Five things to watch during Georgia's game against South Carolina

Greetings from Williams-Brice Stadium.

Hurricane Matthew is gone and there isn't a cloud in the sky for Sunday's game between Georgia and South Carolina. The field looks to be in good shape -- at least from the press box point of view -- and the wind is just a slight breeze. It turned out to be a good decision to play this game Sunday. While Columbia did get a ton of rain and a lot of wind from the hurricane, there weren't any obvious signs of damage on the drive to the stadium Sunday morning.

And driving into Columbia, South Carolina, was a breeze Saturday evening. There was no traffic as it was smooth sailing getting into the state's capital.

Now that the weather concerns are gone, the Bulldogs and Gamecocks are set to renew their annual rivalry with one another.

Here are five things to watch in Saturday's game.

Chubb's usage

With the field and weather a non-issue Sunday, Georgia running back Nick Chubb won't have to worry about the conditions affecting his cutting. After getting one carry a week ago in a loss to Tennessee, Chubb should start and see more playing time.

But Chubb could be limited or be on a snap count since he's coming off of an ankle injury. With the way running backs Sony Michel and Brian Herrien ran a week ago, Georgia can afford to rely on a rotation against South Carolina.

South Carolina is allowing over 200 rushing yards per game, so this could be a great opportunity for Georgia to establish the game's tempo from the beginning.

Tight end usage

Isaac Nauta had a breakout performance last week as he went for five catches, 83 yards and a touchdown. While head coach Kirby Smart said Nauta needs to improve more as a blocker, he's a valuable weapon in the passing game.

Georgia's receivers haven't been able to play as consistently through the season as Smart would like, and therefore the receiving tight ends could become a bigger factor on offense.

Then again, the Gamecocks haven't been burned by tight ends much this year, so this actually could be a good game for the receivers to break out in. But with the inconsistencies, Nauta could wind up seeing more looks and targets in this game.

Defending two quarterbacks

South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp said both Perry Orth and Brandon McIlwain will play against Georgia. Whether that's gamesmanship or the truth, the Bulldogs have had to prepare for a more traditional pocket passer who can run, and a running quarterback who does have an arm to make plays in the passing game.

Recognizing who's in the game will be critical for Georgia if the Gamecocks do go with the two-quarterback approach. Knowing there's a talent deficiency between the two programs, Muschamp will look for any way he can to get the Bulldogs off-balanced in defending South Carolina's offense.

Georgia has had trouble defending dual-threat quarterbacks this year, so McIlwain could be the one to watch if it's a close game in the second half.

Turnover battle

Georgia is plus-three in turnover margin for the season, although that number could've been greater if the Bulldogs didn't commit two late turnovers in the fourth quarter against Tennessee a week ago.

That will be the key for Georgia on offense. South Carolina, despite its issues against the run, has held teams to 18.6 points per game. It also kept Texas A&M to only 24 points, with only 14 of those coming in the first three quarters.

South Carolina is also plus-three in turnover margin, and has come up with five interceptions and four fumble recoveries. If the Gamecocks hang around this one, it could be due to turnovers, which makes this area an even greater focal point.

Kicking game

For now, it looks like Rodrigo Blankenship will continue to handle place-kicking duties for field goals and kickoffs.

But you do wonder what will happen if he misses a field goal or is unable to get the ball in the end zone early on. William Ham has subbed in for kickoff duties and did win the place-kicking job outright before the season started. But both kickers have struggled.

Ham is 3-of-7 kicking this season and Blankenship has made only one of his two attempts. There is a slight breeze but it doesn't appear this is a game that will discourage kicking.

Therefore, Georgia will need to hope one of the two kickers can do well when called upon.

This story was originally published October 9, 2016 at 12:51 PM with the headline "Five things to watch during Georgia's game against South Carolina."