Game Balls: Georgia RB Daijun Edwards provides spark in return
ATHENS, Ga. — A win is a win and Georgia got one on Saturday. Yes, it trailed 14-3 at the half but it scored the final 21 points of the ball game and surged past South Carolina by a score of 24-14. It should have been worse than that and if the Bulldogs had showed up in the first half, it would have. The comeback win required some high-level play from multiple players and we acknowledge those guys below with game balls.
RB Daijun Edwards: The Moultrie, Ga. native didn’t play in either of Georgia’s first two games due to a knee sprain but he came back just in time. Edwards piled up 118 rushing yards on 20 carries and scored his first touchdown of the season. South Carolina had a really tough time bottling him up as he consistently found the smallest of creases and made plays.
DB Tykee Smith: The senior defender has been a huge bright spot for Georgia in 2023. He grabbed his second interception of the season to finish the game off. He also played really well against the Gamecock spring game and was maybe the surest tackler Georgia had on the field.
WR Rara Thomas: He was only targeted three times, catching two, but the first grab was a big one in this game. Thomas beat his man to the inside on a seam route and Carson Beck found him for a 36-yard gain. It seemed like that big gainer was what got the offense going. Thomas came back later and won quickly on a quick slant to move the chains.
CB Kamari Lassiter: The Georgia defense got a huge energy and attitude boost from the junior cornerback. He finished with 2.5 tackles for loss and a pair of pass breakups in the game. Lassiter is a high-effort guy who is quickly growing into one of the Bulldogs’ most reliable defenders.
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TE Brock Bowers: After putting up massive numbers against the Gamecock defense last year, the Georgia tight end found the sledding tougher on Saturday. He touched the ball eight times for 55 yards and he earned his keep. Bowers picked up a lot of tough yardage and helped keep the Bulldog crowd in the game.
S Malaki Starks: It wasn’t a huge tackle game for the Georgia sophomore but he was all over the field in coverage. Starks broke up three passes on the day and it seemed like all three came in big moments. Like Smith, Starks has been a major factor in each of the first three games.
DE Mykel Williams: The former five-star prospect picked up his second sack of the season against the Gamecocks and it was a big one, pulling Spencer Rattler down deep in his own territory. But that one play doesn’t tell the whole story. By our count he had at least five pressures in the second half, forcing Rattler to either throw the ball away or throw inaccurately.
