Our Digital Season: Week 3 — Georgia at South Carolina

So far so bad for Our Digital Season, which is 0-2 in predicting outcomes of South Carolina games. Although, ODS did predict Dylan Thompson would complete exactly 25 passes against ECU, so clearly it is still the remanifestation of some long-forgotten pagan deity. Please continue to fear ODS.

Will ODS break the streak this week? Let's find out!

The DigiDawgs win the toss and will kick.

1st Quarter, or WAIT IS THIS 2012

After a touchback, a quick pass to DigiBusta gains 8. Two plays later, Mike Davis stampedes for 10. Then Dylan finds Shaq for 13, and South Carolina is on the UGA 43. Dylan then keeps a zone read and scrambles for 18! He's then massacred by a blitzing linebacker. Five wide, and it's Thompson to KJ Brent on a drag route, which is anow a totally believable thing. Thompson to Busta on 3rd gains just enough to move the chains. Another blitz eats up Dylan on a keeper, and it's 2nd and 13. Jump to 3rd and 7 on the Georgia 12. It's a screen pass to Brandon Wilds, and it works to a tee—he's tackled at the 1 yard line. On the next play, Dylan gives it to Mike Davis up the middle drops back for some reason but does connect with Jerell Adams for the touchdown. It's a strong drive to start the game, and South Carolina's up early.

7-0, Cocks.

Georgia takes over after a touchback and my lord digiGurley looks every bit as scary as IRL Gurley. Rico McWilliams with a nice deflection on 1st. After a short gain, it's 3rd and 8. The pass over the middle to Rome gains just 1, and it's a 3 and out. Huh.

Fair catch at the SC 28. On 1st and 10, Dylan finds Gov. Nicky on an out route—and he shakes his tackler and streaks down the sideline for what amounts to a 47 yard gain! And on the very next play, Dylan Thompson finds Shaq Roland on the post for an easy 26 yard touchdown pass. And just like that...

14-0, Cocks.

Touchback, and Georgia finally gains some decent yardage by way of a 14 yard completion to Rome. That's four passes in four plays. Finally Todd Gurley touches it, but he gains just 1 before being gang tackled. Gurley then gains 6 on a draw, and it's 3rd and 3. Hudson drops back and hits Mitchell underneath—but DigiDarius English is right there for the stop! Georgia will have to punt again, which they do. South Carolina takes over at their own 21.

Offset I formation. Play action, and Dylan finds Busta on the sideline for a gain of 23. Spurrier's letting Dylan throw it around a lil' bit—he connects with Roland for 6. Dangerous pass on 2nd falls incomplete—Dylan's first miss—and it's 3rd and 4. He finds Nick Jones on a crossing route for 11! Thompson has 164 yards in the quarter. Finally a run in the form of a draw to Davis that gains just 2. Now a screen pass, and again it works—Davis catches and runs, gaining 11. Thompson finds Shamier Jeffery for a short gain on 1st, but a draw play is busted—Will Sport somehow was in the backfield—and Davis loses 2. Dylan goes for gold on 3rd and long, but it's almost picked. Freisman comes on to kick—a false start backs it up. He'll attempt a 48 yarder. The boot is up, and it's perfect.

17-0, Gamecocks.

Another touchback, and Georgia will try again. On 1st down, Mason finds Rome for a 19 yard gain. I formation, and it's a give to Gurley off tackle. He gains and easy 9. On 2nd and inches, Rico McWilliams comes in on the corner blitz and kind of...bumps into Mason, forcing an errant throw. That ends the period. South Carolina's outgained Georgia 201 to 54.

2nd Quarter, or DON'T STOP THE MUSIC

It's a pitch to Gurley on 3rd and inches, and he gets nothing! Georgia will, somewhat surprisingly, elect to punt despite being on the South Carolina 46 yard line with just inches to gain. Conservative call, DigiRicht. The punt sails through the endzone, and it's just a 26 yard net.

Dylan Thompson keeps a zone read on 1st for a gain of 6. A misdirection to Davis gains 13, and it's another first down. Ball at the UGA 40. Dylan to Roland for 9—Shaq's got 54 yard already. Offset I on 2nd and short, and Davis takes the ball for 12. He follows that by catching one for 9. Dylan gains 3 on the keeper and moves the chains. Dylan getting fabulous protection, not unlike he receives from Christ Jesus, and has plenty of time to wait for Busta Anderson to break free from his defender. It's an 18 yard gain, and it's 1st and goal. 5 wide for some reason, and DT hits Brent for a gain of just 3. A screen pass to Wilds gains 6. Hey, maybe run it now that it's 3rd and goal on the 1 inch line? They do run it, and Wilds scores.

It is now 24-0 Cocks, with 5:13 left in the 2nd quarter.

UGA had some success with Gurley on the previous drive, so they go to him to begin this one. He gains 2. Mason takes the snap, spends all day in the pocket, and finally a blitzing Larenz Bryant smears him on the turf and does the eating oatmeal hand gesture thing. It's 3rd and 15 now. Georgia tries a screen to Gurley, and it gains just 5. Call it a one yard drive, and the Dawgs will punt. Cooper returns it for 10, and it's SC taking over at their own 35.

