Gators having strong offseason

And yes, those five are very much aware that the Bulldogs have won the past two meetings in Jacksonville and are the two-time defending SEC Eastern Division champs. The two teams will meet Nov. 2.

“I feel like we are going to play them tough,” Brown said. “I know we don’t want to have another season like we had last year. I know we are going to play them tough.”

It’s not like the Gators were bad last season in Will Muschamp’s second as coach. They went 11-2, 7-1 in the SEC. But that one conference loss (17-9) came to the team in the state where Ball, Taylor and some of the other Gators grew up and where they return in the offseason.

And yes, they heard about it at the barbershop, at their old high school, out with their friends and even at home.

“It hasn’t been too bad,” said Hardin, who is trying to replace All-American kicker Caleb Sturgis. “All my friends are Georgia fans, they give me a hard time here and there. Sometimes my parents get a hard time at work. But that’s what makes Georgia-Florida such a good rivalry.”

Garcia is in the unique situation of actually rejecting Georgia twice: when he signed with Maryland out of high school and when he left the Terrapins program and enrolled in Gainesville.

But if the Gators are to reach the SEC Championship game, which will be played Dec. 7 at the Georgia Dome, Garcia and the line may pave the way.

Florida finished the spring with only six healthy linemen, including Garcia, who should start at left guard. He said the need for the linemen to stay healthy and stay on the field gave them a sense of camaraderie that he believes will pay off this year.

“I feel like the guys are stepping up and taking control of the team,” Garcia said. “The offensive line has become more cohesive … really relying on each other and encouraging each other.”

He said the team has had perfect attendance at each of the voluntary summer workouts, a difference from his days in College Park.

“You can already tell the guys are hungry,” he said. “Guys are getting after it.”

If the line does improve, the Gators’ offense, which averaged 26.5 points and 334.4 yards last season, should benefit.

Brown predicted fans can expect improvement this season because he said quarterback Jeff Driskel is poised for a big season. Driskel passed for 1,646 yards and 12 touchdowns and rushed for 413 yards and four more touchdowns.

“He’s going to surprise a lot of people this year,” he said.

Brown hopes to help. He has battled foot and ankle injuries the past couple of seasons, but said he is 100 percent healthy and ready to continue to contribute at running back, or special teams, where he has been a key player.

“(We’re) just playing more aggressive, playing more as a team,” he said. “Think we are going to be good this year.”

The Gators’ defense, which was one of the nation’s better ones last season, should once again be solid after allowing 14.5 points and 287.5 yards per game.

Now, they just have to navigate what should be a tough SEC schedule that not only includes Georgia, but also games against Tennessee (Sept. 21), Arkansas (Oct. 5), at LSU (Oct. 12) and at South Carolina (Nov. 16), to name a few. And there are also non-conference games at Miami (Sept. 7) and at home against Florida State (Nov. 30) in the seventh-toughest schedule in college football, according to magazine editor Phil Steele’s website.

Winning should cure everything … including the smack talk.

“It’s going to be a tough road, but it will be a tough road for everyone,” Ball said. “We are just going to go out there and compete. … We’ll do anything to put ourselves in position to win.”