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Is it bad that this doesn’t really feel like THE rivalry for Florida anymore?

Georgia hasn’t been anywhere as competitive as they used to be in so long, it’s hard to think of the Gymdogs as true rivals to the Gators nowadays. But that may be about to change – Georgia has once again overhauled their coaching staff, making previous assistant Ryan Roberts the new co-head coach alongside famed elite coach Cécile Canqueteau-Landi, formerly of World Champions Centre. If you’re part of our readership that is more Gator fan than gymnastics fan, she was Simone Biles’s coach for the last two Olympic cycles – that should speak for itself.

Whether or not her coaching will translate to a collegiate environment more effectively than her predecessors remains to be seen, but Georgia has certainly seen a recruiting bump from her presence, if nothing else. Former elites Csenge Bácskay (Neb) and Kara Eaker (Utah, med retirement) both transferred to UGA as juniors to work with her, and ASU standout Anaya Smith also chose to take her fifth year as a Gymdog instead.

Still, the Gymdogs haven’t broken 197 yet, whereas the Gators went 197.45 last week away at LSU, so it seems unlikely that they would lose at home here. Some highlights to look for are Ady Wahl’s vault, Ja’Free Scott on bars and beam, Bacskay on floor, and last year’s Freshman of the Year Lily Smith on at least beam and floor, if not all four.

The Gators still have some things to clean up here in early season, but no one should be in panic mode like some were after Week 1. Some consistency issues still exist in the bar lineup, and I know we would all prefer if Skye Blakely were scoring in the 9.9s instead of the 9.7s. Wong also just had kind of an off week last week, and I would love to see her rested from all-around if she’s still not feeling 100%. I hear that Danie Ferris is feeling a little under the weather and may not compete tonight, but don’t fret, she should be back soon.

Anya Pilgrim and Selena Harris-Miranda, however, both looked solid, and since the floor lineup still doesn’t seem solidified (and Ferris is likely out of it tonight anyway), we should all cross our fingers that we see Pilgrim’s floor debut for the season. And it would be awesome to see Taylor Clark make her vault debut… she warmed up really well earlier tonight.

It all starts in just a few minutes on SEC Network, but we’ll have all the action here (from my tiny little phone) if you can’t tune in!

6:24pm: Twitter is saying things are getting underway in the O-Dome, but we are, of course, waiting on the broadcast. Live scoring link is here, and it looks like our vault lineup will not feature Clark. Womp womp.

6:32pm: Broadcast is finally live! Don’t love our commentary team tonight, the trope of “man commentator who has no gymnastics knowledge” is pretty tired, but the Florida ladies are wearing the new Gator head leo!!

Rotation 1, here we go!

Pilgrim, UF VT: Y1.5, super clean, little step on the landing.

Howard, UGA UB: Tkachev to overshoot, it’s fine I guess. I hate when they don’t go to handstand, but it’s legal. Full pirouette is mostly fine, to double tuck, little step back.

Lazzari, VT: Y1.5, sizable hop forward, just overcooked it a bit. Would rather that than she sit it.

Berry, UB: Good opening handstand work. Maloney to pak, legs absolutely pasted together, super clean. Some problems continuing on the low bar, just couldn’t make it to handstand. Doesn’t hop down though, fights through and repeats. Finishes with a clean double tuck, but that will be the score they want to drop.

Bui, VT: Y1.5, great distance, maybe a bit flat of an arc for that distance but 4 feet in the air isn’t bad. Hop forward on the dismount.

Mason, UB: Piked Jaeger to overshoot, Jaeger was really clean and overshoot was one of the more acceptable ones. Double tuck dismount, little step back it looked like?

Blakely Sr., VT: Y1.5, HUGE dynamics, little step on the landing. Starting to get that landing dialed in! You love to see that.

Wahl, UB: Maloney to pak, maybe a little shy on the pak but makes it work. Handstand work on low bar is clean, and final handstand too. DLO is stuck! That’s a much better routine than any other Georgia ones we’ve seen so far.

Wong, VT: Yhalf-on, pike half off, little slide back on the landing. Good shape in the air, although maybe more leg separation than I’m used to seeing from her?

Snyder, UB: Piked toe-on Tkachev (Church) to overshoot, great dynamics on there but overshoot is a little wild. Double tuck dismount, couldn’t hold the stick, her momentum made her take a step.

Harris-Miranda, VT: Y1.5, WOW. Almost stuck! Pretty clean in the air too, should be a good score.

Smith, UB: Maloney to bail, flops it a little but locks it back into place. Good handstand work, double tuck with a step.

AFTER ONE: UF 49.55, UGA 49.15

I’m pretty tired of Pilgrim getting lowballed because of lineup order bias or whatever the reason is this week. Wong’s score of 9.925 feels a little high for me, but I’m not there and I have the benefit of slow-mo. But pretty thrilled for Harris-Miranda getting rewarded with a 9.95, that’ll be hard for Georgia to touch.