It's one of the game's patented no-look bubble screen passes, and Byrd loses a yard. The Cocks go 5 wide. Dylan finds Brent for a gain of 10, and now it's 3rd and short. Brandon Wilds is the lone back, and will gain 2. It's 1st and 10 at the UGA 47 with 3:30 remaining. Jump to 3rd and 1. A dangerous throw (why) is knocked down—this is not Dylan's prettiest drive of the day. It's 4th and 1 on the UGA 45, and DigSpurrier will go for it. And Dylan completes the pass to Jeffery for 6! 1st and 10 now, and Dylan hits Shon friggin' Carson for 8. Dylan's now hit TEN different receivers in the first half. Make that 11—Dylan finds Pharoh on the sideline for 8. 1st and 10 with 2:14 remaining, and Dylan keeps it for 9. On 2nd and 1, he hits Jeffery on the slant for 11. 1st and goal at the 1 and, wow, DigiSpurrier calls for a pass again. But, hey, it works out. Complete to Byrd for a 3 yard strike.

31-0, Cocks with 1:46 remaining in the first half. Worth noting that UGA does have all 3 timeouts, and does get the ball out of halftime.

Linkin Ard doesn't kick this one deep enough, and Georgia gets its first big play of the day in the form of a 49 yard return. They'll begin the drive nearly at midfield. Hudson Mason continues to linger in the pocket—credit to SC's pass defense, but the line can't get any penetration. He shakes a sack and lobs one up—caught by Mitchell for 23. Hudson to Bennett for 4, then again for 16. Georgia now has it inside the South Carolina 15. I formation, and Gurley takes it for 4. Mason takes the snap—he has to throw it out of the back of the end zone. It's now 3rd and 5. Georgia has an empty backfield. Once again, Mason chucks it out of hte back of the end zone, and Georgia will have to settle for a field goal. No! It's a fake! And they have a man open! But Ali Groves read the fake and disrupted the pass. It falls incomplete, and Georgia remains pointless (heh.)

South Carolina has 45 seconds and two timeouts to move 94 yards. Just take your lead to the half, DigiSpurrier. Nah, he gon' throw it. He hits Jones for 11. But, weirdly, the Cocks don't seem to be moving with any urgency. Yeah, they're going to pretty much bleed it out now. Why even throw that pass? They snap it before the half expires, and Wilds is felled for a 2 yard loss. Weird, BUT: a 31 point lead, and the defense is pitching a shutout.

FIRST HALF ANALYSIS

Well, let's remember that the likelihood of this happening is virtually nil. But, as Chickenhoops pointed out, Georgia's pass offense was decidedly mortal against Clemson so if South Carolina can find a way to bottle up Gurley, as they've done with DigiGurley (6 attempts, 24 yards), perhaps there is hope. Meanwhile, Angelboi has an excellent full game statline in just one half: 27-31, 288 yards, 3 TD. He's spread the love, with only Nick Jones laying claim to more than 25% of that yardage total. Again, that's 11 receivers he's hit.

Will the Cocks slowplay the Dawgs in the second half, eating clock and simply not allowing the DigiDawg offense enough time to close the gap? IRL Cocks would. DigiCocks'll prolly just throw a ton of passes. Please don't screw this up, DigiSpurrier.

3rd Quarter, or RUNNING OF THE BRISON

The kickoff is returned to the 26 yard line. The South Carolina D, which has given up just 101 yards thus far, takes the field. Hudson to Bennett for 13 on 1st down. Then to Mitchell for 12. Then back to Bennett on the other side for 4. Mason's using every inch of the field's width. On 2nd and 6, it's a blitz—Kaiwan Lewis rattles Hudson, who throws off his back foot to BRISON WILLIAMS. It's a pick six, folks.

38-0, Cocks.

Touchback, and the digicrowd is loving it. They also love the Skai Moore sack of Mason on 1st down. But they don't love the ensuing 33 yard completion to a diving Rome. 1st and 10 at the 50 yard line. Mason finds Conley for 9, then Hicks for 8. It's Hicks again, this time for 28 on a corner route. It's 1st and goal from the 6. Todd Gurley gets it and it's McWilliams with the tackle behind the line! But alas, Georgia finally finds the end zone on a slant route to Mitchell.

38-7, Cocks.

Carson takes it out to the 20. I formation, and it's a give to Wilds—he breaks free and gains 19! It's 1st and 10. Thompson keeps it and gains 2. They're not exactly bleeding clock, but they do seem to be running it. Wait, nevermind. Dylan drops back and has to throw it away. So it's 3rd and 8. Screen pass to Wilds! He's bottled up though—no, wait! He breaks free and gains 12! On 1st down, Dylan overthrows a wiiiiide open Shaq Roland. He then finds a sorta open Shaq Roland for a gain of 8. It's 3rd and a long 2. Zone read—Dylan keeps it and gains 9! Jump to 2nd and 5, and Dylan's swarmed for a sack. 3rd and 11, and it's a halfback draw—fools no one. Freisman will come on to attempt a 49 yarder. And it is true!

