Georgia, Florida showdown: This one will go to the Dawgs

By Patrick Motes | Sports writer 

The matchup in one of the oldest and most storied rivalries in college football between the Georgia Bulldogs and Florida Gators will take place Saturday, Oct. 28, in Jacksonville, Fla.

 The Bulldogs lead the series 54-44-2 in all time matchups. The Bulldogs have won the last two games and five of the last six against the Gators.

The big question mark surrounding the back-to-back national champion Georgia team is how will the Bulldogs fare without their star player Brock Bowers. A tight end, Bowers has accumulated 567 receiving yards so far this season, averaging 13.8 yards per catch. He has helped generate 26 percent of Georgia’s total passing offensive production.

This Georgia team does not lack talent. Running back Daijun Edwards, the Bulldogs’ leading rusher, is averaging 5.8 yards per carry, totaling 460 yards and six touchdowns on the season. Star wide receiver Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint has accumulated 333 receiving yards and two touchdowns on the season. He is followed by teammates Dominic Lovett and Rara Thomas, who have also provided the Bulldogs with elite weapons on the outside and in the slot positions.

On the other side of the ball, the Florida Gators have proven they play competitive football. Earlier in the season they hosted the No. 11 Tennessee Volunteers at home and won convincingly 29-16. Just two weeks ago on the road, at South Carolina, the Gators came back from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win. Quarterback Graham Mertz put the team on his back with an impressive performance of 423 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. South Carolina is a team that gave Georgia problems at home earlier in the season, going up 14-3 at halftime before the Dawgs rallied in the second half for the win.  

The question for Florida is how close of a game can the Gators keep it in the first half? Florida cannot let the Bulldogs pull away in the first half as we have seen all season, Georgia plays much better football in the second half. We also saw when Florida played Kentucky, the Wildcats ran the ball very efficiently on the Gators. Running back Ray Davis ran for 280 yards and three touchdowns, leading Kentucky to a convincing win of 33-14 at home.

So here are the final takeaways of what it will take for each team to win this historic rivalry. First, the Bulldogs will have to rely on the passing game and trust first-year starter Carson Beck to make good decisions downfield. That means having receivers like Thomas, Lovett and Rosemy-Jacksaint step up and make big catches. Beck has been good so far when he has been asked to, so how will he fare in this environment in Jacksonville.

On the flip side, the Gators will need to challenge the Bulldogs’ defense. Head coach Kirby Smart is notoriously known for his aggressive, hard-hitting and fast defense. Can the Gators mix up their offense a bit, confuse the Bulldogs defense and take some shots downfield? The final key part will be how well can they run the ball and win the line of scrimmage on third downs where Georgia’s defense is so good at.

 If the Dawgs win, they will be in the driver’s seat for the SEC East and another trip to the conference championship game. If Florida wins, then the East tightens up and the Gators would actually be a leg up on the Bulldogs because of winning the head-to-head meeting. But Missouri is in the race, too.

The game will be televised by CBS Sports at 3:30 p.m.

Here’s my prediction: Georgia 34, Florida 21.

Contact Patrick Motes at jomotes@augusta.edu.