A look at UGA’s next opponent: the Gators
NEXT FOR GEORGIA
Who: vs. Florida (in Jacksonville, Fla.)
When: 3:30 p.m. Saturday
TV; radio: CBS; 750, 95.5
About Florida
Record: 7-0, 6-0 SEC
Last time played: Georgia overcame a 17-3 second-quarter deficit to defeat Florida 24-20 last season, just the Bulldogs’ fourth victory over the Gators in the teams’ past 22 meetings.
Offense: Florida ranks last in the SEC in passing offense (137.7 yards per game) but third in the league in rushing offense (212.7 yards per game). The Gators’ leading rusher is senior tailback Mike Gillislee, who averages 93.1 yards per game. Sophomore quarterback Jeff Driskel is 85-of-127 passing (66.9 percent) for 928 yards; four of his eight touchdown passes came in last week’s 44-11 victory over South Carolina. Driskel has run the ball 66 times for 321 net yards (4.9 per carry), including 11 carries for 177 yards against Vanderbilt.
Defense: The Gators rank No. 4 nationally in scoring defense (allowing 12.1 points per game), No. 7 in total defense (282 yards per game), No. 10 in rushing defense (97.3 yards per game) and No. 20 in passing defense (184.7 yards per game).
Special teams: Punter Kyle Christy ranks first in the nation with an average of 47.9 yards, including a school-record 54.3-yard average against South Carolina. Kicker Caleb Sturgis has made 12 of 14 field-goal attempts this season, including both of his tries from 50-plus yards.
What you should know: The Gators, No. 2 in the BCS standings, have outscored their SEC opponents 57-8 in the third quarter and 51-13 in the fourth. They are the only team in the nation with two wins over opponents ranked in the nation’s top 10 at the time of the games (LSU, South Carolina).
Coach: Will Muschamp, a former Georgia player (1991-94), is in his second season as Florida’s coach. He has a 14-6 record with the Gators (7-6 last season).
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125 comments Add your comment
GD
October 24th, 2012
12:37 pm
Muschamp and Richt are still the same coaches.
GD
October 24th, 2012
12:39 pm
McGowan’s a solid punt returner.
GatorBait 18-4
October 24th, 2012
12:41 pm
GD
tell e more about special teams, we have a senior AllAmerican kicker who has kicked in big games your freshman hasn’t, how about our punter only leads the nation in yards and net yards.
Turnovers, the dawgs are at 0, lost 10 and got 10—-the Gators are plus 12
Try something else Sammy
St Johns River
October 24th, 2012
12:42 pm
Muschamp’s a defensive guy. A change at OC is significant. Like saying UF was the same team when Bob Stoops was the DC just because Spurrier was still the HBC.
TMLCDawg
October 24th, 2012
12:43 pm
all i want to see if maximum effort out of the dawgs
WDog
October 24th, 2012
12:48 pm
Florida’s offense was ranked 105 in total offense in 2011, and 102 in 2012. No difference there.
WDog
October 24th, 2012
12:52 pm
Agree with Richt about Georgia’s improved special teams:
1- 2 blocked punts
2- stopped a fake punt
3- no td returns on kick return
4- punting high
5- getting lots of fair catches after punts
6- 83.3% field goal percentage
7- Made 2 field goals over 50 yards
7576DAWG
October 24th, 2012
12:52 pm
Florida has a special teams Coordinator which is the main reason they are so good this year. That emphasis on special teams has pushed them over the edge into a complete football team. Georgia on the other hand doesn’t think that the top scorer on a team, the field goal kicker , needs to be supervised or helped to fine tone his specialty. I would go back to Belin and offer him twice what he is making in the Pro’s if he would come back and coach the Linebackers and the special teams. Olivadotti needs to go. He is a good guy and a good coach but he is not irreplaceable as a coach and he is a poor recruiter but the main thing is he can not coach special teams.. Grantham usually close the deal with all Linebackers.
Richt needs to start admitting when he is wrong about things and stop being sooo stubborn . Richt need to put an emphasis on SPECIAL TEAMS.
GTBob
October 24th, 2012
12:53 pm
Georgia-Florida game 2011:
Rushing, Georgia 185, Florida -19
Same coaches.
Same players on Florida’s defense.
How about another case study.
Florida vs LSU 2011: LSU 238 yards, UF 113 yards
Florida vs LSU 2012: LSU 42 yards, UF 176 yards
He Hate Gator
October 24th, 2012
12:54 pm
Sammy, how did Ga do against the 9th ranked D (SC)? Wny do you think it’ll be any better against the 4th ranked D?
WDog
October 24th, 2012
12:55 pm
Our field goal kicker is awesome.
Field goals were at 59% in 2011, at 83.3% in 2012. Guy has made 2 from beyond 50 yards.
WDog
October 24th, 2012
1:01 pm
Is Florida defense or offense more productive than 2011? No. They are giving up the same yards on defense, and producing the same yards on offense, nothing has improved there on either side of the ball as far as productivity goes.
