Defensive Players to Watch for Georgia This Saturday Against South Carolina
This Saturday afternoon will begin SEC conference play for the South Carolina Gamecocks and the reigning national champion Georgia Bulldogs. The Gamecocks come into this game with a 1-1 record but have an extremely potent passing game featuring the duo of Spencer Rattler and Xavier Legette. There are some key defensive players to watch from Georgia this coming Saturday.
Kamari Lassiter
This game will present Kamari Lassiter with his first true test as the Dawgs' number-one cornerback—Legette, who is Rattler's No. 1 option in the passing game, has just 15 receptions for 296 yards and a touchdown, averaging 19.7 yards a reception. Against Furman, Rattler found Legette for an exceptional catch in tight coverage for a 42-yard touchdown. He will provide a good look for Lassiter, who will face impressive receivers against Tennessee and Ole Miss later in the season. Can Lassiter hold Legette to his first game under 100 receiving yards?
Mykel Williams vs South Carolina photo Tony Walsh/UGAA
Defensive Line
The rush unit for Georgia will be the key to the game defensively if they want to dominate South Carolina on Saturday. First, South Carolina has not proven a strong running game to start the season. The Gamecocks leading rusher has just 64 yards so far, and they also have five rushers with negative yardage. So far, Georgia has let up 129 rushing yards per game, something they aren't used to doing. Secondly, they need to find a way to put pressure on Rattler and force the ball out quickly so he doesn't have time to let Legette develop his route. Against North Carolina, the Gamecocks gave up nine sacks to a Tarheel pass rush that only had 17 sacks in 2022 and a team that couldn't find a way to get to the QB against App. State. Furman was also finding a way to pressure Rattler last week. This unit for Georgia will be must-watch football on Saturday.
Tykee Smith
Smith is a player on the Dawgs defense who some would consider the "MVP" for the defense at this point in the season. Coming off injury in the previous season, this will be Smith's first SEC action in over a year. For him, it will likely be a statement game, where he can come in and prove to everyone that he is still the same player he was at West Virginia when he was named an All-American. Smith has nine total tackles on the year and an interception he returned for 12 yards. Because the first two games of the season were against "cupcake" opponents, he got taken out of the game before it was finished. This weekend, Smith will have the full game to show he is truly back and that the STAR spot on Kirby Smart's defense is in good hands with Bullard returning to safety.
Although South Carolina isn't offering much in the run game, the Rattler and Legette connection is a serious threat. It almost reminds you of Hendon Hooker and Jaylin Hyatt last season for Tennessee. The Bulldogs secondary will be tested this game, but if Georgia's defensive line can find a way to create havoc around Rattler, it should be a good day for the Dawgs defense.