41-7, Cocks. 3:02 remains in the 3rd quarter.

After a touchback, Mason connects with Conley for 8. Then it's Hudson to Bennett for 20. But then it's Larenz Bryant with his second sack of the game. 2nd and 17. Mason recoups the lost yardage via a comebacker to Bennett. 3rd and 9, and Mason eludes about 3 sacks before he's finally hit as he throws. The pass goes nowhere, and Georgia will punt again. Touchback.

It's a give to Wilds for 8 on first. Then Dylan keeps it and runs for 14. The rare "EA NCAA 2014 bubble screen that is a good idea" gains 8, but Wilds follows with a no gain rush. It's 3rd and 2, and Carson gets the call up the gut. He gains 4, and the chains move. Carson gets another touch, gaining just 2. And the 3rd quarter ends.

4th Quarter, or THE DIGIDAWGS COME ALIVE TOO LATE

Spurrier decides it's time to throw. It is not. DigiDylan throws an ugly ball, and Wilkerson snags it for a pick six.

41-14, Cocks.

Okay, maybe just run the sucker! They do just that—Dylan gives it to Shon Carson, at which point the game experiences a severe lapse in realism when Shon makes a lateral move. He's down just shy of the line to gain. Jump to 2nd and 6, and Dylan will pass to...Terry Googer? Evidently DigiSpurrier has decided the perfect time to burn a player's redshirt is when you're up 27 points late in the game. Welcome to the field, Terry. So we're still throwing. Thompson is sacked for a loss of 7. Oh good, a 5 wide. GOOGER. Gain of 13. Then it's a screen pass to Wilds to gain the 1st. Another pass, because DigiSpurrier is now your 13-year-old cousin playing Madden. Complete to Byrd for 5. Another pass, and this one loses a yard. Nothing makes sense. Time is a flat circle. Dylan then hits KJ Brent on a perfect corner route—he even keeps both feet in bounds. OR DOES HE? The play is under review. Yes, he did. It's 1st and goal. Zone read keeper, and Dylan zig zags towards the goal line as if he's negotiating the squares of a chess board. At any rate, he's clobbered short. 2nd down on the 3. It's a regular-ass option play and Thompson's swallowed up for a loss. 3rd and goal, and Carson gets the give right up the gut. He's felled just short of the goal line and, in a weird display of sportsmanship, DigiSpurrier settles for the field goal.

44-14, Cocks.

It's a touchback, and Georgia has 4 minutes to score 30 points. GO! That won't do it—Gerald Dixon with the sack. Jump to 3rd and 6—the defense blows up a screen, and Georgia, in complete attrition mode, will punt. Cooper NEARLY breaks one, taking it 21 yards to the 49 yard line.

Cocks are officially burning the clock, snapping the ball just before the play clock expires. Wilds runs for 3 and 6, but loses 2 on 3rd. Cocks will punt for the first time, with just 1:20 remaining.

After a 10 yard completion to Bennett, the give is to Gurley. He gains nothing. Then Mason gains just 2 on an option. But Mason finds Conley for 29, and it's a 1st down for UGA. The Dawgs are looking for a little pride—20 points looks a lot better than anything in the teens. And indeed, Mason finds Bennett for a touchdown strike.

44-21, Cocks.

UGA will attempt an onside kick, which doesn't seem dignified with just 25 seconds left and all. Anyway, the Cocks field it and take the victory formation. And that, ladies and gents, is that.

Final score, 44-21, Gamecocks.

A blowout of this nature seems so very unlikely, but the blueprint makes sense. Bottle up the mutant running back (DigiGurley ran for just 21 yards on 8 touches) and pressure the QB (Hudson was sacked 4 times). So in other words, do the things that we probably can't do/haven't been able to do. That simple, right?

By the way, wondering where Mike Davis was in the second half? The game informs us that he's broken his wrist and will be out for the rest of the season. [pulls collar so hard entire shirt rips off]

UGA	STAT	USC
323	PASS YDS	379
-3(!)	RUSH YDS	139
320	TOTAL YDS	518
1/8	3RD DOWN CONV	11/16
1 INT	TURNOVERS	1 INT
32%	TOP	68%
M. Bennett: 9 REC, 129 YDS, 1 TD	Offensive POTG	D. Thompson: 38/45, 379, 3 TD, 1 INT, 3 sacks
R. Wilkerson: 2 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack, 1 INT, 1 TD	Defensive POTG	B. Williams: 3 tackles, 1 INT, 1 TD

A big win for the DigiCocks, although perhaps a Phyrric victory considering the DigiMike Davis injury. Let's hope our IRL boys achieve all the glory without the gory(ness of a devastating injury, IMO.)

Until next week!