Florida football: 3 reasons Gators win World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party
Three reasons why the Florida Gators will beat the Georgia Bulldogs in the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party and take control of the SEC East.
This rivalry game has been held in Jacksonville, Florida every year (except for two) since 1933, making it one of the few true neutral-site rivalries in college football. Georgia currently holds the head-to-head advantage with 52 wins compared to Florida’s 43, but Florida will be looking to tack one on this weekend.
The Bulldogs have been national championship contenders for the last couple of years, and this year is no different. Even with a loss to South Carolina at home, Georgia has a very good chance to make the College Football Playoff if they run the table and win the SEC Championship. The Gators will be looking to end those dreams before they get close to the SEC Championship. Here are three reasons Florida can beat Georgia on Saturday.
1. Gators are rested and getting healthy
Dan Mullen has had an extra week to prepare for this matchup, which means we can probably expect to see a few more wrinkles in Florida’s offense. Mullen is no stranger to calling gutsy trick plays, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see several called on Saturday. Even without the trickery, look for Florida to use a ton of different formations and personnel to catch the Bulldog defense off guard. Look for Freshman Emory Jones to come in for a couple of key downs on Saturday. Jones’ legs can add a ton of variation to the Gators offense and Mullen has been unafraid to put the ball in his hands.
In addition, the playbook should be completely open to Kyle Trask. With a full bye week, there will be no more coddling (not that there was much, to begin with). I wouldn’t be surprised to see Mullen dial up some deep shots early to try and get Georgia on its heels. Then, they can run Lamical Perine down the middle of the Bulldogs defense.
On the defensive side of the ball, they should have a ton of time to prepare for a surprisingly pedestrian offense. Yes, Georgia is averaging 471 yards per play, but a good chunk of that came against subpar competition. In their narrow win against Notre Dame Georgia only had 339 yards. Against South Carolina, the Bulldogs turned the ball over four times, with Fromm throwing three picks. Florida has a better defense than South Carolina, and they can put even more pressure on Fromm. I would not be shocked to see Florida’s defense generate some key turnovers.
2. Efficiency
Per ESPN’s FPI, Georgia is ranked in the top 15 in offensive, defensive, and special teams efficiency. They will need to be as efficient as possible to beat Georgia this weekend. I still think Florida will take some deep shots early, but they should also focus on controlling the ball and the clock. Georgia is used to having the ball and is ranked 10th in time of possession, but Florida can flip the script on them.
A mix of chewing clock and forcing turnovers will be the key to victory this weekend. Neither team has a great offense, so we will likely see a game of field position. Georgia has already shown they are vulnerable to turning the ball over, especially if you can get to Fromm. By taking away the ball and forcing Georgia to try and beat them through the air, the Gators can pull out the win.
3. Georgia can’t win Big Games
Ok, I know what you’re going to say. I’m insane. But hear me out. In postseason play since Jake Fromm has been the quarterback, Georgia is 2-3 but is 0-3 in the last two years. I would be concerned if I was a Georgia fan headed into a major game. The Bulldogs have blown two leads to Alabama, and didn’t show up for a game against Texas in the Sugar Bowl last year. Couple that with a loss to South Carolina and uninspiring performance against Kentucky this year and you’ve got yourself a recipe for danger. Sure they beat Notre Dame, but that was at home and did you see the Fighting Irish get absolutely handled by Michigan?
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