COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Coaches and players agree a win in the
South Carolina-Georgia game can make a season even if a loss
doesn't necessarily break one.
South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said Tuesday the game is
important, but a loss isn't a season-killer.
"We lost it last year and we bounced back," Spurrier said of
last season's 17-15 loss at Athens. Georgia went on to win the
Southeastern Conference title.
South Carolina (1-0, 1-0 SEC) has not beaten the Bulldogs (1-0,
0-0) since 2001, when the Gamecocks came away from Athens with a
14-9 win on their way to a 9-3 season and second consecutive
Outback Bowl win.
If the Gamecocks win Saturday "maybe within the conference our
goals might change a bit," said Spurrier, who has said before he
isn't sure this team is ready to compete for the SEC title.
Georgia coach Mark Richt said the game is definitely a must-win
if his No. 12 Bulldogs hope to repeat last year's success when they
went 10-3 and finished with a final No. 10 ranking.
"The team that won this game -- at least in the last six years --
has gone on to have a great season and the other team has had a
good season at best," Richt said Tuesday. "We know how important
this game is as does South Carolina."
The Gamecocks may have a bit of an advantage in having played a
nationally televised conference game already this season, Richt
said.
South Carolina opened the season at Mississippi State, winning
15-0 in a Thursday night game on ESPN.
"I'm glad we're 1-0 in the conference," Spurrier said. "We
started out 0-3 last year."
Georgia, meanwhile, beat up on Division I-AA Western Kentucky in
its opener, winning 48-12 at home.
"To play it at South Carolina at night with the excitement
that's going to be generated by their fan base and on national
television -- it's a huge game. You never get used to it really,"
Richt said.
The players feel it, too, especially since none of the Gamecocks
know what it feels like to beat Georgia.
"It would be a great win for us, because the fans want a win so
bad," junior defensive tackle Marque Hall said. "Since I've been
here, I've always lost to Georgia by two or three points. It'll be
a great accomplishment for me, because I never beat them."
Sophomore receiver Sidney Rice played his first game as a
Gamecock against Georgia last year. Rice had five catches for 70
yards including a touchdown.
"It means a whole lot," Rice said of Saturday's game. "It's a
real big game in the SEC. We're going to have to come out and play
our hardest to prove to people that we can compete with the best
teams in the SEC."