Needing a spark for a somewhat stagnant running game, senior Daijun Edwards gave Kirby Smart the boost he’d been hoping for.

In his first game since tweaking his MCL in fall camp, Edwards answered his coach’s call by rushing 21 times for 113 yards and a touchdown as Georgia topped South Carolina, 24-14.

“I would expect Daijun to be that effective last week, this week, and next week,” Smart said. “He’s a good back. He’s a tough football player, and we’re fortunate he was healthy today.”

For the game, Georgia rushed 44 times for a season-high 189 yards. The 100-yard effort was the second of Edwards’ career.

“It was huge. He makes people miss in the hole, gets yards after contact. He’s very confident, he’s an experienced player, and he’s tough,” Smart said. “He’s just a traditional Georgia high school player who’s a really good player from a really tough area (Moultrie). He’s a good player.”

Georgia suffered what it hopes will not turn into a serious injury when starting right tackle Amarius Mims left the game midway through the second quarter.

He did not return.

At first, Mims tried to walk off the field before crumpling to the turf. He was unable to put any weight on his left foot. After he was taken to the locker room, Mims returned with a boot on his left foot and on crutches.

“It’s an ankle sprain, but we don’t know how significant,” Smart said. “It seems like there are ankle sprains all over the country right now. They’re everywhere. But I don’t know how significant it is.”

With Mims out, left guard Xavier Truss moved to right tackle with Dylan Fairchild taking over at left guard.

Also: Safety Javon Bullard warmed up and was announced as the starter but never entered the game.

The junior missed his first game after injuring his ankle against Ball State.

Also, wide receiver Ladd McConkey missed his third straight game with a back injury that’s been slow to heal.

Smart also said that running back Kendall Milton may have tweaked his MCL.

A number of other Bulldogs did not dress due to injuries.

They included:

Offensive Lineman Austin Blaske (knee).

Outside Linebacker Marvin Jones Jr. (illness)

Safety Chris Peal (turf toe).

Defensive lineman Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins (foot).

Running back Roderick Robinson appeared to limp off following his lone carry.

Although some fans may not be convinced that Carson Beck is the answer at quarterback, Smart has some news for you.

“I thought he did a good job. I don’t know what his numbers were, 27 of 35? That was pretty good,” Smart said. “That’s the deal, that’s what he has done well.”

Beck threw for 269 yards on the afternoon, actually producing more passing yards than Gamecock quarterback Spencer Rattler, who completed 22 of 42 for 256 yards with two interceptions.

“He threw the ball down the field well, got rid of the ball when he had to. He made plays with his feet,” Smart said of Beck. “I think Carson has done a tremendous job being the leader of this offense. Does he have to get better? Yeah. He made some throws that were a little bit inaccurate, but the biggest thing was he looked comfortable.”

A pair of missed field goals by Peyton Woodring will result in Smart re-evaluating those duties this week in practice.

“I’ve seen better in practice. We’ve been really consistent in practice, but we’ll go back and watch the tape, look at it, and continue to reevaluate it because we’ve got to do something to score,” Smart said. “We’ve got to be able to score points. I’d much rather not have to kick field goals; that’s my first answer.”

After converting a 31-yard field goal to start the game, Woodring missed on attempts of 28 and 41 yards.

If Smart makes a change, junior Jared Zirkel figures to receive the opportunity.

…Running back Andrew Paul was able to warm up without his customary knee brace, but he did not play in the game.

…Right guard Tate Ratledge wore Devin Willock’s No. 77.

…Smart on RaRa Thomas, who had two catches for 42 yards, including a long one of 36. “I thought he had his best week of practice,” Smart said. “We’ve got to find ways to get him the ball, use him, and use his skill set. The second half we got him the ball twice. He did a great job.”

… Georgia’s leading tacklers were junior Smael Mondon (5), sophomore Daylen Everette (5), and senior Tykee Smith (five tackles, one interception, one pass breakup). Also, senior defensive lineman Nazir Stackhouse collected his first sack of the year and the second of his career. Junior Kamari Lassiter had four tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss. USC converted a 3rd-and-15 on its opening drive for a touchdown (Rattler to Antwane Wells) for a 7-0 edge (10 plays, 65 yards in 5:04). It marked the first time Georgia trailed this season.

