Florida Gators

Florida Notes | Georgia Notes | Florida-Georgia Game Day

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – At 6:52 Monday morning, Gators assistant coach Tim Brewster, prepping for his first Florida-Georgia game, took to Twitter to get the day started.
 

Games like this are why we do what we do‼️ Go Gators 🐊🐊

— Tim Brewster (@TimBrewster) November 2, 2020

For more on Saturday's game between the Gators and Bulldogs, here is The Opening Kickoff:
 

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FOUR QUESTIONS WITH ... GATORS TIGHT END KYLE PITTS

 

• In what might be your last Florida-Georgia game, what would it mean for you to come out with a win?
  I wouldn't necessarily say this might be my last, but it's always fun playing against Georgia because it's a high-level game, and each year it comes down to the wire. So this year I think, as long as we execute and do what we're supposed to do, then we'll come out with a win.
• What has Georgia been able to do the last couple of years to shut you guys down?
  He [Georgia coach Kirby Smart] just does a great job. Sometimes when there may be a mismatch, then he'll call a timeout and make an adjustment, and slow the game down on me, I guess you could say. He's a really good coach defensively, and we just have to out-scheme them, I guess you could say.
• How much more explosive can the offense be considering Trevon Grimes, Jacob Copeland and other receivers have yet to have a breakout game?
  I wouldn't say we hit our peak yet because we still have some things we need to fix. I don't think anybody is at their best right now. I mean, we have our games where we go out and we do really good, but on the inside, we still need small details, where we leave points on the field. Tre, Jacob, the young guys, they haven't really stepped out yet. So when they do, it's going to be a shocker to everybody.
• What's your reaction to talk about you being a potential first-round pick?
  I don't really like that. I wouldn't say I like to hear it, but I don't really pay attention to the media and read things. I don't read articles and stuff like that. It's kind of nice knowing that my dream is coming and it's even better because they're talking about first round, because not many people get to even make it to the NFL. So, that's a blessing. Being able to have the opportunity is something special. But just try to keep my head down and focus on what I've been doing and keep getting better.

 

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THREE STORYLINES

• This annual showdown on the banks of the St. Johns River is going to have a different flavor in 2020 with the festive atmosphere outside TIAA Bank Field muted due to COVID-19 protocols. As for the matchup on the field, it has all the ingredients to be a delicious dish. Both teams are ranked in the top 10 and the winner moves into the driver's seat in the SEC East. Florida-Georgia as it should be.
• Florida has the SEC's third-ranked offense (476.5 yards per game); Georgia is ranked first in the league in total defense (300.6 ypg). Which side will come away the winner Saturday? Or will the game be decided by a not-so-obvious factor or unlikely hero?
• The Gators have lost three in a row to Georgia and haven't lost four in a row to the Bulldogs since a six-game skid from 1979-83. Georgia owned a clear advantage in talent in the first two games between the rivals after Dan Mullen took over at Florida in 2018. The gap has closed and nothing will prove that more than a UF win.

 

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THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH 

• Gators quarterback Kyle Trask has thrown 18 touchdown passes in the season's first four games, establishing a new SEC record according to ESPN Stats & Info. He will need five on Saturday against Georgia to tie former Alabama star Tua Tagovailoa, who threw six touchdowns in the Crimson Tide's fifth game a year ago -- a 59-31 win over Ole Miss -- that gave him 23 through the first five games.
• Bulldogs junior quarterback Stetson Bennett has been under added scrutiny since a 6-for-15, two-interception performance in the second half of Georgia's 41-24 loss at Alabama Oct. 17. Overall, Bennett has completed 80 of 137 passes with seven touchdowns and five interceptions. The Gators would like nothing more than to shut down Georgia's run game and force Bennett into long-yardage passing situations consistently.
• UF redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Brenton Cox Jr., who started his career at Georgia in 2018, is tied for second on the team with 21 tackles and has a team-high two sacks. Cox had a sack and fumble recovery in last week's win over Missouri and should have no problem rising Saturday morning to face his former teammates.

