Florida cornerback Joe Haden couldn't tell you much about the nuances of Georgia's offense or quarterback Joe Cox's playing style.
Normally, that would be pretty alarming to hear three days before a major rivalry matchup, but for the strategy the Gators' defense will use Saturday against the Bulldogs, he only needs to know about one player: receiver A.J. Green.
"I've just been watching A.J.," Haden said.
Haden said he has watched more film on Green than any wideout in the past - two hours each day since Sunday - spending little time studying the rest of UGA's offense.
That's because the Gators believe stopping Green means shutting down the Bulldogs altogether. Green (41 catches, 682 yards, six touchdowns) leads the Southeastern Conference in receptions and receiving yards per game, and he has twice as many catches and more than three times as many yards as any other UGA receiver.
On a team ranked last in the SEC for rushing offense, that makes Green the only real threat.
"He's the guy we need to stop," Haden said. "I know [Brandon Spikes], [Carlos Dunlap] and everybody are going to stop the run, so they're going to have to resort to the pass."
Haden and Janoris Jenkins will both spend time covering Green on their respective sides of the field, though Haden said Green lines up on Jenkins' side more often.
He likens Green to LSU wideouts Brandon LaFell and Terrance Toliver, only better.
"He has proven time and time again what he can do when the ball is in the air," Cox said. "You have to find ways to get the ball in his hands, even if it's handing him a reverse or throwing him a screen. You have to be creative getting him the ball because a lot of teams account for him."
The running game is a pretty big mismatch on paper, as Florida will put the SEC's second-best run defense against a Georgia squad averaging just 108 rushing yards per game. Richard Samuel entered the year as the starter and looked to pose a formidable one-two punch along with Caleb King, but neither has fared well.
Samuel carried the load in the first three games, gaining 256 yards on 51 carries, but he has 79 yards on 26 carries in four contests since.
Those first three performances alone are enough to make him the team's leading rusher, with King (35 carries, 135 yards) and Washaun Ealey (31 carries, 122 yards) next in line.
The disappointment of the running game sums up the season so far for the Bulldogs (4-3, 3-2 SEC), and while Florida will be trying to clinch the SEC East on Saturday, they just want to get back on track.
"Obviously, for the goals we set for this season, we're not happy with where we are," Cox said. "The good thing is, we had our off week, and now it's like we have a second half of the season we can focus on and try to finish up strong. We just want to right some of the things that have gone wrong."
