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Georgia Football Has Last Word Before Cocktail Party | Starting Gator QB Leaked

Georgia released its hype film heading into the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.
Dean Legge|
Georgia football RB Nate Frazier pushes off Florida Gators.
Georgia football RB Nate Frazier pushes off Florida Gators. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

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Georgia Bulldogs

ATLANTA - It has been a busy Friday 24 hours before Georgia Football takes on the Florida Gators at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

News leaked Friday that Athens-area product Aaron Philo would start for the Gators under center after missed Florida’s upset at Texas two weeks ago. Philo was listed as questionable to play earlier this week by the Florida coaching staff.

Philo began his career at Georgia Tech. He has got 105 of 149 this season for with1,341 yards and nine touchdown with three interceptions.

Meanwhile, Georgia released its hype film heading into the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.

The No. 3 Bulldogs head into the rivalry with the Gators hoping to add another ranked win to their resume. But Florida has shown, with wins over No. 12 Ole Miss and No. 11 Texas that they are more than capable of pulling upsets. Speaking off which, when we last saw the Bulldogs they were victims of an upset themselves - Between the Hedges to another one of their rivals… Auburn.

The Dawgs have had two weeks to heal up and get ready for the showdown with Florida. A loss would give Georgia no margin for error with trips to No. 12 Ole Miss and South Carolina on the docket as well as showdowns in Athens with No. 23 and lowly Gerogia Tech remaining on the slate.

“They have a lot of physicality in the programs,” Georgia football coach Kirby Smart said of the Gators. “They play really hard. When you turn on the tape you see the physicality they play with on both sides of the ball.”

Georgia is hopeful to have All-American candidate KJ Bolden return to safety this weekend in Atlanta. Bolden was listed as questionable as was receiver Isiah Canion. Running back Chauncey Bowens took a step back on Thursday’s injury report to being out for this game. But he was listed as questionable Wednesday night - perhaps indicating he is on the way to retuning to the lineup soon.

With Bowens out, the Bulldogs will have to rely on Nate Frazier, Dwight Phillips and Bo Walker to get a run game going again that was slowed by Auburn in the 27-24 loss two weeks ago. The Gators have been effective for the most part in SEC game against the run - allowing only 114 to South Carolina, 128 to Ole Miss and 102 to Auburn. The only exception coming against Missouri’s explosive run game that ranks No. 64 in the nation. The Tigers ran for 220 on the Gators during a 45-17 win.

Georgia is the No. 27 rushing team in the nation - averaging 197.7 yards per game this season. The Gators are right behind the Dawgs on the ground - averaging 194.3 yards a game. The team that runs for more yards is 15-1 in games between these two teams since 2010.

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Dean Legge
DEAN LEGGE

After two-plus decades of covering the Georgia Bulldogs and the SEC, Dean Legge is one of the definitive voices in Athens and beyond. Legge has authored two books - DAWGSTRUCTION and DOUBLE DAWGS - with each chronicling Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs' run to national titles in 2021 and 2022. Legge has been a Heisman Trophy voter since 2005 and a Biletnikoff Award voter since 2009. He’s covered SEC Championships, Peach Bowls, Orange Bowls, Sugar Bowls, the Rose Bowl Game, College Football Playoff National Championship Games, the NCAA Tournament, the College World Series as well as a slew of college football, basketball and baseball games. Legge graduated from Coker College in 1999 with a degree in Political Science. He played both tennis and basketball for the Cobras. After graduating, Legge completed his academic career at the University of Georgia where he earned a Master of Public Administration from the School of Public and International Affairs in 2001. In 2008, Legge was elected President of the Coker College Alumni Association. He served on the Board of Trustees at Coker from 2009 to 2017 and was a member of the Executive Committee, Student Services and Enrollment Committee and Athletic Committee in that time. Legge is a native of Tucker, Georgia.

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