The Gators will need the same kind of energy they showed in the win over Kentucky when they face Georgia on Saturday afternoon at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville. (Photo: Bryce Mitchell/UAA Communications)
Beating Georgia Would Change Gators' Narrative
Tuesday, October 29, 2024 | Football, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Gators' goal for the second consecutive game is to snap a recent stretch of failure against a Southeastern Conference rival.
Florida accomplished the task 10 days ago at home against Kentucky, snapping a three-game losing streak to the Wildcats with a 48-20 victory. If the Gators produce a similar result on Saturday against No. 2-ranked Georgia, head coach Billy Napier might dance his way back home from Jacksonville.
A victory over the Bulldogs would not only be Napier's most meaningful at UF, but it would snap UF's three-game skid against Georgia in a series the Bulldogs have owned under head coach Kirby Smart, winning of six of eight since Smart took over the program in 2016.
Gators fans have experienced this trend from both sides in the last four decades. They undoubtedly prefer the stretch of 18 wins in 21 meetings from 1990 to 2010. Florida is 4-9 against Georgia since 2011.
Napier acknowledged Monday that there is only one way to rewrite what has become the modern narrative: Florida is not in the same class as Georgia.
"You gotta beat 'em,'' he said.
Few have that happening on Saturday. Florida opened as a 16.5-point underdog, and ESPN's Matchup Predictor gives the Gators only a 20.1-percent chance of winning. Jack Pyburn
The Gators don't care.
Florida edge rusher Jack Pyburn grew up in Jacksonville and considers trips to the Florida-Georgia game one of his most indelible childhood memories. He knows the narrative but is focused on helping the Gators write a new chapter.
"First off, all credit to Georgia. I think they're a fantastic team,'' Pyburn said. "I think what their coach has done … since he has been there has been great. They've built a culture of winning. They've established a strong prince amongst the college football world.
"At the end of the day, you have to come with a mentality that you're going to win every game. If you don't, you're not going to win the games. I think that's something that I have been trying – not only me – but all the leaders on our team, all the coaches that, listen, we have the talent to play with and beat any team in the country, but you have to show up on Saturday with that mentality to do it."
Georgia, which opened the season No. 1 in the AP Top 25, has won three in a row since a 41-34 loss at then-No. 4 Alabama in late September. The Bulldogs climbed back near the top of the national rankings with a 30-15 win at No. 1 Texas two weeks ago.
Smart has not lost to Florida since 2020, when Kyle Trask passed for a career-high 474 yards and four touchdowns in a 44-28 victory. Georgia has outscored the Gators 119-47 over the last three meetings.
Still, Smart sees danger in facing UF true freshman quarterback DJ Lagway, whom he considers "uber-talented." Lagway made his first career SEC start in the victory over Kentucky after Graham Mertz was lost for the season to a knee injury. Lagway completed 7 of 14 passes, averaging 37 yards per completion.
Georgia recruited Lagway out of Willis (Texas) High but could not sway him from the Gators' grip. Lagway's knack for the deep ball stands out in Smart's view.
"It's one of the things that makes him different," Smart said. "He's got unbelievable arm talent. He can throw the ball the length of the field. And then to come into the SEC and be able to play like he has as a true freshman is just rare because the step up is usually so high."
While Smart is impressed by Lagway's adjustment to the SEC, Napier is equally impressed by Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck. Like Florida's Pyburn, Beck is a Jacksonville native who finished 19-for-28 for 315 yards and two touchdowns in his first start in the Florida-Georgia rivalry a season ago.
Beck's completion percentage (72.4% to 66.0%) and touchdown-interception ratio (24-6 to 15-8) have dipped this season, but that hasn't diminished his ability, according to Napier.
"We don't buy into that narrative,'' Napier said. "This guy is elite."
Florida-Georgia is always loaded with juicy storylines, and former UF running back Trevor Etienne is one of the headliners in this year's matchup. Etienne transferred to Georgia in the spring and immediately ran into off-the-field trouble, prompting social-media memes at his expense.
Etienne has put the distractions aside and enters Saturday's game, leading the Bulldogs with 422 yards rushing and seven touchdowns.
"A big key for this game is going to be ID'ing where he is on the field," Pyburn said. "You have to pay attention to what they do, watch a lot of film, and be detail-oriented. ID'ing where he is on the field and trying to contain him and get after him all game is going to be a big part of success on Saturday."
While Pyburn and Beck grew up around the Florida-Georgia rivalry, the game offers a new experience for Gators receiver Chimere Dike, a transfer from Wisconsin. Dike played in the Wisconsin-Minnesota rivalry and packed stadiums around the Big 10, but Saturday will be different. Florida-Georgia is unique, starting with the crowd split in half at EverBank Stadium.
What would make it most different of late would be a Gators win.
"Rivalry wins are huge obviously, especially against a team like Georgia with their success and the level of talent, how well-coached they are,'' Dike said. "I definitely think this is a big one this Saturday. We understand that."
