Georgia look like SEC’s best team when JT Daniels was cleared to pilot the offense

ATHENS – Georgian football established itself as the SEC’s best team on Saturday night, and the Bulldogs can be even better.

It’s as easy as letting go of JT Daniels.

Georgia scored a decisive 40-13 win over South Carolina at Sanford Stadium, their offense looking better than ever with Daniels back under center.

Daniels, who missed out on the 56-7 win over UAB the week before with an entrenched oblique muscle, completed 23 of 31 passes for 303 yards with 3 touchdowns and quickly hurt the Gamecocks.

Daniels completed his first five assists to five different receivers and proved exceptional in the third downs: 7 assists on 7 for 65 yards and six first downs.

The only person able to stop Daniels on Saturday night was Kirby Smart.

The head coach did it three times against South Carolina despite the best of intentions.

Georgia led 14-0, Daniels leading the offense on the field on two impressive 6-play, 75-yard touchdowns as Stetson Bennett trotted the field.

It was probably expected to use Bennett in the third set, perhaps a reward for his 10 of 12 passing performance, 288 yards, and 5 TD last week against UAB.

But after passing once, Bennett managed a pass over the header from Brock Bowers that was intercepted and returned 35 yards to Georgia 12.

Georgia’s defense held on and denied South Carolina the kind of momentum underdogs need to cause upheaval.

Smart, to his credit, stifled any idea of ​​continuing the quarterback’s rotation in the first half.

Daniels, so unfazed as Georgia’s quarterback, found his rhythm and got back to going about business.

Until, that is, at the end of the second quarter, when the coaches seemed to put the bridles on Georgia’s passing play in midfield.

Georgia took over at 35 with 2:45 left in the half and James Cook snapped a 19-yard gain to move the ball into South Carolina territory.

The Bulldogs led Zamir White on the first down (plus-3), James Cook (plus-4) on the second down, then South Carolina hit Kenny McIntosh in the backfield on a third down.

All with the SEC’s most accurate quarterback under center.

But again, the defense bailed out a curious attacking coach decision.

Nolan Smith sacked Luke Doty for safety after Jake Camarda buried the Gamecocks on their own 1-yard line with a perfect punt shot down by Ameer Speed.

Georgia took possession of their own 42 yards after the ensuing free kick, and Daniels performed an aerial display featuring three assists covering 39 yards in 14 seconds.

He set up a goal from Jack Podlesny which brought the score to 26-6 at halftime.

Smart, interviewed at halftime, made it clear that Daniels reminded him of what the Bulldogs had in the job.

“He’s playing with a lot of confidence right now, he knows what he’s doing, he knows where he wants to go with the ball,” said Smart. “He’s doing a great job managing the attack.

Indeed, and the only interception Daniels threw in the second half – hanging up a pass that John Fitzpatrick didn’t return aggressively – should do nothing to shake that confidence.

And yet, Smart brought Bennett back into the game with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, and the Bulldogs’ offense was knocked out to three.

Surely Smart can see there’s no reason for more Georgia quarterback rotations or conservative play calling for two-minute drills.

The Bulldogs look like the best team in the SEC – and perhaps the nation – when Daniels is allowed to compliment the country’s most dominant defensive front.