The Opening Kickoff: Florida vs. Georgia -- #UFvsUGA
Thursday, October 26, 2017 | Football, Scott Carter
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The Gators faced third-ranked Georgia on Saturday in Jacksonville.
By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – It's been an unusual and eventful week, even for the legions of well-versed scholars on the storied history of the Florida-Georgia rivalry.
Gators coach Jim McElwain took center stage on Monday when he casually mentioned that he and his family had received death threats in the wake of Florida's recent struggles. The 24/7 news cycle chewed on the story for the next three days, offering an array of opinions and potential outcomes for the third-year leader of the program.
Meanwhile, as McElwain dealt with the aftershocks of his comments, the Gators (3-3, 3-2) carried on with business as usual and wrapped up practice on Thursday evening. They head to Jacksonville on Friday to prepare for Saturday's clash against Southeastern Conference rival and No. 3-ranked Georgia (7-0, 4-0) at sold-out EverBank Field.
Florida is a double-digit underdog after back-to-back home losses to LSU and Texas A&M.
"I know we're ready,'' McElwain said. "Playing against a really good team, a team that's playing really well. You know, aware of what we stand in front of for them, and vice versa, so this will be good. It will be competitive and I know our guys will play hard."
This is a rivalry game that has delivered its share of surprises over the decades, and considering the circumstances leading up to this year's showdown, a Florida win on Saturday would certainly qualify as a shock to most observers.
The Bulldogs, under second-year head coach Kirby Smart, McElwain's former colleague at Alabama under Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban, are beginning to look like a national title contender.
Georgia won at Notre Dame on Sept. 9 to climb the national polls, and in four SEC wins, the Bulldogs have outscored opponents 170-45. On the flip side, the Gators, after starting 3-0 in conference play, have scored only 33 points over the past two games.
Still, this is Florida-Georgia and as the 94 or 95 previous meetings have taught us – that number depends on which side of the border you call home – anything can happen.
The Gators are living by that motto.
"It's a must-win game,'' linebacker Kylan Johnson said. "We're going to give it our all. We're going to go out there and give our all and come out on top."
Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. on CBS.
Here is a closer look at the Florida-Georgia game in this week's edition of The Opening Kickoff:
THREE QUESTIONS WITH … DEFENSIVE BACK CHAUNCEY GARDNER JR.
Q:What impact did the bye week have for you guys? Chauncey Gardner A: Mental check. A lot of people say we're 3-3. A lot of people want to see us lose. I mean, it makes them happy right now. But for us, we're not satisfied. We know what we've been doing; we know what we've got to do. We haven't been blow out. We've been playing tough games … so we're not really trippin' about anything.
Q:Do you guys like the role of underdog?
A: I feel like we've been the underdog for the past 10 years. Everybody wants to see us lose every game. 'Oh, Florida this, Florida that.' We've been the underdog since the first game of the season. This underdog role, that's just a word to us. If you're better than us, prove it.
Q:What is the belief factor for you guys to pull off the upset?
A: They play the same teams we play. The thing about this team, we have a lot of focus. A lot of mental prep. This game feels like a championship game to us. We're going to go out there with our defense, with our offense, and play this game and win the game.
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THREE STORYLINES
The Gators are big underdogs to the No. 3-ranked Bulldogs and to have any shot at a third consecutive SEC East title, they must turn in their best performance to date in a game few give them a chance to win.
Florida's offense has mustered just 243 yards passing over the last two games, back-to-back home losses to LSU and Texas A&M. With receivers Tyrie Cleveland and Kadarius Toney probable to return to the lineup, the Gators should have a chance to pick up their production.
This game is huge for Georgia – and not just because the Bulldogs have had little success against the Gators over the past quarter century. These Bulldogs can stamp their place as a true national title contender if they can overcome their recent woes against Florida and look impressive in doing so.
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THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Florida defensive tackle Taven Bryan is coming off a dominant performance in the loss to Texas A&M, and if the Gators are going to slow down Georgia's potent rushing attack, they need Bryan to be a force in the middle.
When dissecting Georgia, there's no way around the presence of senior running back Nick Chubb, who is chasing his third 1,000-yard season with the Bulldogs. Chubb managed only 20 yards on nine carries in Florida's 24-10 win last season. The Gators like their chances if they can keep Chubb that quiet again.
This is nothing more than taking a shot in the dark, but Florida tight end C'yontai Lewis is due. Lewis, who had a 19-yard touchdown catch in last season's win, has only four catches for 21 yards through six games. In five SEC games, he has two catches for four yards. Yep, he's due.
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THREE DIGITS
12 -- SEC East titles for the Gators since the league split into divisions in 1992.
5 – SEC East titles for Georgia since the league split into divisions in 1992.
14 – Number of times Gators have swept Tennessee and Georgia in the same season since SEC split into divisions in 1992.
