Last October, Georgia ran roughshod over Florida in Jacksonville, posting a 42-7 victory and dominating most – if not every – facet of the game. Nobody involved in this year’s contest – set for 3:30 p.m. Saturday – feels a similar situation will occur, not with the Bulldogs (6-1, 4-1 SEC) ranked No. 7 and the Gators (6-1, 4-1) coming in at No. 9 and a potential SEC East Division title on the line.
“I think coach (Dan) Mullen has done a tremendous job with his team,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said Monday. “Obviously they have talent all over the field. They have a lot of fast, athletic players, probably the best overall receiving core we’ve gone against top to bottom.
“They are very athletic up front. They are playing really good football right now. They have gotten better, and you can see how much better they have gotten with each game. They play with more confidence and they’re playing really good right now. We are prepared for a big battle down in Jacksonville.”
“Right now, they are playing really confident,” added linebacker Juwan Taylor, who has recorded 24 tackles, one quarterback hurry and one critical clean-up job behind Deandre Baker at South Carolina this season. “They are buying into what their coach has brought to the program. They are a real good football team right now.”
The Gators, whose only loss came to Kentucky in September, are averaging 34.4 points per game while limiting opponents to 16.6 points an outing. They’re averaging nearly 200 rushing yards and more than 210 passing yards per game and have held foes to only 232.3 offensive yards.
Georgia averages 39 points, 226.3 rushing yards and 235.6 passing yards per game. The Bulldogs’ defense has held opponents to but 136.3 rushing yards and 174.3 passing yards a game.
It all points to yet another classic clash in Duval County, where the Gators have won three of the past four battles.
“I can’t remember a Georgia-Florida game that wasn’t a big, important game,” left tackle Andrew Thomas said. “I feel like it’s going to be a great atmosphere.
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