Columbia, SC – Connor Shaw threw for a pair of touchdowns and rushed for another as sixth-ranked South Carolina rolled over No. 5 Georgia, 35-7, on Saturday.
Ace Sanders added a 70-yard punt return for a score for the Gamecocks (6-0, 4-0 SEC), who set a new school record with their 10th straight win dating back to last season.
Shaw completed 6-of-10 passes for 162 yards and added 78 yards on 14 carries. Marcus Lattimore totaled 109 yards and a touchdown on 24 rushes as South Carolina improved to 6-0 for the first time since 1988.
"Connor is sensational running the ball. That's his game," South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said. "He can throw, too, but running Marcus and running him we try to hit some big plays. Fortunately we did hit some big ones. That was key for us. When you play a team like Georgia, you like to limit their number of plays if you can by staying on the field. We did it decent the fourth quarter."
Aaron Murray went 11-for-31 through the air for 109 yards and an interception for Georgia (5-1, 3-1), which had its streak of 15 straight regular season wins snapped.
Ken Malcome had 45 yards and the Bulldogs' lone score on five carries.
"We took a whipping, but the good news was that we all took it together," Georgia coach Mark Richt said. "I don't think anyone could look in the mirror and say 'I had a great day but the other boys didn't.' I don't think either side of the ball could say 'We did our job and the other boys didn't.' It was a team loss."
South Carolina wasted no time in getting on the board as Shaw found Damiere Byrd deep over the middle for a 42-yard gain on the second play of the game. Three plays later, Bruce Ellington hauled in a 20-yard touchdown pass on the left side of the end zone for the early lead.
Malcolm Mitchell returned the ensuing kickoff 48 yards to give Georgia the ball at the Gamecocks' 47, but Georgia failed to take advantage of the favorable field position when DeVonte Holloman made a diving interception of a tipped Murray pass.
Shaw then converted a 3rd-and-6 with an 8-yard scramble to keep a drive alive before capping the 11-play, 69-yard march with a 14-yard TD pass to Rory Anderson.
After Georgia was held to a three-and-out on its next touch, Sanders initially dropped the punt before recovering the ball, racing up the middle and breaking a couple tackles during a 70-yard return, giving the Gamecocks a 21-0 lead with 5:18 left in the opening quarter.
The Bulldogs were not able to cross midfield in the game until they took over on offense at their own 19 with 9:25 remaining in the second quarter and Murray converted three third downs through the air as part of a 15-play drive that moved as far as the South Carolina 2-yard line.
Georgia would not come away with any points, however, as Rantavious Wooten could not push his way across the goal line on a short reception during a 4th- and-goal, keeping it a 21-0 game at the break.
The teams traded punts over the first three possessions of the third quarter until Shaw hit D.L. Moore deep over middle for a 62-yard gain on a 3rd-and-10, placing the ball at the Georgia one.
Lattimore rumbled in for the score on the next play to put the Gamecocks on top, 28-0, with 8:30 left in the third.
Murray failed to connect with Wooten on a 4th-and-3 at the South Carolina 48 on the ensuing possession, but the Gamecocks could not capitalize as Adam Yates' 33-yard field goal was blocked.
South Carolina was able to add to its lead when Shaw capped a 14-play, 89-yard drive consisting entirely of runs with a 7-yard score with 6:17 left in the game.
The march, which started in the final minute of the third quarter and lasted 9 1/2 minutes, was kept alive with a defensive offsides penalty when South Carolina lined up for a 4th-and-1 at its own 20.
Georgia put an end to the Gamecocks' shutout bid on its next touch with Malcome's 3-yard run into the end zone.
Game Notes
South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier recorded his 250th career victory in the win. He has 203 wins at the collegiate level and 47 in the pros ... Georgia coach Mark Richt fell to 3-5 in matchups between top-10 teams ... Lattimore also had 24 yards on two receptions ... The Gamecocks had 392 yards of total offense, compared to 224 for the Bulldogs ... Georgia leads the all-time series between the teams, 46-16-2.
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