3 things to know ahead of the Georgia-Florida rivalry
Although it took 14 days, Georgia’s wait is over. At last, it won’t have to think about or answer questions about its previous loss.
The Bulldogs are back on the field. Georgia plays Florida Saturday (3:30 p.m., CBS).
Georgia looks to make it two straight against the Gators as it claimed a 42-7 win last season. But this is a top-10 Florida team that has garnered plenty of national attention. The loser will have an uphill climb to win the SEC East.
“There’s a lot at stake in every game,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said. “You can point to every game, and the next game is the most important game. You have to have that mentality.”
Georgia leads the series 50-43-2 and hopes to begin a winning streak of its own. Here are three things to know ahead of the neutral-site game in Jacksonville, Florida.
1. Trying to get off the field
Georgia ran into plenty of third-down situations in its 36-16 loss to LSU and didn’t have much success. It’s because the Bulldogs found themselves in third-and-short situations and faced with the challenge of a hurry-up tempo.
The result? Not much room for error and no substitutions.
Georgia’s defensive line, which will be thin as-is without David Marshall who remains out with a foot injury, is known for rotating frequently and keeping the unit fresh. That can’t happen too much when a player isn’t have time to substitute.
Against an offense with multiple weapons, Georgia’s ability to quickly end drives will be ever-important.
“The defensive line wore down …” Georgia defensive end Jonathan Ledbetter said. “… We had some drives of 13 plays, 11 plays. That’s just unacceptable. You want to be in third down, get off the field, make them punt the ball and put the offense in good field position.”
2. Facing Florida’s defensive line
Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm was sacked four times against the Tigers and was 16-of-34 as a result. As the pass protection errors continued to mount, the Bulldogs’ offense stalled.
Against Florida, it could get tougher when facing the Gators’ defensive line. It is led by Jabari Zuniga (23 tackles, 4.5 sacks), Cece Jefferson (eight tackles, 1.5 sacks through three games with a recorded stat) and Jachai Polite (26 tackles). Polite, in fact, has all of his seven sacks in his last five games.
Georgia’s offensive line, being without Ben Cleveland at guard, has a challenge ahead.
“I’m ready for the challenge,” offensive tackle Andrew Thomas said. “They have a great defense. I’m just ready and excited for it.”
3. Who assumes the punting duties?
After freshman Jake Camarda started Georgia’s first seven games and quickly entered his name into the school record books with booming punts, his status is now in question.
Against LSU, Camarda averaged a season-low 35.5 yards per punt on six attempts, and thus the competition re-opened with graduate transfer Landon Stratton in the conversation. Georgia preaches the use of its special teams unit as a weapon, and time has been taken to further evaluate the best fit for the role.
“It’s been up for grabs in the off week,” Smart said. “We’ve had two guys competing. We punted both (Stratton and Camarda) quite a bit, but Jake is still our punter right now.”
Smart’s comment came during Tuesday’s media availability, and it is unknown whether Camarda or Stratton will earn the start against the Gators.