South Carolina football: most exciting games in Georgia rivalry
By Jacob Elsey
South Carolina football renews its rivalry with UGA on Saturday.
The South Carolina football team will line up against the Georgia Bulldogs tomorrow, in the 68th meeting between the two Southeastern Conference rivals. These teams first met back in 1903, with the Bulldogs holding a 47-18-2 overall advantage.
The Gamecocks and Bulldogs met every season between 1958 and 1989. After a short hiatus, the Gamecocks joined the SEC, and the two schools have met each year since.
Over the years, we’ve seen some fantastic finishes between these programs. As we creep closer to their next meeting, let’s look back at some of the best matchups from the past.
1980
The 1980 matchup featured two of the nation’s top running backs, as George Rogers and the No. 14 Gamecocks travelled to Athens to play Herschel Walker and the fourth-ranked Bulldogs. It was the first time that the South Carolina program was featured on the ABC national game of the week.
Walker, a freshman at the time, went on to carry the ball 43 times, totaling 219 yards. Rogers, the eventual Heisman winner, carried the rock 35 times for 168 yards.
Georgia went up 13-0 but South Carolina battled back to score the next 10 points. The game came down to the fourth quarter, as the Gamecocks looked to extend their series winning streak to three.
South Carolina had the ball deep in Georgia territory with six minutes remaining in the game, looking to take their first lead and continue a dream season. The Gamecocks gave the ball back to their superstar back, who’d just come back into the lineup after injuring his hand. Rogers was hit on his final carry of the game, fumbled, and the Bulldogs recovered to secure a 13-10 win.