Florida Notes |
Georgia Notes |
Florida-Georgia Game Day |
Broadcast Information
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — They are modern-day coaches tuned to the relentless rhythms of their schedule.
They coach, teach, discipline, recruit and serve as the face of their respective programs. They primarily exist in the bubbles of their football complexes during the season.
Florida's
Billy Napier and
Kirby Smart of Georgia have two of the most high-pressure jobs in college football, and they meet on Saturday for the second time in one of the sport's most intense rivalries. Napier is in the building phase. Smart is in the maintaining phase.
When the Gators (5-2, 3-1) face the Bulldogs (7-0, 4-0) in their annual Southeastern Conference clash at EverBank Stadium on Saturday afternoon, Florida has an opportunity to rock the foundations of both programs if it can upset the No. 1-ranked Bulldogs and snap their 24-game winning streak.
Smart is 5-2 against Florida since taking over in Athens in 2016, including back-to-back wins in which Georgia outscored Florida 76-27. The fact Florida could move into first place in the SEC East with a victory indicates the Gators are trending in the right direction in Napier's second season.
"I think they've recruited well. We recruit against them, they've recruited well, recruit hard," Smart told reporters this week. "They have good schemes, good coaches. They have great facilities and a great organization. When you have that recipe, it's just a matter of time. You build it through hard work and discipline.
"You can see that in his players. You can see those guys playing with toughness and discipline. Their brand of football is very respectable."
Napier used that same term — "brand of football" — when discussing the Bulldogs. Two modern coaches speaking industry slang.
He called Georgia a "formidable opponent" that forces opponents to earn everything they get.
"We are all aware of what Georgia has been able to accomplish, and certainly we have respect for that," Napier said. "It's important as you approach a game like this that you have a belief in a system in terms of how your prepare. We believe in preparation. We think it allows the players to play with poise, have confidence.
"I think if you're intentional and detailed in everything you do as you approach a game like this, it gives you an opportunity to be that type of player."
The Gators undoubtedly will need to play their best to pull off what would be Napier's signature win.
Fourth-year junior quarterback
Graham Mertz has never played in the Florida-Georgia game. He was at Wisconsin the past two seasons when the Bulldogs routed the Gators on the way to back-to-back national championships. Mertz is playing well and will need to do the same against a Georgia defense that leads the SEC.
He has the poise and confidence Napier seeks from this players when the step onto the field Saturday.
"I've played in some rivalry games. I think that's one thing that once you spend some time in college, you have an appreciation for them," Mertz said. "I think anytime you go into a game that's a rivalry game, you have to appreciate that, enjoy that process, whether it's the whole week of seeing all the stuff on the TVs or all that. I mean, we're excited for it. Another opportunity to play. I'm excited for this team."
This is the kind of game that gets everyone excited.
In this week's edition of
The Opening Kickoff, here is a closer look at the Florida-Georgia matchup:
THREE STORYLINES
- The term "statement game" gets tossed around a lot in sports. Sometimes the description fits, sometimes not. There is no doubt the Gators can make a loud statement with an upset of the No. 1 Bulldogs. Not only would the Gators move into a tie with Georgia atop the SEC East standings and own the tiebreaker, but the narrative around the program would change instantly. The Gators could speed up their rebuild under second-year head coach Billy Napier with a bang.
- Georgia is without 2022 Mackey Award-winning TE Brock Bowers, who underwent recent ankle surgery. Bowers hauled in five catches for 154 yards in last year's win over the Gators, the most receiving yards for a Bulldogs player in the rivalry's storied history. Bowers is one of the most dynamic players in college football, so 6-foot-5, 245-pound sophomore Oscar Delp has big cleats to fill. Delp enters with 13 catches for 160 yards and two touchdowns.
- Florida's defense is much-improved in its first season under coordinator Austin Armstrong, who worked as a quality control analyst at Georgia in 2019. The Gators rank 10th nationally in third-down defense, limiting opponents to 29.1 percent (23 of 79). Georgia's offense ranks third nationally (509.4 yards per game) and converts 57 percent (52 of 91) on third down, a matchup to watch Saturday.
THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH
- The QB matchup between Florida's Graham Mertz and Georgia's Carson Beck adds a new twist to the rivalry. Mertz is the transfer from Wisconsin who has emerged as a steadying force for the Gators and the SEC's leader in completion percentage. He is coming off a career-best 423-yard performance in the win at South Carolina. A Jacksonville native, Beck returns home with a perfect record as Georgia's starter after replacing Stetson Bennett. Beck has passed for 2,147 yards and 12 TDs to keep the Bulldogs' offense humming along.
- The Gators would love to force Beck to speed up his approach with a strong pass rush led by DL Princely Umanmielen. Much like the Gators, Umanmielen has an opportunity for a statement game with Georgia's right tackle spot impacted by injuries to Amarius Mims and Xavier Truss. If they can't play, true freshman Monroe Freeling will have the task of blocking Umanmielen off the edge.
- Sophomore RB Trevor Etienne has been quiet (126 yards) over the past three games following his 172-yard outburst against Tennessee. Etienne is arguably the Gators' most talented player and perhaps playing on the same field where his brother Travis Etienne stars for the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars provides a boost. Etienne rushed for 53 yards and a score against the Bulldogs last season. Regardless, Etienne or backfield mate Montrell Johnson Jr. must be able to pick up yards to take pressure off Mertz and Co.
Running back Trevor Etienne scores in last season's game against Georgia. (Photo: Hannah White/UAA Communications)
THREE DIGITS
181.4 — Average rushing yards for Gators in their five wins.
41.0 — Average rushing yards for Gators in their two losses.
13.6 — Average points for Gators in their five losses to Georgia since Kirby Smart took over in 2016.
THREE QUESTIONS WITH … GATORS QB GRAHAM MERTZ
A transfer from Wisconsin, Mertz leads the SEC in completion percentage (76.2) and is set to make his 40th career start on Saturday.
Q: How was the bye week considering you have taken some hits this season?
Graham Mertz
A: It was good. The body needed it. I think anytime you get a bye week — I've never had one midseason. I've always had it like week three or four, which has been wild. It's nice right in the middle. Get your body, your mental right. It was a good bye week.
Q: What stands out to you about Georgia's SEC-leading defense?
A: Definitely multiple in what they do as far as fronts, coverages, pressures. I think they're physical up front. They're fast. You see that on tape. They fly around, make plays. Like I said, physical defense. Across the board, they play a brand of football on defense that you can see when you're watching film.
Q: Do you feel you have altered the narrative around your arrival here and expectations?
A: I think there's always, especially in this game, a narrative. You can fall victim to the narrative. When you have a mission, you have a process, you trust it, I think that's where you truly find that growth. When you invest in yourself. Invest in what you're doing, in the people around you, it just takes care of itself. It's easy to get wrapped up in a narrative, especially with social media nowadays. It's easy to fall into that. If you stay true to yourself and your mission, that carries you further than any narrative can ever.
NEWS, NOTES, NUGGETS
- Georgia leads the all-time series 54-44-2, including 48-41-1 in Jacksonville. Florida is 22-11 against Georgia since 1990.
- Georgia is ranked No. 1 when facing the Gators for the third consecutive season. Prior to that, the only other time was 1942. Meanwhile, Florida faced Georgia ranked No. 1 in 1985, 1996 and 2009.
- Florida is facing the No. 1-ranked team for the 19th time in program history and is 3-15 in those previous matchups (see chart below).
- Georgia QB Carson Beck was a teammate of former Gators 3B Colby Halter on the Florida Dodgers travel baseball team. Beck committed to Florida for baseball when he was in the ninth grade.
- Gators WR Ricky Pearsall has led the team in receiving yards in five of seven games, including a career-high 166 at South Carolina.
- WR Kahleil Jackson had a career-high 52 yards receiving at South Carolina and caught the first TD pass of his career.
- Junior CB Jason Marshall Jr. leads the defense with 348 snaps played, three more than sophomore LB Shemar James (345).
- Georgia has twice led the nation in scoring defense under head coach Kirby Smart (2019, 2021) and ranks seventh (14.0 points per game) in 2023.
- Gators K Trey Smack is 11-for-12 since taking over as the starter, his only miss a blocked field goal at South Carolina in the second half.
- Florida has been outscored 51-49 in the first quarter this season, while Georgia has outscored opponents 38-24 in the opening quarter.