... Georgia cut South Carolina's lead to 14-10 to start the second half. On USC’s opening possession of the half, they went three-and-out as sophomore defensive end Mykel Williams collected his second sack of the year. The Bulldogs took over at the USC 49 and went on to score a TD for a 17-14 advantage. After a touchback, USC began at the 25 before the drive stalled following a sack by junior inside linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson at the UGA 39. The defense forced another three-and-out on USC’s next possession. Later, USC tried to convert a 4th-and-15 with 7:50 left at its 46 and turned it over on downs. USC’s final two possessions ended on Interceptions, one by senior Dan Jackson, the first this year and second of his career, both against South Carolina. The second came by senior Tykee Smith, his second this season.

… Down 14-3, Georgia started the second half with the football and put together a six play, 75-yard drive in 2:40 capped by a Daijun Edwards' 7-yard touchdown, the 12th score of his career. After the point-after, the Bulldogs trailed 14-10 with 12:20 in the 3rd.

On its second possession, Georgia started at the USC 49 and went nine plays in 3:20 for the go-ahead score, capped by a three-yard scamper by sophomore Dillon Bell. With 7:40 left in the 3rd quarter, Georgia had its first lead at 17-14.

On its third possession of the 2nd half, the Bulldogs missed a 43-yard field goal. On the drive, Bell had a 16-yard catch on 3rd-and-5 to keep the chains moving. The fourth possession began at the Georgia 39 with 12:59 left. It led to a 61-yard touchdown drive on eight plays, capped by redshirt sophomore Cash Jones' 13-yard run, his first on the ground this year and second of his career to put the Bulldogs in front 24-14. In the first half, Georgia amassed 168 yards of total offense on 37 plays, but managed just three points, going 1-for-2 on field goals. Trailing 7-0, the opening possession resulted in a field goal (15 plays, 62 yards, 7:54).

… With Saturday’s win, top-ranked Georgia has extended its school record for consecutive victories to 20. The streak began during the 2021 season (Dec. 31) when the Bulldogs beat No. 2 Michigan 34-11 in a CFP semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl.

… Georgia has won 20 regular-season SEC games in a row. The school record for consecutive SEC games is 23, set during the 1980 to 1983 seasons.

… The Bulldogs extended their school record for consecutive regular season wins to 30, which leads all of FBS, and is the second-longest active streak in the NCAA behind DIII Mount Union (56 straight). This Georgia streak began during the 2020 season with a 31-24 win over Miss. State. on Nov. 21.

… Georgia now has won 21 consecutive home games, which ranks second in school history behind a 24-game home winning streak from 1980-83. The current home streak began with a 21-0 shutout of Kentucky on Oct. 19, 2019.

… The top-ranked Bulldogs trailed at the half (14-3) for the first time this season and the first time since last year’s CFP semifinal Peach Bowl in Atlanta against Ohio State 28-24. Georgia rallied for a 42-41 win against the Buckeyes. The last time Georgia failed to score a TD in the first half was last year’s Missouri road game, when it fell behind 16-6 and eventually rallied for a 26-22 win. The last time Georgia scored only three points in the first half was at the 2019 SEC Championship game, when it trailed LSU 17-3 and lost 37-10. Today, Georgia came back to win 24-14.

… Georgia finished 4-for-6 in the Red Zone. In the first half, Georgia went 1-for-2 in the Red Zone, both field goals (made a 31-yarder, missed a 28-yarder) while USC went 2-for-2 (touchdowns). In the 2nd half, Georgia was 3-for-4 (three touchdowns, one missed field goal). USC was 0-for-0.

… Senior Tramel Walthour (defensive lineman), along with juniors Carson Beck (quarterback), Kamari Lassiter (cornerback), and Sedrick Van Pran (center served as the game captains. Georgia won the toss and elected to defer possession until the second half. There were two first-time starters, junior David Daniel-Sisavanh (safety) and Edwards (tailback). Edwards had appeared in 39 games coming into today, and this was his first action of the season. Van Pran made his team-leading 33rd career start.

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