Georgia not stressing about South Carolina’s uncertainty at quarterback

Much like Georgia, South Carolina entered the 2016 season with questions at who would play quarterback. Unlike their SEC East counterparts, those concerns still persist for the Gamecocks.

While freshman quarterback Jacob Eason seized the Bulldogs’ starting quarterback position, South Carolina’s spot remains in flux.

The two players involved the battle, senior Perry Orth and freshman Brandon McIlwain, have traded starts in 2016, with McIlwain getting the nod in the last three games. Orth, however, delivered a strong performance in relief in last Saturday’s loss to Texas A&M, which leaves who starts against the Bulldogs in question.

The game, originally scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, has been moved to 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.

“We’re still working through some things,” South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp said about the quarterback position. “We’ve got a good idea of where we’re headed with it.”

In McIlwain, the Bulldogs would face a young, dual-threat quarterback. The 6-foot McIlwain hasn’t reeled off many long runs in 2016 — his longest stands at 11 yards — but remains a threat in the event he’s given space to run.

Orth, meanwhile, is more of a pocket passer. He has thrown for 373 yards this season with no touchdowns and one interception. He started South Carolina’s first two games against Vanderbilt and Mississippi State then did not appear again until last week’s loss to the Aggies.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said his team is ready for the different looks McIlwain and Orth provide due to the preparation the Bulldogs have had this week.

“You prepare (for different quarterbacks) by the plays you run with your scout team,” Smart said. “We have different kinds of quarterbacks on the scout team. We've got pocket quarterbacks, we've got scramblers, we've got a really good athlete over there that can run some gun runs and things like that. We have a couple of guys that give different looks over there and do a good job.”

Smart said earlier in the week that South Carolina won’t completely change its offense based on who is behind center, but judging by the Texas A&M game, there is a significant difference in how these two quarterbacks handle the Gamecocks’ offense.

McIlwain was behind center for 10 of South Carolina’s 13 drives against Texas A&M and seemed limited in the passing game. Most of the freshman’s throws were out in the flat or screen passes to uncovered running backs and receivers, which explains why he only had 34 passing yards on nine completions.

McIlwain handed off several times on inside runs out of the shotgun formation, several of which may have been read-option plays. McIlwain did not run many times on his own outside a few draws as well as some haphazard scrambles out of a collapsing pocket due to the Aggies’ pass rush.

That said, Smart understands McIlwain’s potential.

“He does a great job in space, making plays,” Smart said. “They run plays designed for him to run the ball, then they give him the option to run the ball. He is very quick, very fast, very elusive.”

Orth only took the field on three drives, but it was apparent in his limited time that he had a better handle on the passing game. The senior showed good zip on the ball en route to racking up 138 of the team’s 217 passing yards, a number that could have been higher had it not been for a few drops on the Gamecocks’ last drive.

“It’s definitely more fun on the edge and on the defensive line when it’s not a running quarterback,” Georgia linebacker Lorenzo Carter said. “But either way it goes, we’re going to try and push the pocket and affect the quarterback in different ways. Not even just sacks, (but) making them get uncomfortable and make them move their feet.”

Whether it is Orth or McIlwain who takes the field, Carter knows it’s up to the 11 Bulldogs on defense to make the difference.

“We’re going to attack them the same way,” Carter said. “We feel if we play our football and play our defense, we can keep them in the pocket and control them.”

This story was originally published October 7, 2016 at 9:48 AM with the headline "Georgia not stressing about South Carolina’s uncertainty at quarterback."