The defending SEC champions are coming off a tough road loss at LSU. The Bulldogs were bullied and embarrassed, and they got away from Georgia football. In order to get back on track and beat Florida, Georgia needs to get back to their identity and follow these keys.
Georgia Keys To Beat Florida
Run The Ball
To put it simply, Georgia threw the ball entirely too much against LSU. On the first couple of drives, they ran over the opposing defense but did not score due to a questionable fake field goal. D’andre Swift and Elijah Holyfield combined for 128 yards on only 19 carries. Jim Chaney has to get the ball in these guys’ hands. Between Swift, Holyfield, James Cook, and Brian Herrien, Georgia needs to pound the ball at least 40 to 50 times per game. If they run the ball behind that huge offensive line, they can dominate any team not named Alabama.
Chaney also needs to put a stop to the bland offense. Georgia has continuously run basic run schemes. Against Florida’s stout front seven, the run game is going to have to get creative. Whether it comes from sweeps, pulling lineman instead of straight up schemes, or quarterback Justin Fields, the run game getting creative and effective for Georgia is the number one key to beating Florida.
Stop The Run
Any game in the SEC is won at the line of scrimmage. If you run the ball and stop the run, your team wins the game more times than not. Georgia’s second key to a victory in Jacksonville is to stop Florida’s run game. The passing game is obviously not a strength for the Gator offense. Their running back core is strong, with Jordan Scarlett and Lamical Perine leading the way. Scarlett is the bruiser and Perine is more of the speedster. However, Dameon Pierce has been getting a lot of carries in the 4th quarters of games. He has come known to be as “the closer” to some Florida fans, averaging a little more than eight yards a carry.
Filling up the box could cost Georgia on some plays, though. Florida’s most dangerous weapon is Kadarius Toney. He is not much of a threat at receiver, but the sweeps he runs are deadly. Florida coach Dan Mullen knows how to use him as he did with Percy Harvin. Stopping the run game will be a tall task for a Bulldog defense that has struggled against run-heavy teams. This weekend is as good of a time as ever for Kirby Smart and Mel Tucker to get their defense physical again.
Special Teams
Florida’s offense is not impressive. Georgia’s defense, as long as they show up, should be able to handle the Gators. However, they still need the special teams to help accomplish that. Rodrigo Blankenship is an automatic touchback, so he is definitely not the problem. “Goggles” is almost perfect on the year. The problem comes from the punting team. Freshman punter Jake Camarda has had an up and down year. The first half of the season, he had a cannon for a leg, booting a 63 and 62 yarder. But in the last couple of games, especially LSU, Camarda has had trouble keeping the football inside the white lines. If Georgia is going to beat Florida, the punting game is going to need to be a factor. The Dawgs cannot afford to help out a bad Florida offense with good starting field position.
Stay Composed
This Florida team is hungry under their new coach Dan Mullen. He has always had a strong dislike for Georgia, dating back to his first stint with the Gators. The players will also be out to avenge last year’s embarrassing loss. Florida will play hard and emotional, but emotion on the field can lead to mistakes and missed assignments. A major key to a Georgia victory is for them to stay poised throughout the entire game. Florida has shown at several points this season they will try to get in a team’s head and sometimes act on it. Georgia has to just focus on themselves, even though that is a lot easier said than done in such a heated rivalry. Avoiding silly penalties and retaliating in trash talk will be Kirby Smart’s mission this week. He does that, and his team will come out on top.
Start Fields
Jake Fromm had a remarkable freshman year. He took over for Jacob Eason out of nowhere and never looked back, taking the Bulldogs to the National Championship. The time has come though, Georgia fans. Justin Fields deserves a real shot at being starting quarterback. Fromm has not progressed at all from last season. Some could argue he has actually regressed. He could be feeling the pressure from the number one recruit breathing down his neck at backup and be pressing too much.
Whatever the reason, Fields should start against Florida. He has a cannon for an arm, Georgia just has not given him a chance to throw the ball. Fans have seen him run the ball. He provides that aspect to the game that Fromm cannot. Fields can certainly make the throws Fromm has been making and some that he has not made, while also adding another run threat. Fromm’s pre-snap ability to audible out of a play is valuable, but Georgia has to switch things up after the dreadful LSU game.
Two top ten teams will meet in Jacksonville for the first time in 10 years for bragging rights. Georgia and Florida have over a century of history of recruiting wars and SEC implications. It’s resurgence vs dominance. It’s the chomp vs the bark. Its the Worlds Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, Saturday from Jacksonville.