 

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FIVE DIGITS

44 – Career touchdown passes for Gators quarterback Kyle Trask.
4,444 – Career passing yards for Trask.
14 – Florida natives on the Georgia roster.
9 – Georgia natives on the Florida roster.
8 – Career touchdown catches for Gators senior receiver Kadarius Toney, six of those coming in the first four games this season.
 

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INJURY REPORT 

QUESTIONABLE: OL Ethan White (knee); OUT: DB Ethan Pouncey (hip, out for season); UNAVAILABLE: During the unprecedented 2020 season, Florida releases a list of players not available on game days prior to kickoff.
 

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NOTES FILE

• Gators head coach Dan Mullen is 0-3 head-to-head against Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, losing the past two years at Florida and 31-3 in 2017 in his final season as head coach at Mississippi State. Mullen is 14-6 in the SEC and 24-6 overall since taking over the Gators, matching the record of former Gators coach Steve Spurrier in his first 30 games.
• The Bulldogs lead the all-time series against Florida 52-43-2; UF has owned the series since 1990, winning 21 of 30 meetings.
• Gators quarterback Kyle Trask has passed for 1,341 yards, an average of 335.3 per game. If he matches his average on Saturday, it will rank as the fifth-best passing performance in school history against Georgia, trailing only Kerwin Bell (408 in 1985), Rex Grossman (407 in 2001), Shane Matthews (344 in 1990) and Grossman (339 in 2002).
• Gators junior running back Dameon Pierce needs 102 yards to reach 1,000 for his career, and senior receiver Kadarius Toney is 97 yards from reaching 1,000 receiving yards in his career.
• Georgia redshirt sophomore Azeez Ojulari has 4.5 sacks and three forced fumbles in five games. He leads the Bulldogs with 7.5 tackles for loss and made his presence felt in last year's win over the Gators with a sack.
• The team with the most rushing yards has won the Florida-Georgia game 14 consecutive years, including a year ago when the Bulldogs outrushed Florida 119-21.
• Stetson Bennett is set to become the 58th different starting quarterback for Georgia against the Gators according to the Bulldogs' game notes. Who had the most success against Florida? Johnny Rauch, who went 4-0 from 1945-48. Rauch spent a season as Florida's quarterback coach in 1953 and later was head coach of the Raiders and Bills in the NFL.
• Georgia is without injured safety Richard LeCounte, who was hurt in a motorcycle accident after the team returned home from last week's win at Kentucky. Fortunately, LeCounte is out of the hospital and expected to make a full recover. He had six tackles in last year's game in Jacksonville and has started 23 consecutive games.

 

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THE OTHER SIDE

The Bulldogs enter the game with 15 players on the projected 22-man offensive and defensive depth chart having missed time because of injury.

One of those is talented sophomore receiver George Pickens, who is second on the team with 13 catches for 140 yards and two touchdowns. A 6-foot-3, 200-pound target out of Hoover, Ala., Pickens demands attention when on the field. He did not travel with the team to last week's victory at Kentucky for what has been reported as an upper-body injury.



Georgia coach Kirby Smart said Pickens' availability Saturday could be based on his pain tolerance.

"We're hopeful he's able to play," Smart said. "We need him to be at his best for us to be where we need to be offensively."

Pickens was Georgia's Sugar Bowl MVP last season. Gators cornerback Jaydon Hill, who played at Bob Jones High in Huntsville, Ala., competed against Pickens in high school and understands his importance in Georgia's game plan.

"George, that's really my guy,'' Hill said. "We actually played against each other my sophomore year. We were both sophomores, in the first round of the playoffs. So yeah, I've matched up with George a few times. They beat us. Me and George, we lined up against each other about two times. They had a pretty good team. George is a good player, but I feel like we had better players."
 

