Gators, Bulldogs Prepare For Annual Jacksonville Showdown
Saturday, October 30, 2010 | Football, Scott Carter
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Even for a rivalry as old and tradition-rich as the annual Florida-Georgia clash here on the banks of the St. Johns River, Saturday's game offers some twists and turns that make for an interesting afternoon at EverBank Field.
The Gators, ranked No. 4 to start the season, have lost three in a row to drop out of the polls for the first time under Urban Meyer. Georgia, after a 1-4 start and fans calling for Mark Richt's job, has won three in a row. Neither team is ranked for the first time in the rivalry since 1979. Neither team has a winning record in the SEC.
But guess what? They both still have a chance to represent the SEC East in the league championship game in Atlanta. So if you think this game might not matter as much as the 87 previous meetings, you might not want to say that to those who have experienced Florida-Georgia.
“Those schools don't like each other very well,'' former Gators coach Steve Spurrier said earlier this week. “And usually, there's a lot on the line for at least one of the teams. It's a huge game.''
The Gators (4-3, 2-3 SEC) can still make it to Atlanta by winning their final three league games, including knocking off Spurrier's South Carolina team Nov. 13 in Gainesville. Georgia (4-4, 3-3) also has to keep winning and hope South Carolina loses along the way to make it to Atlanta.
Florida went back to the basics after losing to Mississippi State two weeks ago, spending its bye week trying to get healthy and rediscover a winning formula.
“I don't think anyone wants to lose three in a row,'' Florida quarterback John Brantley said. “We're facing some challenges, but we're really going to be able to rise from it. We're sticking together. That's the biggest thing we want to see. It's going to turn around.''
Florida will have receiver/running back Chris Rainey back on the field Saturday. Rainey has missed the past five games while serving a suspension for his arrest last month. Meanwhile, the Gators expect to have speedster Jeff Demps back in a more prominent role.
Demps has been hampered by a sprained left foot since the Tennessee game, missing one game and playing at less than full-speed in the rest. And Meyer, seeking to wake up the offense, has made a few tweaks centered on having more weapons to work with.
The Gators hope to finish the season the way the Bulldogs have saved theirs the past month.
“We pretty much dug out of a hole,'' Richt said. “Now we're just trying to climb the mountain a little bit.''
Adding to the Gators' challenge is that they are trying to turn around their season against the school they have played more times than any other.
The rivalry dates back to 1915 and has been played in Jacksonville every year since 1933 except in 1943 when the game was cancelled due to World War II and in 1994 when they met in Gainesville and 1995 in Athens, prompted by a remodeling of the Gator Bowl in preparation for the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars.
“The old Gators, this is the one they're most concerned with,'' Meyer said of the longstanding rivalry. “This is a rivalry I grew up watching, so I have a lot of respect for it.''
Longtime Florida sports-information director Norm Carlson, who now serves as UF's official historian, isn't concerned about a lackluster atmosphere because of the two teams' uncharacteristic records. Carlson knows there is too much at stake on and off the field.
“It's a border war. Georgia and Florida are bumping against each other as states and we've played them for a long, long time,'' Carlson said. “There have been a lot of dramatic games, and there has been a lot of cross-traffic between the two schools. Coaches from Florida have coached at Georgia and Georgia coaches have coached at Florida.''
Florida has dominated the rivalry the past two decades, winning 17 of the past 20 meetings. Since Meyer took over the Gators in 2005, he is 16-1 against Florida's primary rivals: Tennessee, Georgia, Florida State and Miami.
Meyer's only loss was a 42-30 defeat to the Bulldogs in 2007. Richt is 2-6 against the Gators, also winning in 2004.
Florida sophomore defensive tackle Omar Hunter grew up in Buford, Ga., about 45 minutes from Georgia's campus in Athens. He made his Florida-Georgia debut last season and said the game has a unique flavor no matter the records.
“It's a big rivalry for me,'' Hunter said. “All my friends and family go to Georgia and root for Georgia. I have three [high school] teammates on Georgia right now. There's a lot of jawing. Everyone is coming to play; everyone wants to win, do their best.''
