Brunson wants better energy after second half letdown
The Gamecocks were in a good spot heading out for the second half. They were down 10 and battling tooth and nail against a Georgia team that is one of the more talented teams in the country.
Then the third quarter happened. Georgia scored on its first three second-half drives to put the game away, thanks to a dip in mental focus defensively, linebacker T.J. Brunson said.
“During the second half a lot of guys didn’t understand the grind of the game,” he said postgame. “It’s hard to win, especially playing against guys like that. It’s always going to be a dogfight. It’s the second game of the season, we have a long way to go.”
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Brunson was not pleased with the defensive effort the final two quarters as he watched the Bulldogs run all over South Carolina’s defense and outscore the Gamecocks 27-7 in the second half.
The Gamecocks are still trying to break in a lot of newcomers along the defensive front. Five first-year players saw action in the Gamecock front seven Saturday.
Brunson, watching some younger guys play later in the game, saw a dip in focus and mental sharpness as the game went on and Georgia’s lead kept growing.
Now it’s up to him and the rest of the defense to reinforce the message that they can hang with some of the best talent in the country.
“I feel like everything happened on our side of the ball and a lot to do with us and just understanding it was a dog fight and those guys are good and we’re just as good,” Brunson said. “It’s getting those guys to understand that.”
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The Gamecocks, after spotting Georgia 14 points to start the game, rallied to make it 20-10 heading into halftime but the game quickly spun out of control after the break.
Georgia scored on three straight possessions with all three drives going at least 75 yards and dominated the time of possession, including an almost 10-minute drive to end the game.
For Brunson, he just wants to see his team stay consistent in its energy through all four quarters but didn’t see that some out of the younger players.
“It’s a long game. It’s always a long game. We battled and fought the first half and made it to where it’s manageable. But you have to keep that same energy throughout the whole game.”
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Georgia was able to dominate the line of scrimmage on offense with Will Muschamp saying the Gamecocks got “whipped” up front.
That was the biggest story of the second half with Georgia picking up 167 rushing yards and rushing for two touchdowns over the last 30 minutes of game time.
With the Bulldogs’ ability to control the clock, it was hard for South Carolina to get the ball and mount any offense necessary for the comeback.
“We allowed them to play the game they wanted to play, and that’s run the football,” head coach Will Muschamp said. “If you allow them to play that way, it becomes difficult.”