ChompTalk.com

Gators looking to make a statement in Jacksonville

Photo by Jonathan Bachman / Getty Images
Jacksonville, FL – The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party is this Saturday. Although the annual event won’t be as large as it usually is, you can guarantee that the rivalry will be just as intense. The 8th ranked Florida Gators will take on the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs in the 97th edition of the game. Georgia holds the edge right now with a 52-43-2 all-time record against the Gators, including the last three meetings.

Since his arrival, Dan Mullen has done many great things in Gainesville. He has taken a 4-7 program to a 24-6 record with back-to-back New Year’s Six bowl victories and consecutive top ten finishes. Along the way, he has brought some of the excitement and swagger back to the Gators’ football program. But he has yet to defeat Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs, something that has caused the Gators’ fan base to grow restless.

However, Mullen has steadily closed the talent gap and has proven to have a talent for doing more with less. As if this wasn’t a big enough storyline for this game, Saturday’s contest will feature one of the nation’s best offenses going head-to-head with one of the nation’s best defenses. Conversely, the Bulldogs’ offense, who has been relatively average, will take on a Florida defense that has not lived up to its usual standard.

With that said, the Gators’ defense played their best game of the season last Saturday in a rout of SEC East foe, Mizzou. The unit held Mizzou to just 3 third down conversions on 15 attempts, marking a vast improvement in an area where they have struggled all season. Additionally, they allowed just 248 yards of total offense, most of which came during garbage time. And the most impressive part? They did all of this while being extremely shorthanded and having just come off of a two-week hiatus from all football activities, due to a COVID-19 outbreak.

Meanwhile, Georgia found themselves in a dogfight with the Kentucky Wildcats, winning a game that was much closer than the 14-3 final score might indicate. Not only did Stetson Bennett IV throw his fifth interception in his last two games, but Georgia lost several key contributors to injury. The Bulldogs will be without Julian Rochester, Richard LeCounte, and Jordan Davis is listed as day-to-day. However, even if he is able to play on Saturday, it will be a very limited role.

The loss of Davis and Rochester is a huge blow to the Bulldogs’ defensive line, and will likely impact their usually stellar run defense. But it’s the absence of LeCounte that could be the real backbreaker. LeCounte was in a motorcycle accident last Saturday night and suffered a concussion and some bruised ribs, and a shoulder injury. In last year’s meeting, LeCounte was the only player that seemed to be able to put a leash on Florida’s Kyle Pitts. Without LeCounte, it’s likely that the Bulldogs will need to double team the star tight end, leaving one of Florida’s other weapons (looking at you Kadarius Toney) unchecked.

With all of their goals still in front of them, the Gators will be looking to make a statement on Saturday afternoon. They will need to play mistake free football and hope to have a defensive showing that’s at least 75% as good as last week’s, if they intend to get the Georgia monkey off of their backs and contend for an SEC championship. Even though they will be facing a very talented defense, there is reason to believe that Florida could come away with a victory in Jacksonville.

Kyle Trask has been excellent this season. Better yet, Kyle Trask has played Heisman caliber football this season. Even in Florida’s sole loss, Trask was magnificent, throwing for 312 yards and 4 touchdowns. Not only that, the senior from Manvel, TX is averaging 9.8 yards per completion and boasts a 90.4 QBR. He is also surrounded by a variety of weapons. Ultimately, Trask and this Florida receiving corps is the reason that I think they can topple Georgia this year. Florida already presents a similar matchup problem as Alabama did when facing Georgia. Pair that with the fact that the Bulldogs will be missing several key contributors on defense, and this just feels like it’s Florida’s time.

This is the third year in a row that these two teams will be ranked in the top ten when they take the field on Saturday. But something feels a little different about this year. Despite missing Zach Carter for the first half, I think we will see a similar defensive performance to the one we saw against Mizzou, last week. This leaves the question, can Georgia score 40+ in order to outpace a Florida offense that is averaging 42 points per game? I say, it’s doubtful. I like Florida to win this one and to beat the spread. Florida wins 38 – 28.

Florida will take on No. 5 Georgia, in Jacksonville, FL, at 3:30 EST on CBS.