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THEY SAID IT

• "We certainly hope to have a lot more guys available this week than last week." -- Gators head coach Dan Mullen when asked about player availability related to COVID-19 protocols
• "You know, I think obviously that'll be up for debate, but he's playing as good as anyone right now in college football.'' -- Gators offensive coordinator Brian Johnson on quarterback Kyle Trask playing at level of a Heisman contender
• "It goes back to what I said last week, you've got to establish your physical presence in the game by being able to limit their ability to run the ball. That does that. I really think that came about because of our ability to have certain guys available, and by having those guys available it gave us flexibility to play guys in some natural positions. Really the guys did a good job of playing physical and then executing the game plan, and that allowed them to make plays. The credit needs to go to the players.'' -- Florida defensive coordinator Todd Grantham on limiting Missouri to 248 yards
• "I think we all know that to become a champion we have to go through Georgia. I feel like this step, this is one of the steps we need to conquer in order to keep our hopes alive for a championship. And we're going to do that. We're going to do whatever it takes. This Saturday, we're going to get through them and then go on and so forth." -- Gators receiver Trevon Grimes on facing the Bulldogs
• "I know I've been behind Dan ever since he's been recruiting me. Mullen took me in after an ACL, so I see it as more of a respect. He trusted me enough to come in because it would have been easy to drop me. From a player to a coach, I respect him tremendously. And I like how he is behind his player. Kyle took that late blow and he was just mad about it, as he should be. It just goes to show that he really cares about his players." -- Gators cornerback Jaydon Hill on Mullen's reaction at end of first half of Missouri game

 

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THEY WROTE IT

• Gators defense seeks to build on strongest performance of season writes Graham Hall of the Gainesville Sun.
• Fifty years later, former Gators receiver Carlos Alvarez recalls 1970 win over Georgia writes Garry Smits of the Florida Times-Union.
• Why a former Bucs assistant could be key in Florida-Georgia game writes Matt Baker of the Tampa Bay Times.
• Gators quarterback Kyle Trask making strong case for Heisman consideration writes Edgar Thompson of the Orlando Sentinel.
• With Georgia on its mind, Florida hopes to take a cue from Bama writes G. Allan Taylor of TheAthletic.com. ($)
• Pat Forde of SI.com chimes in on the Florida-Georgia game in his Forde-Yard Dash column for Sports Illustrated.
• Florida, Georgia bring new faces to skill-position places in rivalry game writes Mike Griffith of DawgNation.com.

 

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BOTTOM LINE

It was a beautiful Alabama afternoon on Sept. 20, 2014, as colleague Chris Harry and I drove together to Bryant-Denny Stadium for Florida's clash against No. 3 Alabama. As we made the drive from our Birmingham-area hotel to Tuscaloosa, naturally, we did what we do on game days: we talked about the Gators. Florida had escaped with an overtime victory at home against Kentucky the previous week and I sensed that after a disastrous, injury-plagued 2013 season, the Gators were finally going to turn the corner under Will Muschamp. It was going to start that afternoon. The Gators were going to upset the Crimson Tide and start their climb back to the top of the SEC with veteran quarterback Jeff Driskel once again healthy and first-year offensive coordinator Kurt Roper to the rescue. As is the case from time to time, @GatorsChris did not share the optimism of @GatorsScott in this particular matchup. Needless to say, in the six years since that ugly 42-21 Florida loss, I've been poked by a dart or two whenever we turn our attention to the Gators' prospects on a Saturday afternoon. The point of this story: I've got the same feeling heading into the Gators' annual clash with Georgia in Jacksonville. Florida long ago turned a corner under third-year head coach Dan Mullen, but if the Gators are going to be a championship team, they have to snap a three-game losing streak against the Bulldogs. This is the year Florida gets back on top in this rivalry. It won't be easy, but Kyle Trask and the offense give the Gators an advantage they have lacked in recent matchups with the Bulldogs. The only good part about that day six years ago was the night ended back at our hotel with Charles Barkley entertaining a small group of Florida visitors at the hotel bar. I've got a hunch that on Saturday, Florida fans will be entertained with a Gators victory.