He Hate Gator
October 24th, 2012
1:06 pm
Enough about last year’s Fla team that went 7-6. We’re playing this year’s team that is undefeated.
WDog
October 24th, 2012
1:07 pm
I suspect Georgia will once again, wear out Florida with the hurry up, and pound the ball to beat them up physically, and put them away in the 4th quarter as their arms are dragging the ground from exhaustion, repeat of 2011.Georgia wins, 28-14.
St Johns River
October 24th, 2012
1:08 pm
Kentucky ran for 160 yards against Florida, and had exactly zero points to show for their efforts. Yet some of you seem to think that the 160 rushing yards was more significant than the shutout.
WDog
October 24th, 2012
1:11 pm
With Florida’s one dimensional offense, look for Georgia to once again, take away the run, Florida finished with NEGATIVE rushing yards last year. Florida will try to win by forcing turnovers, can’t blame them, they are heavily overmatched on offense and special teams and coaching.
WDog
October 24th, 2012
1:12 pm
Georgia ran for 190 yards in 2011 and had 24 points to show for it. Georgia is not Kentucky.
Ray Goof's Hat
October 24th, 2012
1:13 pm
Ah, WDog is a fan of Richt’s coaching. Good! I hope there are many more like you out there, so that Helen Hunt’s twin stays in Athens for many, many more years.
WDog
October 24th, 2012
1:14 pm
Thanks Bulldawg! Yes, the BCS is a fan of Coach Richt too, has him at No10 ranked in the nation right now, so we have a lot of fans.
WDog
October 24th, 2012
1:17 pm
Anyone know wich Head Coach has a higher career winning percentage in big games, like say, against ranked teams? I know Muschamp’s record is 2-6 in such games, he hasn’t prepared his team well historically, or in this series.
St Johns River
October 24th, 2012
1:18 pm
Why do you keep comparing the 2011 team to the 2012 team? Muschamp’s second team is a far cry from his first. Even UGA homers recognize that. Anyway, here’s the point: the final score is what matters. You want to look every category other than scoring defense. SEC teams have averaged 11.8 ppg on this defense. That’s the stat that matters.
Mike Franklin
October 24th, 2012
1:21 pm
Carolina now saying that their horrid loss to the Gators was a freak accident. maybe it was. Maybe UGA’s loss to Carolina was the same thing. Maybe we’ll keep this circle jerk in motion by doing the same to Florida.
St Johns River
October 24th, 2012
1:21 pm
You’re talking about the “historical” tendencies of a guy who’s been a head coach for 20 games? That’s great.
Mustbeachump
October 24th, 2012
1:22 pm
Gators made a Dawg their coach! Gators have pea brains!
G-Dawg
October 24th, 2012
1:24 pm
ESPN radio, Coach Saban at 1330….Coach Richt at 1430. For any listeners.
Dawg Pile
October 24th, 2012
1:24 pm
I wouldn’t brag about how they were smart enough to hire one of our own because we failed to grab him a few years back while CMR was losing to UCF
He Hate Gator
October 24th, 2012
1:33 pm
Please, ENOUGH about 2011…..SC beat Fla last year also. How did that stat work out for this year?
chavez
October 24th, 2012
1:51 pm
get a room you two
48-40-2
October 24th, 2012
2:51 pm
Was talking with a buddy of mine and he pointed something out about the SC game that i didn’t think about:
We lost M. Bennett on thurs before for the game. So the Offense had practiced all week on plays with him as the #1 WR. So Sat players had to be moved around and that proved to be a big reason why Murray’s timing was off. He has two weeks to work with the WRs and goes out and has a 30-38, 429yd 4 TD performance. The ONLY game the offense has struggled in is the one where we lost our #1 WR on the LAST day of game prep.
Now with S. Williams firing up not only the D, but the O as well, I think UF is in for a huge Surprise.
Oh and to you pathetic gator fans that like to post 18-4 or 18 of 22, get a life, the record is 48-40-2. We STILL own the Gators by almost a decade of wins, so give the PARTIAL HISTORY a rest.
Where the hell is Gatormeat now?
October 24th, 2012
2:56 pm
What he said^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
RegalBeagle
October 24th, 2012
3:32 pm
Seriously thought I saw this morning where the forecast for Saturday is Sunny but with that tropical storm, hurricane off the coast, winds were going to be between 30-40 MPH. Not sure what or how or if it will factor into both team’s passing attacks, or lack thereof, but just found that interesting.
gomdawg
October 24th, 2012
3:39 pm
upset weekend GEORGIA 37 GATORS 17
GO DAWGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TampaGator
October 24th, 2012
3:39 pm
Sammy is suddenly……GD.
Hint….”Florida has not played an offense as good as Georgia’s”
Ever heard of Texas A&M????