6:51pm: Rotation 2!

Howard, UGA VT: Yurchenko full, pretty clean, little hop.

Blakely Sr., UF UB: Maloney to pak, pretty clean this week. Good handstand work in the middle. Blind half to double front dismount, single step on the dismount.

King, VT: Yfull, big bounce back but good body position. She also hopped past the line.

Pilgrim, UB: Pak to good handstand work, to van leeuwen, some leg sep there? Full in dismount is stuck! Shows it off for a second while the crowd goes WILD.

Bacskay, VT: Y1.5, very bent knees, little step forward.

McCusker, UB: Let’s see if she can make another big step forward tonight. Great low bar handstand. Maloney to pak, super clean. Great low bar handstand again, van Leeuwen is super clean. DLO is a little starfishy but she sticks it!

Smith, VT: Y1.5, much tighter body position than her previous teammate, still some knees but a huge improvement. Little bounce forward but a solid score for sure.

Blakely Jr., UB: Ricna to pak, SO difficult and so clean. Great final handstand, blind half is great, double front half is stuck! There we go! She’s been looking for that the last few weeks.

Aquino, VT: Tsuk full, SO clean, and stuck! Holy cow, Georgia needs that.

Harris-Miranda, UB: Great opening handstand. Ray to open, not the biggest but clean. Bail, allllmost overarches it but saves it somehow. DLO is stuck! I expect that’ll still be the score they want to drop, but good for her for saving it.

Wahl, VT: Y1.5, some knees there again, but just a small hop on the landing.

Wong, UB: Good handstand to start. Maloney to pak, some leg sep on both, that’s unusual. Short on that next handstand. van Leeuwen is clean. DLO, has to take a step forward.

AFTER TWO: UF 98.95, UGA 98.475

7:08pm: Rotation 3!

Draser, UF BB: Bhs loso, suuuper steady, so calm. Switch leap to switch half, a little shy of 180 on the second element maybe? Full turn is fine. Roundoff 1.5 stuck! What a great start.

Williams, UGA FX: Double pike to lead off, great dynamics, well controlled. Leaps look nice. Front lay front full, she almost fell out of that, saved it and didn’t go OOB but took a big wild jump, how odd. Double tuck to finish, nicely controlled as she closes out. A serviceable lead off for sure.

Blakely, BB: Front aerial to bhs, so quick on the connection. Split leap to switch half, gorgeous. Full turn is clean. Gainer full to close and sticks it cold. She’s on fire tonight!

King, FX: First combo pass is clean, well controlled. 1.5 to front lay, a little loose body position but it floats nicely. That routine feels so short.

Pilgrim, BB: Bhs loso, so solid. Cat leap front aerial, well connected. She’s so calm. Switch to split leap, great extension, toe point is gorgeous. Bhs gainer full off the side, holds it for an extra second because she can.

Bacskay, FX: 2.5 to punch front, nicely connected, very floaty. Back double full, also pretty clean. Really showcasing her flexibility in this choreo section. Double pike to finish, maybe a little gassed but pulls it around. That’s a big routine!

7:20pm: Nguyen, BB: Onodi to bhs, so pretty, well connected. Webb pointing out she turns the opposite way from most gymnasts, definitely harder. Switch to split, gorgeous extension. Bhs 1.5, little scoot back.

Aquino, FX: Front through to double tuck, kind of a big lunge back but nice height on the double tuck itself. Really playing to the crowd here, and the Gator fans are not giving her anything, but it doesn’t phase her! Getting all her energy from her music and her team. A HUGE double pike, she doesn’t even use the whole diagonal, slides back a bit with that front foot, but wow. She’s a powerhouse for sure.

Wong, BB: Switch leap mount – and she grabs the beam! Oh no! That’ll be a 3-tenth deduction. Front aerial to beat jump, that’s lovely. Bhs loso, super clean. Full turn is fine. Gainer tuck full off the end is stuck, but she’s clearly upset at herself again.

Wahl, FX: Full in, big lean back but doesn’t go OOB. Splits are definitely short of 180 in her dance series. Front through to double tuck for her second pass, great control there.

Harris-Miranda, BB: Bhs loso bhs, lays it in like a pro, big smile as she finishes. Switch to split, pretty clean, though hard to tell angle from this camera position. Full turn is lovely. Front toss, little wobble and wave of the arms but keeps it small. Roundoff 1.5 twist dismount, holds that stick!

Smith, FX: Front double full, gooorgeous twisting form. Told y’all to watch this one. 1.5 to front lay, oooh deeeeep squat, she mistimed that punch but still didn’t sit somehow. Maybe I jinxed her, oopsie. Rudi to straddle jump, well controlled.

AFTER THREE: UF 148.625, UGA 147.475

On 198 pace?? Hello there, we’ll take that!

The 49.675 beam score for the Gators is also a nation high so far this season – can someone say silencing the haters?

7:37pm: Last one, best one!

