Alex Barnett and Gator Maven’s Zach Goodall team up to set the stage for one of College Football’s greatest rivalries, a game that could determine the final seeding for the 2019 College Football Playoffs.
Florida. Georgia. Both teams are synonymous with greatness and will square off this weekend in a game that will have a major impact on the playoff picture. One of football’s most storied rivalries, it will not doubt be the game to watch when kick-off rolls around at 3:30 ET this Saturday. This will be only the third time that both teams have been ranked in the top ten since the year 2000. The winner of this game in 2008 and 2018 went on to represent the SEC East in the SEC Championship game with a chance to play for a national title.
The victor on Saturday will be in control of their own destiny, with the hopes of a playoff berth and chance to play for a title. How can each team make sure they come out on top?
How Florida beats Georgia:
By: Alex Barnett
To win football games, you’ve got to score more points than your opponent. Scoring on Georgia has been difficult for teams this season, allowing an average of 266 yards per game, and only six touchdowns through seven games. Impressive, right? Well, not really. All six of those touchdowns have been through the air, the only visible weakness in the Bulldogs defense. Expect Gators’ quarterback, Kyle Trask to throw the ball early and often against a Georgia defense that on average allows nine yards every completion. With a multitude of weapons on offense such as Kyle Pitts, Van Jefferson, and the return of Kadarius Toney, Mullen and Trask will be sure to creative in their play calls in order to get the balls in the hands of their play-makers.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Gators need to emphasize stopping the run. Georgia averages six yards per carry and nearly 240 yards per game, good for 16th in the country. Forcing Jake Fromm to win through the air is the ideal way stall offensive drives. Fromm is very cerebral and will find gaps in zone coverage to gain easy yards. I expect the physical defense of Florida to primarily play man coverage in an attempt to have Fromm hold the ball longer. With the return of the two primary pass rushers from injury, Jabari Zuniga and Johnathan Greenard, the Gators will look to disrupt Fromm.
If the Gators have success in the air, stop the potent rushing attack of Georgia, and limit the amount of zone concept plays on passing downs, they will put themselves in a position to win.
How Georgia beats Florida:
By: Zach Goodall
D’Andre Swift.
I say that with only slight sarcasm, but over the past two weeks, the Gators’ kryptonite has been SEC running backs. With double-digit tackles in back to back games and issues with gap discipline, Florida has allowed 435 rushing yards and a whopping 6.49 yards per carry over their past two games against No. 2 LSU and South Carolina.
Meanwhile, Swift is averaging 6.8 yards per carry himself this year, and Pro Football Focus has him down for creating 23 missed tackles. If Florida can’t sharpen their run defense with the return of Jonathan Greenard and Jabari Zuniga, they could be in for a long day against the RB1 of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Meanwhile, Georgia can beat Florida defensively by swallowing up the pocket. Kyle Trask has improved his pocket presence over the past few weeks, but hasn’t seen the same type of pressure that teams like Auburn have brought against him. Georgia must contain Trask and knock him on the ground early in order to pull away on defense, because otherwise, Florida has proven they can play in a shootout.
