Senior running back Brandon Powell is among a handful of Gators who want to finish their careers without a loss to the Bulldogs. (Photo: Miguel Rivera/UAA Communications)
Gators Not Lacking Confidence vs. Dawgs
Thursday, October 26, 2017 | Football
Florida is coming off back-to-back losses, but with three consecutive wins over Georgia and 21 in the last 27 years, UF players like the matchup.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Gators have defeated Georgia the last three years in Jacksonville, including in 2014 when few gave them a chance against the ninth-ranked Bulldogs.
Fast forward three years and a similar tone surrounds Saturday's game at EverBank Field between the unranked Gators (3-3, 3-2) and No. 3 Georgia (7-0, 4-0).
Florida has dropped two consecutive games, but the Gators show no shortage of confidence going into this game.
And, why should they?
"We haven't lost to Georgia in the last three years, our seniors have never lost to Georgia, so I think that mentality that they bring, being that they've never lost to Georgia, that brings a lot of confidence to us," UF sophomore receiver Josh Hammond said. "So I think that's the message in the locker room right now: They might be the [No. 3] team in the country, but they can't beat Florida."
Florida's recent dominance over the Bulldogs stretches far beyond the past three years, though, as the Gators have won 21 of 27 overall against Georgia. The Gators dropped three in a row from 2011-13 under former head coach Will Muschamp, but Muschamp went out a winner in the rivalry in 2014 and his replacement, Jim McElwain, is 2-0 against the Bulldogs in his tenure.
The Gators, heavy underdogs on Saturday following back-to-back home losses to LSU and Texas A&M, remain upbeat that they can spoil Georgia's bid to stay undefeated and in the hunt for its first national title in 37 years.
"There's been great energy out there on the field,'' senior receiver Brandon Powell said after Tuesday's practice. "The ranking is just a number. They've got some pretty good players, but they can be beat. If we just come out and bring our A game, it will be a totally different ballgame."
Both teams are coming off a bye week. Georgia will be starting true freshman Jake Fromm at quarterback for the sixth consecutive game.
Fromm has not thrown a ton of passes, but he is very efficient when the ball leaves his hand. He leads the Southeastern Conference, among starters, in passing efficiency, with a 187.5 rating. Fromm earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors after completing 18 of 26 passes for 326 yards and two touchdowns in Georgia's 53-28 rout of Missouri two weeks ago.
Still, Gators sophomore defensive back Chauncey Gardner is not too worried about facing Fromm.
"I mean, you say they have a great quarterback – I get it,'' Gardner told a room full of reporters this week. "He's throwing simple passes – I get it. Anybody can throw a slant – I get it. But I mean, like I said, we just playing football. If you call him the best quarterback, so be it. He has to play Saturday. We're going to see what his best attribute is."
If the Gators defense the pass well, they still must slow down Georgia's vaunted running game, a task they accomplished a year ago in a 24-10 win. Florida limited the Bulldogs to eight first downs and a season-low 164 yards.
Georgia is coming off back-to-back games of at least 370 rushing yards with an attack led by seniors Nick Chubb and Sony Michel. The Gators held Chubb to 20 yards on nine carries last season. Florida has only given up 370 rushing yards in one game since 2000.
This game will be won in the trenches and Florida's defense knows that against a Bulldogs team that is averaging 282.9 yards rushing per game, 10th nationally.
"It's going to be a slugfest," linebacker David Reese said. "A team that comes out with the attitude that they're going to pound the rock against us, hit us dead in the mouth. You know, we play SEC football just like they do."
McElwain did not seem upset with what his players are saying heading into the annual rivalry on the banks of the St. Johns River.
"I would hope they're confident," he said. "We'll find out on Saturday."
Being double-digit underdogs against the No. 3 team in the nation is not something Florida is concerned about.
"Us being the underdog, you know, we can take advantage of it because nobody's going to pick us to win," Hammond said. "But we know we got us, and we're ready to play."
Powell is among a small group of seniors who have never lost to Georgia. He went fishing during the bye week and when the team returned to practice Monday, Powell said he saw a renewed focus.
The next step is to carry it onto the field Saturday afternoon.
