COLUMBIA — Dating back to even the Lou Holtz era, the South Carolina Gamecocks seem to get up for the Georgia game like no other.

After a pair of low-scoring losses in each of his first two years at South Carolina, Steve Spurrier’s squad picked up a 16-12 win last season between the hedges at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga., handing the Bulldogs one of their only two losses on the season.

Almost a year later, the Bulldogs are riding a wave of momentum following a laughable 41-10 victory over Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl to close last season, and are now one of the popular, if not fashionable, picks to claim the BCS championship.

But as is well-documented, and basically beaten into the heads of CBS’s viewing audience during all SEC telecasts in the fall, the road through an SEC schedule is full of potential pitfalls, with the Bulldogs’ biggest potential roadblock this season lying in Jacksonville against the Florida Gators.

While Georgia has big goals, it better not overlook its trip to Williams-Brice Stadium. The Gamecocks had their number a season ago, and you can’t put it past them to give it another strong shot this season, no matter how things may look on paper.

The analysis

South Carolina’s offense vs. Georgia’s defense

It’s not a stretch at all to say Georgia is going to have one of the nation’s stoutest defenses at its disposal this season.

A season removed from ranking 14th in the country in total defense, nine starters are back for the Bulldogs, with many of those serving as prime candidates for All-SEC honors.

Tackles Jeff Owens and Geno Atkins are back to wreak havoc on the inside, opening the way for returning defensive end Roderick Battle and a trio of returning starting linebackers.

The Gamecocks have a number of questions on offense, with the exception of wide receiver Kenny McKinley, but they should have developed some sort of working rhythm following tough games against N.C. State and Vanderbilt.

South Carolina couldn’t produce much offense against the Bulldogs last season, settling for a trio of field goals to go along with the lone touchdown of the game.

South Carolina’s defense vs. Georgia’s offense

Much like South Carolina last year, the Bulldogs couldn’t generate much offense on their end, settling for four field goals to make up their 12 points in the close loss.

It’s scary to think how far those pups have come since then, as quarterback Matt Stafford and running back Knowshon Moreno are regarded among the top players in the country at their respective positions.

After a shaky start against the Gamecocks (where he was just 19-of-44 on his pass attempts for a pedestrian 213 yards), Stafford went on to finish the season with a passer rating of 128.9, second in the SEC to only Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow of Florida.

Moreno flashed his brilliance last year against South Carolina as a freshman, rushing for 104 yards on just 14 carries. The young back finished the year with 1,332 yards and 14 touchdowns, serving to whet the appetite of Georgia fans for at least the next two years.

South Carolina struggled mightily against the run last year, getting torched on almost a weekly basis. The Gamecocks just hope the return of middle linebacker Jasper Brinkley will help reverse those fortunes.

Stafford will have his hands full against a strong South Carolina secondary, with three starters returning that saw him struggle at home last year.

Special teams

Given the way last year’s game went, this could be prove to be a deciding factor again this season.

The Bulldogs are without placekicker Brandon Couto this season, who was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in April’s NFL Draft. True freshman Blair Walsh will try to pick up the slack, while the Gamecocks return Ryan Succop, who was solid last season.

Overview

On paper, this game should be a blowout. There’s little question about it.

But that’s been a pretty common prediction for the last several meetings between these SEC foes, and there’s no reason to think the Gamecocks are going to roll over in Columbia for Georgia.

The Gamecocks are going to need to be much improved with their run defense this season to stop Moreno, who quickly rose to become a media darling after a sensational freshman season.

Despite the intangibles that will rest with the Gamecocks heading into this one, they are going to have trouble putting points on the board against a stingy defense. Still though, don’t be shocked if this one is closer than expected.

Prediction

Georgia 28, South Carolina 14

Tuesday: A breakdown of the Sept. 20 game against Wofford.