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[su_spacer size=”40″] Jeff Dantzler takes a look at this year’s Georgia vs. Florida match-up and delves into the history of the rivalry between the Bulldogs and Gators.
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Preview
[su_spacer size=”40″] Prior to the season, Georgia was the favorite to win the Southeastern Conference East Division. But the Bulldogs lost back-to-back games to Alabama and Tennessee prior to eking out a 9-6 win over Missouri, and Georgia sits at 5-2 overall and 3-2 in the league. Florida, under the direction of first year coach Jim McElwain, was widely thought to be a middle of the pack team in the East. But the Gators are way ahead of schedule at 6-1 and 4-1, with an impressive SEC hit list of Kentucky, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Missouri. Florida’s lone loss came at LSU in a 35-28 thriller on October 17, the night Georgia edged Mizzou.
[su_spacer size=”40″] If Florida beats Georgia, it’s a near lock that the Gators will be 10-1, bound for the SEC Championship Game with Florida State coming to Gainesville for a showdown with major playoff implications. After Georgia, the Gators play the two worst teams in the SEC, South Carolina and Vanderbilt, and then warm up for the ‘Noles with Florida Atlantic. The Gators haven’t been to the Georgia Dome to play for the conference crown since falling to eventual national champion Alabama in 2009.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Meanwhile the Bulldogs need to get the season back on track. After cruising through September when the Dogs beat the four worst teams on the schedule, October has been, as aforementioned, rough. Many thought Georgia would be in the position that Florida is in. But with inconsistencies in all three phases of the game plaguing Georgia, this team is in dire need of a spark and rally for the second half of the season. The rest of the way is a difficult stretch for the Dogs. Following Florida, Kentucky comes to town, and then Georgia goes to Auburn. The next two weeks are the most important games on the slate, as the Dogs host Georgia Southern and then go to Tech with the all-important state crown on the line. But as far as the SEC goes, the Bulldogs need a trio of wins, or else it marks a third straight season that Georgia would be favored to win the East, but fail to make it to Atlanta.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Arch-rival Florida making it to the Georgia Dome in McElwain’s first season would be a particularly bitter pill for the Bulldog faithful to swallow. The Bulldogs started his predecessor Will Muschamp off with a loss in Jacksonville in 2011. For the season and for the program moving forward, there is great importance on pulling an upset of the Gators Saturday afternoon.
[su_spacer size=”40″] The Match-up
[su_spacer size=”40″] Malcolm Mitchell vs. Vernon Hargreaves
[su_spacer size=”40″] This is one of those one-on-one battles that will go a long way towards determining who wins. Malcolm Mitchell is one of the SEC’s top all-around players. A dangerous receiver with great hands, explosiveness and toughness, Mitchell is the Bulldogs go to guy. He is one of the unquestioned leaders on the team, and quite an inspiration from the tenacity displayed in the face of a pair of injuries and his literary acumen. Jacksonville is a place with special memories for the Valdosta native. Mitchell delivered the biggest play of his career with a spectacular catch and run for a touchdown in Georgia’s 17-9 triumph over the Gators in 2012.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Vernon Hargreaves was one of the top five recruits in the country as a true freshman in 2013 and he has more than lived up to the hype. He is a lights-out, lock down corner with all the tools and a sure fire first round pick. Florida will charge Hargreaves with covering Georgia’s most dangerous perimeter threat when the Gators are going man-to-man. Florida figures to do what the Bulldogs other October opponents have done, press everyone forward, jam the box and dare Georgia to throw the football down the field. Florida’s outstanding defense starts with Hargreaves and this superbly talented secondary.
[su_spacer size=”40″] History
[su_spacer size=”40″] This season marks the 30-year anniversary of the Bulldogs stunning 24-3 rout of No. 1 Florida in 1985. The Gators came in with a record of 7-0-1, a head-scratching tie to Rutgers the lone blemish. Like in 1984, when Florida went 9-1-1, the Gators were on probation and ineligible for a bowl game and television. The Bulldogs were 6-1-1, losers of a season-opening heart-breaker to Alabama, and victim of an ugly tie at Vanderbilt.
Florida featured an outstanding defense and star studded corps of running backs led by future National Football League standouts, senior tailback Neal Anderson and senior fullback John L. Williams. But it was Georgia’s freshmen running backs who stole the show.
[su_spacer size=”40″] In the first half, freshman fullback Keith Henderson scored on fullback trap runs of 32 and 76 yards to give the Bulldogs a 14-0 lead at intermission.
[su_spacer size=”40″] With the Bulldogs leading 17-3 in the fourth quarter, Florida was on the move deep in Georgia territory. But the Dogs pounced on a Florida fumble and delivered the knockout blow. Freshman tailback Tim Worley tied Johnny Griffith’s school record with an 89-yard touchdown dash that put the Gators away.
[su_spacer size=”40″] The goalposts came down as the Georgia people were in euphoria. The year prior, Florida ended a six-season losing streak to the Bulldogs with a 27-0 win. This was a restoring of order in the series at the time and an historic victory over a top ranked team. From 1983-1985, Florida had a tremendous record of 27-4-3. Georgia handed the Gators two of those setbacks, including the unforgettable 10-9 triumph in 1983. The Bulldogs wouldn’t win again in 1985. It was a season that was a couple of plays and breaks away from being great. But on this Saturday, Georgia was great, with a strong effort on defense and the special teams, and those two dandy freshman running backs who ran up and down the Gator Bowl and into red and black lore.
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[su_spacer size=”40″] Make sure to check out Bulldawg Illustrated’s latest print edition: Trick or Treat, digital issue available for free online. CLICK HERE.
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