The Stakes are High for This Game, As They Should Be
Fresh off of their bye week, the Florida Gators are set to take on the best college football team in the country, the number one-ranked Georgia Bulldogs, in Jacksonville with the top spot in the SEC East up for grabs at 3:30 PM EST on CBS.
The Gators are almost two weeks removed from one of the most impressive victories of Gators head coach Billy Napier’s tenure thus far, coming back from a 10-point deficit in the 4th quarter to defeat South Carolina 41-39 in Columbia.
Georgia is also coming off their bye week and they are almost two weeks removed from a road victory of their own, a 37-20 win over Vanderbilt, which was their 24th consecutive win.
Florida vs. Georgia is always a spectacle with TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville being split down the middle with blue and orange on one side and red on the other. What’s at stake for both teams just makes the matchup that much better.
“This is one of those games that you as a competitor look forward to being a part of,” Napier said in his press conference on Monday.
“Obviously ton of history and tradition here. I think we’ve worked hard to educate our players about the importance of the game, the history behind the game.”
TE Brock Bowers Out for Georgia
Georgia Bulldogs TE Brock Bowers (19) – George Walker IV/AP Photo
Georgia’s victory over Vanderbilt did not come without a cost as one of the best college football players in the country, Bulldogs TE Brock Bowers, injured his ankle against the Commodores.
Bowers then had surgery on that ankle last Monday, which will sideline him for up to six weeks, making him unavailable for Georgia against Florida.
Bowers being out is a major loss for the Bulldogs as he does so many different things for their offense.
Bowers has 41 catches for 567 yards and four touchdowns on the season, which leads the team in all three categories. Bowers had a big game against the Gators a season ago, catching five passes for 154 yards and a touchdown in Georgia’s 42-20 win.
When asked about Bowers in his press conference Monday, Napier said “Obviously this is not only one of the best players in America this year, last year, I mean, this is one of the best players of all time, if that makes sense.”
With Bowers out, the Gators defense doesn’t have to worry about defending one of the best players in the country, but they will still have to play well for the Gators to win.
As far as defending the rest of Georgia’s skill players, Napier said “I think ultimately the matchups just change…but they’re not lacking for skill players.”
War in the Trenches
Florida Gators DL Princely Umanmielen (1) – Maddie Washburn/Florida Athletics
At the expense of sounding like every other football analyst or writer when discussing a big game, this game will be decided on the line of scrimmage with the offensive and defensive lines of each team.
Georgia QB Carson Beck has averaged 306.7 passing yards a game which is 8th in the country and it’s largely in part because Beck has been protected, as he has only been sacked six times on the season, which ranks 9th in the country.
Florida defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong is going to call blitz after blitz to try and make Beck as uncomfortable as possible, but it’s up to the Gators to pressure and actually get him on the ground. Sacking the QB has been the kryptonite of the Gators defense this season, as they have only 11 sacks this season, which ranks 110th in the country.
The Gators defense also needs to keep the Bulldogs running game in check. Last year’s matchup saw Georgia rush for 239 yards and four touchdowns, including 106 yards and two touchdowns from RB Daijun Edwards, who Florida will be facing again on Saturday.
Edwards is the featured RB for the Georgia offense, who has rushed 80 times for 460 yards (5.8 yards per carry) and six touchdowns so far this season. Containing Edwards will be key for the Gators defense, especially with Bowers out.
On the opposite side, the Gators offensive line needs to keep QB Graham Mertz upright and needs to be able to push around the Bulldogs defensive line in the running game. Georgia’s defense ranks 10th in the country in rushing yards allowed, giving up just 91.4 yards per game and 3.52 yards per carry.
Florida RBs Montrell Johnson and Trevor Etienne combined for 22 carries for 77 yards and a touchdown against the Bulldogs last season. That number will have to be better for the Gators offense to put up points.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart and defensive coordinator Will Muschamp have one of the best defensive units in the country. They are going to try their best to make Florida’s offense one-dimensional by stopping the run and forcing the Gators to pass in third and long situations.
Napier spoke about those third down and leg situations when discussing Georgia’s defense in his Monday press conference.
“I think they’ve done a good job on the early downs creating those passing downs. Obviously, those are much more difficult to convert,” Napier said.
If Florida does get into those third and long situations, much like against South Carolina, the wide receivers and tight ends will need to step up, particularly true freshman WR Eugene Wilson III.
Florida WR Eugene Wilson III is the X-Factor for Gators on Offense
Florida Gators WR Eugene Wilson III (3) – Maddie Washburn/Florida Athletics
A season ago, Gators WR Ricky Pearsall had just three catches for 38 yards against the Bulldogs. This year, Georgia’s defense will once again be scheming towards him more often than not on passing plays, so true freshman WR Eugene Wilson III will need to make his presence felt and take advantage of one-on-one matchups.
Wilson III has been utilized in some unique ways the past few weeks since he has returned from injury. Florida lined him up in the backfield against South Carolina a few times and the same should be expected from a creativity standpoint against Georgia. Wilson III has game-changing playmaking ability so getting him the ball as many times as possible will be key for the success of the Gators offense.
However, Georgia’s passing defense is almost as stingy as their rush defense, ranking 9th in the country in passing yards allowed this season with 1,198 total and 171.1 yards per game.
Florida QB Graham Mertz ranks 3rd in the country in completion percentage at 76.2%. Starting fast on offense by utilizing the quick passing game to get some early completions will be key and staying away from any long-distance third down plays will be key throughout the game.
Florida Will Get Opportunity to Host High School Recruits
A rule change that was implemented and agreed upon between Florida and Georgia a season ago was that the designated “home” team in the matchup would be able to host high recruits. Last season, Georgia was able to host recruits and this season it will be Florida’s turn.
Seeing as Florida has a top-5 recruiting class in the country (some recruiting services have them as high as 3rd overall) this will be very beneficial for the Gators.
Napier commented on Florida hosting recruits for the Georgia matchup in his press conference Monday.
“It’s definitely a benefit to get guys to the game…you don’t get to have any interaction with them when they are there, but they do get to see you in the stadium.”
And as far as the current state of the 2024 recruiting class for the Gators, Napier said the class is “close to being full.”
Final Thoughts
The Gators have a huge opportunity on Saturday. The top spot in the SEC East is on the line against the back-to-back national champion Bulldogs. They are coming off a big road win and confidence will be high. However, Georgia, even without Bowers, are a very formidable football team. This game will be closer than most people will likely think. Both teams are very similar in how they operate offensively and defensively, it’s just a matter of playing a clean game and not making mistakes. Whichever team does that will win.
