Florida would love to spoil the undefeated season of their neighbors to the north, the #1-ranked Georgia Bulldogs. Also at stake for the Gators is doing their part to sustain a win-pattern between the schools that began in 2008.
A Georgia win will solidify its hold on #1 in the college football world (‘Dawgs were the only team to receive #1 votes in the Week 8 AP poll). A Florida win will re-position the Gators in the Top 25. What I call The Trend of Three is also at stake this weekend in Jacksonville.
From 2008 to 2019, the UGA-UF matchup has played out with alternating three-game win streaks.
2008-2010: Florida won
2011-2013: Georgia won
2014-2016: Florida won
2017-2019: Georgia won, and
2020: Florida won.
Last year, the #8 (at the time) Gators left Jacksonville celebrating a 44-28 victory over #5 UGA. Florida quarterback Kyle Trask (now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) threw for 474 yards and four touchdowns in a game that featured first-half offensive fireworks (59 total points scored) and a second-half defensive struggle (13 total points scored, none for UGA in the fourth).
This time, Georgia will feature quarterback Stetson Bennett (1000 passing yards on the year 11 TDs) and running back Zamir White (83 carries, 400 yards, 7 TDs). Florida will counter with dual-threat Emory Jones, who has 1300 passing yards and 10 TDs on the year, in addition to gaining nearly 500 yards on the ground in 85 carries.
As UGA sits at #1 nationally, Florida is behind the 8-ball (4-3 overall, 3rd in the SEC East). Losing by two to ‘Bama didn’t hurt the Gators that much, but suffering one-touchdown losses to both UK and LSU (especially) did. Beating the ‘Dawgs on Saturday will go a long way toward getting the Gators back on track with South Carolina and Samford coming next.
It’s a game with lots of intrigue and national implications, too. You can watch it live this Saturday, October 30, @ 3:30 pm Eastern on CBS. As always, “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” will be played in Jacksonville at TIAA Bank Field.
Courtesy UGA Wire
