A little frost on the pumpkin here and coffee steam fogging the glasses this morning here in the Queen City as we move into Week 10.
The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party commences once again and I have to say, if we were giving medals for hope and optimism, Gaytor fans would take the gold because every one of their fans I personally know are smoking the hopium hard. Florida comes into this game at 4-3 and you would think that they’re something other than a team that isn’t making a bowl game this season. Yes, I am fully aware that Lagway has been a bright spot for them (everyone knew he would be), but Lagway has not seen a defense in his entire playing career at any level like the defense he will see today.
To me, the key to this game is a very simple one: Carson Beck’s play. This season, in a very un-Georgia-like fashion, we are a pass-first, run-second team and that means that we are going to put the heavy lifting on Beck. Beck cannot come out again like he did at Texas and turn the ball over 3 or 4 times. If you would have told me Beck would turn the ball over like he did in that Texas game and we would have still won, I would have told you that you are insane. But, it still happened. That is not the norm, that is not what will happen 99 out of 100 times against any SEC team when you turn the ball over like that. If you want to see the norm, I point you to the first half of the Alabama game. Remember that? If all things were normal in the world and we were the usual run-first team we have been (since, I don’t know, I was born?), then Etienne would have a huge game against the 95th ranked run defense in the nation. Maybe this is the game where Etienne has that breakout game that reveals a back we all expected to see way back in Week 1.
This is a rivalry game, and weird things happen in rivalry games. They have a coach who is coaching for his job right now and knocking off their biggest rival (ranked at #2) would go a long way to turning the gas flame on his hind end down. His players know this and will be juiced up for this game. We need to prevent weird things from happening. How do we do that? Avoid the slow start. Move the ball so well that you are not coverting 3rd and longs. Don’t turn the ball over. Trap Lagway in the box, limit his mobility and make him beat us with his arm, not his legs. We do those things and I just don’t see the Florida defense having enough juice in the box to do the unthinkable.
GO DAWGS! GATA! SIC EM!
Game & Broadcast Info
- Kickoff: Saturday, November 2 – 3:30 p.m. ET
- Location: EverBank Stadium (76,666) | Jacksonville, Fla.
- 2024 Records: Georgia (7-1, 4-1 SEC), Florida (4-3, 2-2 SEC)
- 2024 Rankings: Georgia #2/2, Florida NR/NR
- TV: ABC (Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Holly Rowe)
- Video Stream:
ESPN+
- Radio: 95.5 FM WSB – Bulldog Network |
Affiliates
| Scott Howard (PxP), Eric Zeier (Color), DJ Shockley (sideline)
- Audio Stream:
georgiadogs.com
- Satellite:
SiriusXM (137/190)
- Web Stats:
georgiadogs.com
- Twitter: #UFvsUGA
- SECN ReBroadcast: 11/5 – 2:30-5:30am ET, 11/7 – 12:00-3:00pm ET
- History:
Georgia vs. Florida All-Time Series Results: UGA leads 56-44-2
- Last Meeting: Georgia won W43-20 in Jacksonville, Fla., 10/28/2023