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Keys To Victory: South Carolina @ No. 1 Georgia

South Carolina's Football will have to accomplish several objectives in order to pull off the upset against the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon.
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While there's a path to victory for the South Carolina Gamecocks in this week three showdown versus the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs, the margin for error is extremely slim. Shane Beamer's squad will have to outshine their SEC Rival in multiple areas if they want to remain competitive and have a shot to do something most people aren't expecting: knock off the back-to-back national champions. What are the three keys to victory for the Gamecocks?

Get Off To A Fast Start

In South Carolina's last three games against Georgia, the Gamecocks have found themselves trailing by an average of 14.3 points at the end of the first quarter. Realistically speaking, if South Carolina's going to have a chance to pull off what's viewed as improbable tomorrow afternoon, with the struggles their defense has had starting games this season, they can't afford to get behind by multiple scores in a hostile environment. This doesn't mean that the Gamecocks have to grab an early lead, although that would be advantageous, but at the minimum, they have to match anything positive that goes Georgia's way to start this game.

Give Spencer Rattler A Chance

This is me being captain obvious here, but in an upset scenario, Spencer Rattler has to lead the charge for South Carolina. However, Rattler's ability to change the entire complexion of this game will only matter if he's given adequate time against this athletic and quick defensive Bulldog front. Whether it's veterans like Sidney Fugar and Tyshawn Wannamaker or others like Tree Babalade and Jakai Moore, the Gamecocks can ill-afford to have a repeat of the North Carolina game unfold as far as pass protection is concerned.

Keep Consistent Pressure On Carson Beck

For the first time in three years, the Bulldogs are trotting out a new quarterback behind center in Cason Beck; someone people rave about when it comes to his ability to go through his progressions and make throws from several different arm angles. However, there's one thing about Beck's career résumé that Clayton White's defense could exploit on Saturday: his lack of experience. This game will be just Beck's third career start and his first career start against a Power 5 opponent, so if the Gamecocks can keep this game close later in the third quarter or early in the fourth quarter, the pressure could eventually get to Carson, who's not used to playing in tight ball games.

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