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THE QUOTE FILE
"We've added a ton since the beginning of the year. We knew he was special in the spring, as well as in fall camp. It was just a matter of when he made the transition, understanding the techniques of route-running and then we used him in some Wildcat scenarios. We definitely hope to use him a lot more." – Gators receivers coach Kerry Dixon on true freshman Kadarius Toney's progress
"You've been watching the game for the last 20 years. I don't have to make a prediction." – Former Gators defensive back Brian Poole, now with the Atlanta Falcons, when asked about the Florida-Georgia game
"I hope they feel comfortable about this game. I hope they feel like it's to their advantage. It's their game to lose, really." – Gators linebacker David Reese
"It's a rivalry. You don't expect anything less. There's going to be a lot of trash talking out on the field, too.'' – Georgia linebacker Lorenzo Carter on the matchup
"I'll be honest with you. I don't get into that part of it. That's not really for me to concern ourselves with. Our No. 1 objective is to play our best game, our best football. It's a very unique setting. And I think that's awesome. But as far as what they call it, it's the Georgia-Florida game to me." – Georgia coach Kirby Smart on if the game was officially still "The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party"
Saturday's showdown in Jacksonville shines a spotlight on young quarterbacks Feleipe Franks and Jake Fromm.
Franks became the first UF redshirt freshman quarterback to start a season opener since Kyle Morris in 1988. Meanwhile, Fromm made his first career start on the road at Notre Dame, the first Bulldogs freshman quarterback to make his starting debut away from home since Eric Zeier in 1991.
Here is a glance at how the two young players compare:
PLAYER
HGT.
WGT.
G
GS
W-L
ATT.
COMP.
YDS
TD/INT
Franks
6-5
237
6
5
2-3
106
68
800
3/3
Fromm
6-2
225
7
6
6-0
121
75
1,162
12/3
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10 QUICK HITTERS
The Gators rushed for 242 yards in the loss to Texas A&M, their fifth consecutive game with at least 165 yards on the ground. It's Florida's longest such streak since a six-game streak that started in the 2008 national championship game and carried over to the first five games of the 2009 season.
Georgia senior running back Nick Chubb has 4,112 career rushing yards, one of just eight players in SEC history to eclipse 4,000 career yards.
Florida quarterback Feleipe Franks' 79-yard run against Texas A&M is the longest run by a quarterback in school history.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said the Bulldogs are preparing as if the Gators will use reserve quarterback Malik Zaire in some capacity. Zaire has not played since the season opener against Michigan.
The last time an undefeated Georgia team faced the Gators and won was 1982, a 44-0 victory during Herschel Walker's final season in Athens.
Florida is 7-1 in last 25 meetings against Georgia when the Bulldogs are ranked in the top 10 in AP poll. UF is unranked, Georgia is No. 3 entering Saturday's showdown.
The Gators are 19-6 against Georgia since the SEC added South Carolina and Arkansas in 1992 and broke into divisions.
Florida senior cornerback Duke Dawson is tied with Alabama's Levi Wallace with 1.5 passes defended per game. Dawson has two interceptions and seven pass break-ups in six games.
Georgia is wearing white jerseys for its annual showdown against the Gators. The Bulldogs have worn red tops the past three years and lost. The last time they wore white was in 2013, their last win in the series.
Bulldogs senior safety Dominick Sanders picked off his 14th career pass in the win over Missouri and returned it 18 yards, setting a school record for career interception return yardage (329).
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THE OTHER SIDE
We took a quick glance in the chart above at how Georgia freshman quarterback Jake Fromm compares to Gators redshirt freshman quarterback Feleipe Franks early in their college careers.
Fromm is coming off the best game of his brief career in a 53-28 victory over Missouri, passing for 326 yards, two touchdowns and running for a score. You may recall two months ago that Fromm was on the bench behind Jacob Eason, the former five-star prep quarterback from Washington who chose Georgia over Florida.
Eason suffered an injury in the season opener against Appalachian State and is now the one on the bench behind Fromm. Florida's defense will be tested in multiple ways Saturday, Fromm is certainly a point of emphasis for a UF defense that ranks 36th nationally (354.8 yards per game).
This is both Franks and Fromm's first taste of the Florida-Georgia rivalry, so anything can happen. You've seen Franks, so here is a look at Fromm if you are like most Florida fans and don't spend your Saturdays tuned into the Bulldogs:
Georgia is undefeated and appears to be the class of the SEC East. The Gators have lost two in a row and appear on the verge of collapsing. There are games like this every week on the schedule. Sometimes they turn out exactly as you expect. Sometimes not. Early in the week I didn't give the Gators much of a chance. However, I'm not one of those who think they are going to get blown out. After a tough week for head coach Jim McElwain, look for the Gators to play inspired and keep it closer than expected. Will I be surprised if they pull the upset? Yeah, but not as surprised as I was when the Gators upset then-No. 9 Georgia three years ago by running the ball 60 times and throwing only six passes.
