Florida Gators

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The scene outside TIAA Bank Field Friday afternoon offered a preview of what will unfold Saturday afternoon.

A group of Florida fans in a golf cart passed a swarm of Georgia fans. Gator chomps flew from cart. Boos echoed through the cool air on the banks of the St. Johns River from the Bulldogs fans.
 

"We've got a chance to make the SEC Championship Game, and that path starts with the game on Saturday." -- @HendersonChris_

Story via @GatorsScott: https://t.co/cEUoVS2U8s #GatorStandard #BeatGeorgia

— Gators Football (@GatorsFB) October 31, 2019

It's a scene that has played out around here since 1933 other than for the two seasons (1994-95) the annual rivalry game shifted to each campus due to construction of the game's current home.

"It's an awesome environment,'' said Florida defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, who has been on both sides. He was Georgia's defensive coordinator earlier this decade. "It's a bowl-type atmosphere. It's probably the loudest that place gets all year, and it's pretty dynamic that way. There's a lot of energy in it, and obviously there's a lot riding on the game in itself with two top-10 teams.

"So the combination of the quality of teams, the pageantry, the passion of the fans, the energy, the fact that it's basically 50/50 as far as the fans go, as far as who's in the game, it creates a lot of energy and excitement and it's fun to play in."

Anything else? If that doesn't get you ready for Saturday's showdown between No. 6 Florida (7-1 4-1) and No. 8 Georgia (6-1, 3-1), you might want to check your pulse.

This year's edition of the Florida-Georgia rivalry has everything you could want. SEC East implications. Potential implications in the College Football Playoff. Two fans bases that simply don't like each other. Several NFL prospects. A sold-out crowd.

OK, you get the picture. It's a big game.

For more on Saturday's matchup, here is The Opening Kickoff:
 

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THREE QUESTIONS WITH ... GATORS HEAD COACH DAN MULLEN
 
Q: Are you embracing this game as a de facto playoff game?

A: It's for first place in the SEC East. All you can really control is winning the East. If you do that, you get an opportunity to go to Atlanta and play one game there. Beyond that, everybody is voting for you. So, you know, I think that's important, you get into November and be in first place in the East is a great position to be in because that's what you can control. I don't view it really as a playoff game because whoever wins doesn't go on to the playoffs. There's a lot more football ahead of us before any of that stuff.

Q: As a coach, when you have a play-maker such as Kadarius Toney back in mix and during his absence others filled that role, how do you find balance when he returns?

A: I think the nice thing we do offensively, we spread the ball around a lot to guys. He just gets to come back into the rotation and he'll hopefully get some touches. We always kind of just take what the defense gives us. If he gets the ball in his hand, we know he can do some good things. If he doesn't, then, you know, other guys can do some good things, too. Offensively, we've kind of let the defense dictate who touches the ball.

Q: What did you learn as a first-time head coach in the Florida-Georgia game a year ago?

A: I've been in the game before. I know it's a big game and that scene and that atmosphere. It was a lot of fun. Obviously, I don't think we finished the way we wanted to. I thought we played well for two and a half quarters and even well enough overcoming all the different things. We kept fumbling the ball in the first half. We kept turning the ball over but had the mental toughness to stay in there. We just didn't have enough to finish it in the end.
 

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THREE STORYLINES

• The winner of this game takes control of the SEC East and has a clear path to the SEC Championship game by winning out. Everything else is secondary.
• Quarterbacks Kyle Trask and Jake Fromm started the season in much different places. Trask was a inexperienced backup and Fromm one of the SEC's shining stars. Two months later, Trask has blossomed as Florida's starter and Fromm is having a ho-hum season compared to expectations. Which one shines brightest Saturday is likely to determine the winner.
• Will the return of Gators defensive linemen Jabari Zuniga and Jonathan Greenard be enough for Florida to mount a pass rush against Fromm. In Florida's only loss of the season at LSU, the Gators were unable to pressure Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow. The Bulldogs' offensive line is one of the best in the country and whether protecting Fromm or opening holes for running back D'Andre Swift, the Gators' defensive front cannot be a non-factor.

 

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THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH 

• Gators slot receiver Kadarius Toney returns from a shoulder injury that sidelined him the past six games. Toney is arguably the most dynamic player on either team with the ball in his hands. How much will Toney factor into Florida's game plan?
• Georgia's D'Andre Swift leads the SEC in rushing (107.7 yards per game) and is a primary concern of Florida's defense. The Gators can't allow Swift to get into a rhythm early and take over the game for long stretches behind the Bulldogs' mammoth offensive line.
• Can UF edge rusher Jonathan Greenard impact Saturday's game like he did prior to his ankle injury in the Auburn win? Greenard's presence was sorely missed in the LSU loss and in the win at South Carolina. Simply put, Greenard will likely need to make a difference for Florida to win.

 

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THREE DIGITS
 
2,218 – Passing yards for the Gators in the season's first eight games, their most through eight games since the 2004 season (2.228).

6 – Wins the past two seasons under Mullen in which the Gators trailed in the fourth quarter.

13 – Consecutive years in which the team with the most rushing yards has won the Florida-Georgia game.
 

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INJURY REPORT
 
OUT: QB Feleipe Franks (ankle, out for season); DL Elijah Conliffe (leg); DB C.J. McWilliams (Achilles, out for season); LB/DB David Reese (Achilles, out for season). PROBABLE: WR Kadarius Toney (shoulder); DE Jabari Zuniga; DL/LB Jonathan Greenard.
 

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THE OTHER SIDE
 
Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart is 38-11 in his fourth season at the helm.

In his second season, Smart guided Georgia all the way to the College Football Playoff national championship, a 26-23 overtime loss to Alabama.

Smart has led Georgia to back-to-back SEC East titles and recruited at a high level. He's also 6-3 against opponents ranked in the top 10.

Here is a look at Smart's record against top-10 opponents:
 

SEASON	OPPONENT	RESULT
2016	No. 9 Auburn	Unranked Georgia won 13-7 at home
2017	No. 10 Auburn	No. 2 Georgia lost 40-17 on road
2017	No.  4 Auburn	No. 6 Bulldogs won 28-7 in SEC Championship
2017	No. 2 Oklahoma	Third-ranked Georgia won 54-48 (2 OT) in CFB semifinal
2017	No. 4 Alabama	No. 3 Bulldogs lost to No. 4 Alabama in national title game
2018	No. 9 Florida	Seventh-ranked Georgia won 36-17 in Jacksonville
2018	No. 9 Kentucky	No. 6 Bulldogs won 34-17 in Lexington
2018	No. 1 Alabama	Fourth-ranked Bulldogs lost 35-28 in SEC championship
2019	No. 7 Notre Dame	No. 3 Georgia won 23-17 in Athens

 

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BOTTOM LINE
 
The return of Greenard, Zuniga and Toney from injury is a boost the Gators will gladly take in their biggest game of the season. Much has been made the past two seasons of the disparity between the Bulldogs and Gators. Soon after Mullen took over UF and Georgia hauled in the nation's No. 1-ranked recruiting class in 2018, many pundits wished Mullen good luck on a rebuild that could take years to catch Georgia. By the end of Mullen's first season, the Gators and Bulldogs finished tied for seventh in the final AP Top 25 poll last season. Ten months later, Florida is ranked two spots ahead of the Bulldogs. Georgia has won two in a row in the series and is favored Saturday. When trying to pick this game, one could flip a coin and have as good a chance at picking the winner as studying film for two weeks. The Gators have some mojo working in their favor and I've got a hunch it's going to continue at TIAA Bank Field on the first Saturday of November.