Three Key Matchups to Monitor in Florida vs. Georgia
Photo: Florida's offense vs. Utah; Credit: Zach Goodall
Freshly removed from back-to-back wins and a bye week, the Florida Gators now face its toughest test of the season, the top-ranked and back-to-back national champion Georgia Bulldogs.
Since Florida last beat Georgia in 2020, the Bulldogs have gone 40-1 with 24 straight wins, including two College Football Playoff National Championships and an SEC title. Meanwhile, the Gators have fired and hired a coach and are coming off back-to-back losing seasons.
That being said, Florida has made improvements since last season's 42-20 loss to Georgia. The Gators sit at 5-2 and turned a corner in their 41-39 win over South Carolina, which puts them in a tie for second place in the SEC East.
As 13.5-point underdogs, an upset would not only clinch bowl eligibility, but it would put Florida in first place in the division with a tie-breaker over Georgia. For Georgia, this weekend offers a chance to continue dominance over a rival and create further separation in the divisional race.
Below are three key matchups between Florida and Georgia that could determine the victor on Saturday in Jacksonville.
The Trenches
Gators offensive lineman Austin Barber understands that Saturday's matchup will likely be decided in the trenches.
“I think SEC play is just very physical, and especially playing them, there’s history there, we don’t like each other, they don’t like us, we don’t like them, there’s just a different type of physicality," Barber told the media on Wednesday. "Playing in the game last year, I got a taste of it and now I’m ready to go out there and play for real.”
Without tight end Brock Bowers, combined with Florida's recent struggles to stop the run, it wouldn't be surprising to see Georgia look to establish a rushing threat early. The Bulldogs are top-five in the SEC in rushing yards per game (172.2) behind running back Daijun Edwards, who is also top-10 in the SEC individually with 460 yards and six touchdowns.
"It's going to be a game won in the trenches, from the D-line to linebackers, the offensive line to the running backs and tight ends. If we can't stop the run, then unfortunately we're not going to win the game," UF linebacker Shemar James said.
Additionally, Florida will need to find ways to pressure quarterback Georgia Carson Beck, who's third in the SEC in passing yards with 2,137 yards through seven games. Florida is at the bottom of the SEC in total sacks.
However, when the unit can put pressure on quarterbacks, the rare interceptions come. Although the Gators only have two, both have come when Joe Milton and Spencer Rattler were avoiding sacks.
"I think, ultimately, it’s about protecting your quarterback and affecting their quarterback. It’s an element to the game," said UF head coach Billy Napier. "You want to try and disrupt. I think takeaways start with the quarterback, to some degree."
Offensively, Florida has the benefit of veteran center Kingsley Eguakun returning and no other lineman on this week's injury report. Eguakun will be crucial against the Bulldogs. While Florida's rushing offense has had several hit-or-miss performances, Georgia's defense has consistently dominated the line of scrimmage.
Georgia is atop the SEC in rushing yards allowed per game with 91.4 yards. Florida turned a corner in their passing attack against South Carolina, but to beat Georgia, it will need Trevor Etienne and Montrell Johnson to continue to make big plays out of the backfield.
“I think it’s going to be big just getting the guys, getting all our skill guys in the second level. You see what happened when we get them there. It’s great, they can make plays and I think when, if the offensive line can get them to the second level, they will be able to make plays for us," Barber said.
In the passing game, Georgia has struggled to sack quarterbacks almost as much as Florida with 12 total, good for 13th in the SEC. Given time to throw, quarterback Graham Mertz has shown his ability to create big plays, especially with his connection with Ricky Pearsall.
Whichever team comes out on top in Jacksonville on Saturday, it'll likely be because of the hog mollies up front.
“I think every week in this league is a line of scrimmage emphasis week. There’s not a week off," Napier said. "I think, ultimately, if you want to have a program that is a consistent contender, that can win a championship, that can be sustainable and repeatable, you have to have really good play in the trenches."
"Bowerless" UGA offense vs. UF linebackers
Brock Bowers had his way against Florida in 2022 as Georgia dominated 42-20. The 2022 Mackey Award winner caught five passes for 154 yards and a touchdown, which came off of a tipped pass near the sideline.
This year, however, the Bulldogs will be without their top pass-catcher due to injury.
"I do have a ton of respect for the caliber of player Brock Bowers is," Napier said. "He's certainly a generational talent. I'd rather play them without him than with him. It is what it is."
In his place, Georgia will turn to sophomore Oscar Delp at tight end with freshman Pearce Spurlin III in an elevated role.
"Obviously talented at every position. It's a deep team," Napier said. "They're able to survive some of those injuries. And look, [Spurlin is] really good, too. They've got a very capable group. That guy has made plays this year, too. It's plug and play."
After getting his first taste of Georgia's tight ends last season, linebacker Shemar James knows they can't take Delp, who has 13 catches for 160 yards and a touchdown, lightly.
"Delp, he's a great player," James said. "We just have to prepare the same as we do every week. But he's a great player. We worked on covering tight ends, inside leverage, wide side carry. I feel like we'll be good this week."
James added that after the team struggled to cover tight ends last season, it spent much of the offseason improving in the area.
Outside of Delp, Georgia has veterans Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint and Rara Thomas alongside Missouri transfer Dominic Lovett to catch passes in Bowers' place.
"They have a lot of weapons. The transfer from Mizzou, the receiver, Delp, Brock Bowers, who's out," James said. "They also have a lot of other guys like the running back [Kendall] Milton. So, they have a lot of weapons on offense, we just have to prepare to stop them."
Coaching and Culture
To say the coaching experience on each sideline is the opposite would be an understatement.
Kirby Smart is in year eight with Georgia, has won two national championships and two SEC championships, and has proven to be the dominant force in the SEC. Meanwhile, Napier is in year two and still looking to build a program from the ground up.
Although the 11-9 record at this moment indicates struggle, Napier and his team know the culture in the building has improved dramatically since he took over in November of 2021 and even more from year one to year two.
"I think we've grown a lot. I don't think there's any question," Napier said. "This group we have has a leadership element that I respect. We have leadership at lots of different levels of our team. I think we have some veteran players that are doing a really good job setting a good example. I think we have within each class of players I think there's a good voice there within the locker room."
James echoed his head coach's sentiment this week.
"This year it's a lot of people that bought in during the offseason and also this season," he said. "A lot of guys that have stepped into their role and are actually taking pride in doing what they're told to do this year, on defense as well as offense."
Georgia's already established its culture. Florida is in the midst of establishing its own.
On the field, however, the results speak for themselves. Georgia is in the middle of a 24-game winning streak and hasn't lost a regular season game since 2020, when the Dan Mullen-led Gators dominated the Bulldogs on the way to an SEC East title.
"Ultimately I think it speaks to the level of consistency that they've been able to achieve from a continuity standpoint," Napier said. "The systems on offense, defense and in the kicking game have remained the same, therefore the players continue to develop. They're working on the same concepts, the same set of fundamentals. I think they benefited from that."
Florida has had mountaintop highs and valley lows over Napier's nearly two seasons in charge. Its wins over Tennessee and South Carolina this year have shown the capability this team has to create noise. However, the Gators' losses to Utah and Kentucky have shown that there's plenty of work to be done.
Offensive play calling and execution have been inconsistent week-to-week. Special teams have improved, but occasional gaffes have been eyesores. The defense seemed to turn a corner at the beginning of the season, but tackling issues and coverage busts over the last three weeks show the unit isn't at a championship caliber just yet.
There's no margin for error in this one. Florida will need a near-perfect game to pull off the upset. Napier will have to coach his best game to date and hope Georgia makes a few mistakes along the way.
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