Also….South Carolina put 32 up on Georgia. SC did not score a single TD on Florida….and the refs gave them two of their 3 FGs with horrible penalty calls.
…and….Georgia has not played a defense like Florida’s defense…but a similar one to SC. Again….how many points did Georgia put up on SC? ZERO.
I think Georgia will do better than that Saturday just because of the rivalry and the situation. But I don’t think either Georgia or Florida has a serious advantage or disadvantage over the other. The game is a toss up game….and I do think the team with the lesser amount of turnovers and more big plays will win the game Saturday. These are two very talented teams. Going to be a good one.
RegalBeagle
October 24th, 2012
3:40 pm
Apparently winds, according to weather.com, are only listed at 20 MPH but with a little better chance of rain. Dang Sandy!!!!
GTF GRAD
October 24th, 2012
3:41 pm
Georgia fans have to be the most delusional in the world, UF fans you’re wasting your breath. This game does not boil down to last year. Name one decent team that UG-gay has beat this year and I’ll jump on the bandwagon with the rest of you Georgia fans.
TampaGator
October 24th, 2012
3:43 pm
48-40-2……
Florida will not be surprised by Georgia. Muschamp and his players know how talented a team Georgia is and they are preparing to play that type of team. The SC and Kentucky games have nothing to do with this game….only the BSC standings. And Florida’s games with LSU and SC have nothing to do with this game either. Florida fully understands the stakes involved with this game. The SEC East title. The Gators will come prepared and ready to play….Muschamp and staff will make sure of that. I am however concerned about the developing weather conditions. That could change things for both teams. Too bad the weather is not going to be ideal for both teams.
UPDATED: UGA starting DE Abry Jones out for rest of regular season after ankle surgery | UGA sports blog
October 24th, 2012
3:56 pm
[...] A look at Georgia’s next opponent: The Florida Gators [...]
npgator
October 24th, 2012
4:01 pm
Hilarious that you clowns bring up stats versus teams we didn’t play!! Remember that we beat South Carolina by 33 and they beat UGA by 28!! Say no more.
NoGaGator
October 24th, 2012
4:27 pm
Well, both teams played UK and UT. How’d that turn out?
Don’t even waste your time to try to argue with circular-logic GD, aka Sammy, aka Patrick. Oh, the voices in hsi head that must continually torment him.
MariettaGator
October 24th, 2012
4:58 pm
Which trick will the Dawgs try this year? Run onto the field? Grantham choke sign? Back in Black? Statistics are for LOSERS. “W’s” are for winners…
SuwaneeGator
October 24th, 2012
5:08 pm
Hopefully, UGA won’t try the ‘trick” that worked in 2011.
UGA did win all the key stats in 2011:
turnovers, off rush, def rush allowed.
stats never lie.
castle pines canine
October 24th, 2012
5:46 pm
Gator Bait, what position does Driskell play on special teams? Just asking
NoGaGator
October 24th, 2012
5:48 pm
Both teams have played 4 common teams: UT,UK, Vandy and SC.
UGA has scored 135 points and given up 106 for an average of 7 pts/game differential.
UF has scored 150 points and given up 48 for an average of 25 pts/game differential.
UF’s other 3 wins have come against 6-ranked LSU, 20th-ranked TA&M, and BGSU.
UGA, with Mizzou, Buffalo and FAU – not much to talk about.
SEC Fan
October 24th, 2012
6:07 pm
Excuses will suffice until Saturday afternoon.
Then the crying in the beer begins in earnest. Look at the bright side Georgia fans — with a 9-3 record, you’re more likely to land a bowl game that you can actually win.
Tampa Gator
October 24th, 2012
7:25 pm
NoGaGator…..
What Georgia and Florida have done has nothing whatsoever to do with what will take place this Saturday in JAX. Lots and lots of talent on both sides…period. The team that executes and makes the fewest errors will win…..hopefully the Gators.
MackDaddy
October 24th, 2012
7:40 pm
UGA won 24-20 in 2011. Until Gators win, UGA is da champ. Pure & simple. All dat is.
MackDaddy
October 24th, 2012
7:42 pm
UGA da betta team, no doubt, talent, check, offense, check, special teams, check, coaching check, Gatorz all rite on defense, bout it Bro. outta be a UGA rout. No one Gatorz beat UGA.
Mickey Mouse
October 24th, 2012
8:17 pm
Gators in for a rude awakening on Saturday. Dawgs have them right where they want them.
Gators been lucky so far and the luck runs out Saturday. Gators not as good as they appear so you know-it-all Gator fans can take your stats,your hopes, and your dreams and shove it!!
MackDaddy
October 24th, 2012
8:24 pm
Hopefully Gators luck will continue, like 2011.
DIRTYWHITE BOY
October 24th, 2012
8:30 pm
UGA ISN’T MAN ENOUGH DAWG ENOUGH TO BEAT THE GATORS PERIOD.