Wahl, UGA BB: Triple series to open, super solid. Full turn is clean. Side somi, kinda squatty but steady. Dance series was a tuck jump half to split 3/4 I think with a biiiiiig wobble and lots of arm swings, but doesn’t fall. Little step on her dismount.

Nguyen, UF FX: Front double full to… I don’t think that’s actually the sissone, I think that was just a big jump forward. Stayed in though, so that’s good. Dance sequence is STUNNING. 1.5 to front lay, much better controlled. Y turn is lovely as always. Hopefully no further issues in this lineup…

Tomlin, BB: Her college debut! Switch to switch side, gorgeous 180 positions. Bhs bhs loso, very steady, very patient with it. Full turn is clean, balanced. Roundoff 1.5 twist, big hop forward. But still, on the beam, what a routine! Great debut for her.

Pilgrim, FX: Her floor debut this year! Another all-Rihanna routine this year to honor her heritage in Barbados. A long wait here – Nguyen ends up with a 9.5, yikes.

Here we go – 1.5 through to double full, really clean twisting. Y turn to full turn, well connected. Leap series was clean, good positions in the air, well rotated. Floor choreo in the middle is a little… disconnected? Not the biggest fan of that. Front through to double tuck, a little bouncy on the landing but keeps control of her front foot. Gator chomp to finish. A good reset.

O’Driscoll, BB: Bhs bhs loso, super secure there, well done. Switch half to beat jump, some feet in the switch half but good 180. Maybe a bobble on the full turn? 1.5 twist dismount, little adjustment on the landing.

Clark, FX: DLO, SO high, maybe a small shift of the front foot. Really working this choreo section here, this is easily my favorite routine so far this season. Leap series is so high, easily makes her rotation, no issues. Front through to double tuck, kinda dances out of it to cover her lack of control but I doubt it will fool the judges.

Turner, BB: Full turn is clean to start things off. Bhs loso loso, a break at the hips but keeps it on the beam. Switch to split, clean there. Roundoff 1.5, stuck! Good for her. That’s good fight from a team that is not known for being a beam team.

Blakely Sr., FX: Full in, TEXTBOOK. She’s feeling it tonight. Leap series is excellent, great extension and well controlled. 1.5 to front full, holds the landing – this could be a really big score!! 9.925!

Smith, BB: Acro series is clean, it looks like. Switch to split to beat, that second split was a little shy of 180 I believe, a little balance check involved. Pike front toss, lands well upright, great control and balance. Gainer layout full off the side, little adjustment.

Wong, FX: She looks unhappy with how her night has gone. I really thinks she could use a rest. DLO to open, NAILS it, she needed that. Triple leap series, so clean, well above 180 degrees. Whip half to front full, basically stuck, almost couldn’t arabesque into the rest of her choreo. She looks a lot happier after that routine than before!

Gleichowski, BB: Apparently has fallen both meets so far? We’ll see I guess! Bhs loso loso, that’s clean! Full turn is fine. Switch leap to switch half, does not make 180 on either. Roundoff 1.5 stuck! She hit, good for her!

Harris-Miranda, FX: Front through to double tuck, maybe a little deep squat on the landing but pops it into a lunge quickly. Leap series is clean, not awesome but good. Really selling the choreo though. 1.5 to whip half to stag jump into her ending choreo – that will give Florida the 198 almost certainly. What a night!

FINAL: UF 198.125, UGA 196.825

Harris-Miranda wins the AA at 39.625 and vault at 9.95. Wahl, Pilgrim, and Skye Blakely tied for bars at 9.9, while Sloane Blakely, Pilgrim, Nguyen, and Gleichowski tied for beam at 9.9 as well. Sloane and Wong also tied at 9.925 for the floor title.

While Florida did cross 198 tonight, I think there a few more important takeaways to talk about – Wong needs a brain break. Especially on beam. Lazzari being able to focus on vault feels like a good thing, and she isn’t being missed on beam, as much as that pains me to say. Skye is getting stronger on bars, which may bode well for other events, and same with McCusker. I wouldn’t say they neeeeeeed Ferris back… but she’d be a big plus. And Sloane is in the best shape of her life, her 10 is coming for sure.

So where does that leave us? Hope that Ferris gets well soon, which will give Wong the opportunity to rotate out on at least vault and floor, and then maybe let McCusker take a turn on beam to let her take a week or two off there. I’m not sure next week will be the week, though, since the Gators will face Utah at West Virginia in an unusual tri-meet situation, and they will want to put up another strong away score, especially against another nationals-level opponent like the Utes. But vs. Arkansas or Auburn the two weeks after, those would be great times to rest Wong so she’s in top shape before Oklahoma mid-February.

That’s all for me tonight! I am hoping I will be able to cover the tri-meet next week, but it is at 2pm on Sunday, the day before some big life stuff happening for me, so be sure to check Twitter to see if I’ll be covering the meet or not. I’ll try to do a recap if I can’t make it live!