"It would be great to go 4-0 against Georgia in my career," Powell said. "This one would mean a lot because all the hype is around Georgia. To knock off the No. 3 team in the nation, that's the stuff we're supposed to do here at the University of Florida."
--FloridaGators.com senior writer Scott Carter contributed to this report.
Fast forward three years and a similar tone surrounds Saturday's game at EverBank Field between the unranked Gators (3-3, 3-2) and No. 3 Georgia (7-0, 4-0).
Florida has dropped two consecutive games, but the Gators show no shortage of confidence going into this game.
And, why should they?
"We haven't lost to Georgia in the last three years, our seniors have never lost to Georgia, so I think that mentality that they bring, being that they've never lost to Georgia, that brings a lot of confidence to us," UF sophomore receiver Josh Hammond said. "So I think that's the message in the locker room right now: They might be the [No. 3] team in the country, but they can't beat Florida."
Florida's recent dominance over the Bulldogs stretches far beyond the past three years, though, as the Gators have won 21 of 27 overall against Georgia. The Gators dropped three in a row from 2011-13 under former head coach Will Muschamp, but Muschamp went out a winner in the rivalry in 2014 and his replacement, Jim McElwain, is 2-0 against the Bulldogs in his tenure.
The Gators, heavy underdogs on Saturday following back-to-back home losses to LSU and Texas A&M, remain upbeat that they can spoil Georgia's bid to stay undefeated and in the hunt for its first national title in 37 years.
"There's been great energy out there on the field,'' senior receiver Brandon Powell said after Tuesday's practice. "The ranking is just a number. They've got some pretty good players, but they can be beat. If we just come out and bring our A game, it will be a totally different ballgame."
Both teams are coming off a bye week. Georgia will be starting true freshman Jake Fromm at quarterback for the sixth consecutive game.
Fromm has not thrown a ton of passes, but he is very efficient when the ball leaves his hand. He leads the Southeastern Conference, among starters, in passing efficiency, with a 187.5 rating. Fromm earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors after completing 18 of 26 passes for 326 yards and two touchdowns in Georgia's 53-28 rout of Missouri two weeks ago.
Still, Gators sophomore defensive back Chauncey Gardner is not too worried about facing Fromm.
"I mean, you say they have a great quarterback – I get it,'' Gardner told a room full of reporters this week. "He's throwing simple passes – I get it. Anybody can throw a slant – I get it. But I mean, like I said, we just playing football. If you call him the best quarterback, so be it. He has to play Saturday. We're going to see what his best attribute is."
If the Gators defense the pass well, they still must slow down Georgia's vaunted running game, a task they accomplished a year ago in a 24-10 win. Florida limited the Bulldogs to eight first downs and a season-low 164 yards.
Georgia is coming off back-to-back games of at least 370 rushing yards with an attack led by seniors Nick Chubb and Sony Michel. The Gators held Chubb to 20 yards on nine carries last season. Florida has only given up 370 rushing yards in one game since 2000.
This game will be won in the trenches and Florida's defense knows that against a Bulldogs team that is averaging 282.9 yards rushing per game, 10th nationally.
"It's going to be a slugfest," linebacker David Reese said. "A team that comes out with the attitude that they're going to pound the rock against us, hit us dead in the mouth. You know, we play SEC football just like they do."
McElwain did not seem upset with what his players are saying heading into the annual rivalry on the banks of the St. Johns River.
"I would hope they're confident," he said. "We'll find out on Saturday."
Being double-digit underdogs against the No. 3 team in the nation is not something Florida is concerned about.
"Us being the underdog, you know, we can take advantage of it because nobody's going to pick us to win," Hammond said. "But we know we got us, and we're ready to play."
Powell is among a small group of seniors who have never lost to Georgia. He went fishing during the bye week and when the team returned to practice Monday, Powell said he saw a renewed focus.
The next step is to carry it onto the field Saturday afternoon.
"It would be great to go 4-0 against Georgia in my career," Powell said. "This one would mean a lot because all the hype is around Georgia. To knock off the No. 3 team in the nation, that's the stuff we're supposed to do here at the University of Florida."
--FloridaGators.com senior writer Scott Carter contributed to this report.
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