INJURY REPORT
GATORS — OUT: WR
Thai Chiaokhiao-Bowman (lower body), TE
Jonathan Odom (upper body), WR
Caleb Douglas (lower body), DL
Justus Boone (knee, out for season), RB
Cam Carroll (knee, out for season), TE
Keon Zipperer (knee), OL
Caden Jones (foot).
GEORGIA — OUT: TE Brock Bowers (ankle surgery), DE Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins (foot), LB E.J. Lightsey (shoulder), RB Branson Robinson (knee, out for season), WR Cole Speer (undisclosed).
QUESTIONABLE: OT Xavier Truss (ankle), RB Kendall Milton (knee), OT Amarius Mims (ankle), DT Jamaal Jarrett (foot/ankle), RB Roderick Robinson (ankle).
CHARTING THE GATORS
Florida is facing the nation's No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 for the 19th time in program history. How have the Gators fared in their previous encounters with numero uno?
| SEASON |
NO. 1 OPPONENT |
GATORS |
RESULT |
UF COACH |
| 1942 |
Georgia* |
NR |
L 75-0 |
Thomas J. Lieb |
| 1959 |
LSU |
NR |
L 9-0 |
Bob Woodruff |
| 1993 |
Florida State |
No. 7 |
L 33-21 |
Steve Spurrier |
| 1995 |
Nebraska** |
No. 2 |
L 62-24 |
Steve Spurrier |
| 1996 |
Florida State# |
No. 3 |
W 52-20 |
Steve Spurrier |
| 1999 |
Florida State |
No. 3 |
L 30-23 |
Steve Spurrier |
| 2002 |
Miami |
No. 6 |
L 41-16 |
Ron Zook |
| 2006 |
Ohio State% |
No. 2 |
W 41-14 |
Urban Meyer |
| 2007 |
@LSU |
No. 9 |
L 28-24 |
Urban Meyer |
| 2008 |
Alabama& |
No. 2 |
W 31-20 |
Urban Meyer |
| 2010 |
@Alabama |
No. 7 |
L 31-3 |
Urban Meyer |
| 2011 |
@LSU |
No. 17 |
L 41-11 |
Will Muschamp |
| 2014 |
@Florida State |
NR |
L 24-19 |
Will Muschamp |
| 2016 |
Alabama& |
No. 15 |
L 54-16 |
Jim McElwain |
| 2020 |
Alabama& |
No. 7 |
L 52-46 |
Dan Mullen |
| 2021 |
Alabama |
No. 11 |
L 31-29 |
Dan Mullen |
| 2021 |
Georgia* |
NR |
L 34-7 |
Dan Mullen |
| 2022 |
Georgia* |
NR |
L 42-20 |
Billy Napier |
| 2023 |
Georgia* |
NR |
??? |
Billy Napier |
*Jacksonville
**Fiesta Bowl
#Sugar Bowl
%BCS National Championship
&SEC Championship Game
THEY SAID IT
- "You'd be foolish not to take full advantage of having such an accomplished coach [around]. Coach has got conviction about the University of Florida. He cares about this place. It's important to him." — Gators head coach Billy Napier on having Steve Spurrier, who was 11-1 against Georgia as Florida's coach, speak to the Gators earlier this week
- "This is old-fashioned hate. Georgia vs. Florida is one of the biggest rivalries ever. It was that way before I got here, and it's going to continue to be that way after I leave. If this game doesn't get you amped up to play football, I don't know what will." — Georgia DB Javon Bullard on the Florida-Georgia game
- "It means everything. You see the history, you see where it's at, especially being from there, you can feel it every time you play there." — Gators OL Austin Barber, who is from Jacksonville, on playing in the Florida-Georgia game
THEY WROTE IT
BOTTOM LINE
The Florida-Georgia game has always been my favorite on the schedule, but it has not been kind to Florida in recent years. The Bulldogs have won five of seven and dominated the last two. There is optimism that this year's matchup could be closer with the Gators coming off a comeback road win at South Carolina and Georgia, while still the top dog in college football, perhaps not as formidable as years past considering it had to rally to defeat South Carolina, Auburn and Vanderbilt. This is a huge opportunity for the Gators to prove they are closing the gap on the Bulldogs. That may be true, but don't expect the Bulldogs to slip on Saturday. The Gators are moving in the right direction, but Georgia remains too big a road block to get past in 2023.
