Date & Time: November 2nd, 3:30 EST. CBS
Location: Jacksonville, FL. TIAA Bank Field.
With other rivalries looming larger, Florida-Georgia is still a legit rivalry. Over the past 12 years, the teams have split 6 wins a piece.
Over the past few years however, the series has belonged to Georgia.
Both teams come into this game on similar paths, but in different ways.
With this one having SEC East title implications, better buckle up and be ready.
Georgia Bulldogs:
Georgia has continued to play their style. Using a running back by committee and making Jake Fromm a game manager. He is one of the better QB’s in term of ball security.
Georgia beat a promising Notre Dame in a top 10 showdown in late September. Notre Dame showed to be a fraud against Michigan and got exposed.
D’Andre Swift is averaging nearly 7 yards per carry and Freshman stud George Pickens is turning into the team’s #1 at WR.
Defensively, this isn’t a team that forces a ton of turnovers with just 9 on the season. Georgia doesn’t have a player that stands out from the rest either. However, they are very stout unit and top 5 in the nation in scoring defense (10.6 PPG).
The rebuttal for that could be that Georgia’s defense hasn’t been tested yet. Notre Dame had a top 40 offense, but could only muster 7 points from Michigan.
Florida Gators:
With Feleipe Franks gone for the year, the Gators have had to turn to Junior Kyle Trask. Trask, statistically has put up better numbers than Fromm. However, how will he stack up in a somewhat hostile environment against an elite team.
Another huge key to this game will be the status of RB Dameon Pierce. Although Lamichael Perine gets a lot of attention, Pierce has been better.
The Sophomore has averaged 7.1 yards per carry and is uncertain if he will play Saturday. Florida can put a lot of pressure on Georgia’s DB’s with the wideouts UF has.
Florida is deep there as they have 5 WR’s with at least 200 yards. The Gators also has 3 players with 3 or more TD’s.
Defensively, Florida got a major loss with All-SEC David Reese ruptured his Achilles. The Senior LB had a 13 tackle game against SC prior to it.
Redshirt Sophomore James Houston IV is expected to replace him (20 tackles, 2 sacks).
Florida still has playmakers in the secondary with guys like Donovan Stiner, Shawn Davis, and Marco Wilson. All 3 of those guys combining for 8 turnovers.
Keys to a victory:
Georgia:
Jake Fromm has to play like he normally would. Play like a game manager and to not get too confident.
In this kind of game, Florida will take away any chance to potentially taking the top off. Georgia has 3 reliable backs and feeding is a must.
Trying to take many deep chances will result in a plethora of mistakes.
Defensively, mixing up blitzes to create issues is a way. Florida has shown a consistent pass rush and can create problems. Georgia has not shown to do that yet.
They need to do all of these things in order to get another “Top 10” win.
Florida:
Offensively, creating big enough holes for Perine to run through is a key. If Dameon Pierce won’t be able to go, Perine will be relied on just a little more.
Florida has to rattle Jake Fromm and force him to make huge throws. Fromm is a conservative QB in terms of taking chances.
Florida has a Top 3 Front 7 in the conference, lead by LB Johnathon Greenland. Florida has all kind of talent that could expose a mediocre O-Line
Creating pressure and throwing errand throws is critical for the Gators.
Final Verdict:
Both teams have been tested by Bluebloods in LSU and Notre Dame. Both played fairly well in both of those games on a big stage.
I believe Kyle Trask and the Gator front 7 can create enough pressure. Florida has just enough star power in their WR core to overpower the UGA DB’s.
In the end, Florida snaps a two game losing streak to Georgia and secures a huge win.
Florida 27, Georgia 23
Image Credit: https://www.si.com/college-football/2018/10/27/florida-georgia-final-score-highlights-jake-fromm
