It’s the game Bulldogs want to win every year, but have had trouble in

Before Georgia’s 42-7 win over Florida last season, head coach Kirby Smart stood in front of his team and asked players who had previously beaten the Gators to stand up.

Everyone sat.

Georgia wanted to send a message, and it did with its largest margin of victory since a 44-0 win in 1982. Few of the Bulldogs have a winning record against the Gators as they had the latest three-game winning streak from 2014-16.

New year, same message.

“A lot of our guys don’t have a winning record against them,” Smart said. “They know what’s at stake for this game, and they know that this is going to be a physical, tough battle. Two teams that are well coached and two talented teams. It’ll be about who plays well on the field and who controls the line of scrimmage that will be the key to this game.”

Georgia returns to Jacksonville for the yearly tradition that is the main attraction along the Atlantic coast and across the SEC during the last weekend of October. It will have all of the attention as “College GameDay” and “SEC Nation” will be on-site the morning prior.

The pageantry is evident in a plethora of areas, whether it be the Jacksonville Jaguars’ professional facilities or the split crowd at TIAA Bank Field.

“Jacksonville is always one of my favorite games I’ve ever been to,” running back Elijah Holyfield said. “The stadium is really nice and to see the atmosphere after travelling is cool.”

More importantly, however, is what’s at stake for this game. Florida isn’t the same 4-8 team it was a season ago and is suddenly a playoff contender with a 6-1 record and a No. 9 ranking under first-year head coach Dan Mullen. After Georgia’s loss to LSU (a team Florida beat at home), Saturday’s bout serves as an elimination game of sorts for the SEC East.

The loser will have two conference losses and be at the short end of a tiebreaker. Meanwhile, the victor will stand atop the division standings with only two conference games remaining.

“You have to address it as this is a big rivalry for us,” defensive end Jonathan Ledbetter said. “This is Florida and this is the next game. It is going to take us to where we want to be. We acknowledge that and keep working.”

Georgia said it doesn’t focus on talk from opponents, but some comes with every rivalry and the bulletin board material returns. Smart has pulled quotes from Mullen and Florida defensive tackle Cece Jefferson as motivation. They’re alternated in a pattern amongst the window panes of the team’s weight room.

First is Mullen’s, from a speaking engagement around National Signing Day in February: “Winning one SEC Championship Game doesn’t make you a dominant program. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while.”

Then is Jefferson’s remark from SEC Media Days this July in Atlanta, via Graham Hall of the Gainesville Sun: “When we beat (Georgia) this year, it’s going to feel good.”

Georgia’s checklist is complete: reminder, motivation and setting a goal of boarding the plane out of Jacksonville with the back-to-back wins in the rivalry.

“It definitely does make it sweeter (to beat Florida),” offensive tackle Andrew Thomas said. ”I can’t remember a Georgia-Florida game that wasn’t a big one, so it’ll be a great atmosphere.”

Georgia’s first practice after the bye week, in turn, was focused. The yelling wasn’t too frantic, nor was the pace. But it was methodical and about precision in fixing errors.

That doesn’t mean Smart wasn’t intentional when leading his drill, though. He spoke on the talents of Florida wide receiver Van Jefferson and running back Jordan Scarlett during the press conference. Smart ensured ample preparation was done for their abilities.

He led a drill with Brenton Cox, Natrez Patrick, Tyson Campbell and others — scout-team players simulated Scarlett and Jefferson. If a player wasn’t performing sufficiently, he was sent away from the drill.

“Go back to fundamentals, Tyson,” Smart yelled at the freshman cornerback. “You didn’t tackle worth a (expletive) right there.”

New week, same message.

“There’s a lot at stake in every game,” Smart said. “Our guys understand it’s the next-game mentality, because you have to have that.”