From the Banks of the mighty St. Johns River, one of college football’s most storied rivalries reconvenes as the Georgia Bulldogs battle the Florida Gators in a critical Southeastern Conference contest.
Florida is 4-3 and 2-2 in Southeastern Conference play. Georgia is 6-1 and 4-1 in the league. The Gators and Bulldogs, as has been the norm for the past decade plus, each had open dates this past Saturday.
Both teams head into the game with some serious positive momentum.
The Gators played their most complete game of the season last time out, blowing away Kentucky 48-20 in Gainesville. Freshman quarterback DJ Lagway had a strong showing against the Wildcats. He threw for 259 yards on 7-for-14 passing, while picking up 46 yards on the ground. Lagway combined with running back Jadan Baugh to deliver a strong one-two punch for the Gators. Baugh tallied five touchdowns on the ground and accumulated 106 yards on 22 carries.
Georgia won 30-15 at Texas, which sat atop the polls heading into the game. The Bulldogs raced to a 23-0 halftime lead, survived a Longhorn rally (and some tough breaks) and counterpunched to secure the program’s first true road game win over a No. 1 ranked team. Jalon Walker (three sacks, three tackles for loss, and eight solo stops) and Mykel Williams (two sacks) headlined a stellar defensive performance, which featured seven quarterback sacks and four forced turnovers.
Offensively, running back Trevor Ettienne ran for three touchdowns. The Bulldogs leading rusher is a transfer from Florida.
Under Kirby Smart’s watch, the Bulldogs have won six of the past seven meetings with the Gators, including the last three in a row.
Going back to a three game Jacksonville winning streak from 2011-2013 in the Mark Richt era, Georgia has won nine of the previous 13 matchups. That has been particularly satisfying for the Bulldog fan base, which endured two decades of misery in this heated rivalry.
From 1990-2010, the Gators were 18-3 against the Bulldogs.
Smart always preaches ‘humility is just a week away.’ For Georgia to win in Jacksonville, turnovers and penalties must be cleaned up. In Austin, the Bulldogs threw three interceptions and there were a slew of dropped passes. For a second straight week, third down defensive penalties extended drives for the opposition.
Adding to the storyline, starting Georgia quarterback Carson Beck is a Jacksonville native.
Florida will bring everything in the arsenal to disrupt the Dogs offense. In Georgia’s last two games away from home —at Alabama and Texas— the Bulldogs have thrown six interceptions and lost a fumble.
This Gator team is much different than the one that struggled early in the season.
For third year head coach Billy Napier, he’ll drive his team for a signature, program-shaping, upset victory.
Smart’s Dogs are hungry for a triumph and another week of staying in the thick of everything.