CHRONICLE SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

South Carolina is coming off its first bye week of the 2019 season and it came at the perfect time.

Having dispatched Kentucky 24-7, South Carolina will now face their second tough test of the 2019 season.

Georgia is still considered the favorite to win the SEC East, although Florida is starting to flex its muscle under Kyle Trask.

For Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs, it starts with running the football. If DeAndre Swift and Brian Herrien can operate at full strength, the Gamecocks will be forced to deal with quarterback Jake Fromm in the play action passing game.

Gamecock fans should be encouraged with the last 2 games from head coach Will Muschamp’s defensive unit. The tackling issues appear to be cleaned up and Javon Kinlaw is consistently climbing up draft boards.

Offensively, the Gamecocks will need quarterback Ryan Hilinski to grow up quickly in the toughest environment he’s ever played. The Georgia defense has not surrendered a rushing touchdown all season, so South Carolina needs to go hardheaded in the running game and continue feeding Rico Dowdle and Tavien Feaster.

The hill is a tough one to climb for the Gamecocks Saturday, facing another 20-plus odds deficit against a top 5 team.

The likelihood of a South Carolina victory is slim, extremely slim. However, the Gamecocks have a puncher’s chance with a noon kickoff in Athens, Ga. in front of possibly a sleepy crowd.

The result on Saturday shouldn’t change your expectations on the season as a fan, unless the Gamecocks pull off a tremendous upset.

The main objectives? Keep Hilinski clean, play solid run defense, and continue establishing your identity as a run-first team.

South Carolina is looking for its first win over Georgia since 2014, and the first win in Athens since 2011. The game will be televised on ESPN and can be heard on WNKT (107.5 FM) or on the Tunein Radio app.

Justin Hall is the director of media/broacasting for the Lexington County Blowfish. He’s also the co-host of the ‘Fifth Quarter Post-Game Show’ on WVOC (560 AM) with former Gamecock Tim Frisby.