 8-yard TD pass from Murray to give Georgia a 34-24 lead.
Davis ended the third with a 75-yard run down the sideline, and finished off the drive early in the fourth with a 3-yard run. South Carolina missed the extra point, and Georgia led 34-30.
It looked as though the Gamecocks were poised to get the ball back when Georgia faced third-and-13 from its own 15. But Murray scrambled away from Jadeveon Clowney and lofted a pass to Scott-Wesley all alone behind the secondary. The speedster ran away from his pursuers, giving Georgia an 11-point lead.
