The Florida Gators are back from their bye week as they’ll face one of their most hated rivals, the Georgia Bulldogs. Florida will travel to Jacksonville, Florida to take on Georgia in the World’s Largest Cocktail Party.
The Gators are struggling at the moment with losses in two out of their last three games. Florida comes into this cocktail party with a 4-3 record with losses to Alabama, Kentucky and LSU.
On the other hand, Georgia comes into this matchup with a 7-0 record and are #1 ranked team in the country. The Bulldogs have been the most dominant team this season led by their defense which ranks #1 in the country. Here is the Florida vs. Georgia preview.
Georgia Bulldogs
The Georgia Bulldogs come into this game hungry and angry after losing to the Gators last season. The Bulldogs will be led by their head coach, Kirby Smart, who’s in his sixth season as Georgia’s head coach.
Georgia’s offense will also be led their ground game which is led by junior running back Zamir White. The North Carolina native led the Bulldogs in rushing with 400 yards on 87 carries and seven touchdowns.
Miami native James Cook is another running back to keep an eye on this game. The senior out of Miami Central has rushed for 296 yards on 47 carries and two touchdowns.
Georgia has yet to announce their starting quarterback as it could be USC transfer JT Daniels or former walk-on Stetson Bennett. Coach Smart will likely name the starter for this game on Friday or Saturday morning.
While Daniels is the former five-star recruit, Bennett has played much better than he did last season. Bennett has completed 69.5% of his passes for 996 yards with eleven touchdowns and two interceptions.
Freshman tight end Brock Bowers is the leading receivers for the Bulldogs this season. The California native has 25 receptions for 416 yards and six touchdowns. Another pass catcher to keep an eye out for is Jermaine Burton. The sophomore wide receiver has 13 catches for 224 yards and two touchdowns.
On defense, the Georgia Bulldogs have the most talented defense in the country filled with NFL talent. The Georgia defense is led by senior defensive tackle Jordan Davis. The North Carolina native has 18 tackles on the season including three tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and five QB hurries.
Another senior that’s leading the Georgia defense is linebacker Channing Tindall. He leads the Bulldogs with 33 tackles this season. He also has two tackles for loss and a sack. Senior EDGE rusher Adam Anderson leads the Bulldogs in sacks. He has 4.5 sacks along with five tackles for loss and 12 QB hurries.
Florida Gators Offense
The Florida Gators come into this game with an offense that’s averaging 34.4 points per game. A big question heading into this cocktail party is who’s going to be Florida’s starting quarterback.
All season long redshirt-junior Emory Jones has been the starting quarterback but he has not been playing well. Jones was even benched during their last game against LSU because of his poor performance.
Redshirt-freshman Anthony Richardson came in relief that game as led the Gators to four straight touchdown drives. Richardson looked way more comfortable in the pocket and Florida head coach Dan Mullen’s play calling improve with Richardson in the game.
Richardson is likely to be the starting quarterback on Saturday but he’ll also have one of the best rushing attacks in the country. The Gators average 254.4 rushing yard per game which ranks fourth in the country.
Senior running back Dameon Pierce has been running ball very well this season as he has 262 rushing yards on 46 carries and eight touchdowns. Richardson has also been very explosive with his legs as he has rushed 358 yards on 28 carries and three touchdowns.
Junior wide receiver Jacob Copeland is the leading receiver for the Gators. Copeland has 23 receptions for 423 yards and four touchdowns. Former Penn State transfer Justin Shorter has also been solid for the Gators offense as he 19 catches for 229 yards and two touchdowns.
Florida Gators Defense
The Florida Gators defense is coming off an embarrassing performance against the LSU in which they allowed over 300 rushing yards and 49 points. The Gators defense need to make major adjustments if they want to have any chance of winning this game.
Linebacker Mohamoud Diabate is the leading tackler for the Gators this season. Diabate has 55 tackles with half a tackle for loss and a QB hurry. Senior defensive end Zachary Carter leads the Gators in sacks with six. He also has 18 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble.
All-American cornerback Kaiir Elam is another top player on the Gators defense. Elam has twelve tackles, three pass breakups and an interception. Elam has missed some time this season due to a knee injury against the Alabama.
Five Players to Watch: Georgia Bulldogs
- RB Zamir White
- DT Jordan Davis
- TE Brock Bowers
- EDGE Adam Anderson
- QB Stetson Bennett
Five Players to Watch: Florida Gators
- RB Dameon Pierce
- DE Zachary Carter
- QB Anthony Richardson
- CB Kaiir Elam
- WR Jacob Copeland
Five Predictions:
- Anthony Richardson starts and plays most of the snaps at QB.
- Stetson Bennett gets the start and throws for over 225 yards and two touchdowns.
- Florida’s defense holds Georgia’s passing attack to under 275 yards.
- Georgia’s defense forces at least one turnover.
- Georgia Bulldogs beats Florida Gators 31-20.
