The Florida Gators will travel to Jacksonville for the first time under head coach Billy Napier Saturday. However, the team must charge towards a familiar challenge: a Georgia Bulldogs team deemed the best in the nation.
Just a year ago, Florida fell to the No. 1 Bulldogs in a lopsided 34-7 affair. Three turnovers in the second quarter alone senta struggling Gators team back to Gainesville with very little to show. Dan Mullen, then-head coach of the Gators, parted ways with the team less than a month later.
Now, Napier and veteran members of the team must lead Florida against the 2022 Bulldogs, once again ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25. Georgia ranks inside the top 10 nationally in both scoring offense and defense. Despite losing a record 15 players to the NFL Draft in the offseason, UGA head coach Kirby Smart has retooled his team without skipping a beat.
Florida redshirt sophomore quarterback Anthony Richardson is all too familiar with the Bulldogs. His first ever start as a Gator came against Georgia in Jacksonville last year. Two interceptions and a fumble later, he was benched for future Arizona State transfer Emory Jones.
“I feel like I've made huge leaps of improvement,” Richardson said. “There's still a ways to go. But just thinking about it, I was actually talking about it the other day, time does fly. Seemed like yesterday it was my first start against Georgia,”
Despite outgaining the Bulldogs on offense 355 yards to 354 in 2021, the Gators found themselves in a massive deficit against Georgia with mainly turnovers to blame. Florida has continued to struggle with turnovers this season as well. UF’s thrown the third most interceptions in the Southeastern Conference this season with seven.
Despite the passing offense being questionable for the Gators entering Saturday’s contest, Florida’s running game has remained productive since the year prior. In 2021, UF ranked fourth in the SEC in rush yards per game with 209. This year, the Gators are third and have averaged 213 yards per game.
Florida’s constant rush trio of Montrell Johnson Jr., Trevor Etienne and Nay’Quan Wright should anticipate a high rate of touches during Saturday’s game. There is also potential for Napier to reach deeper into his depth chart; former five-star Lorenzo Lingard has seen an increased workload in recent weeks. The Gators’ offensive strength has been its ground game, which is likely what they’ll stick to up against the ‘Dawgs.
Perhaps most important for Florida in this edition of the historic rivalry is its defense. The Gators defense has taken a step back this season, allowing 429 yards of offense per game compared to 367 in 2021. However, veteran contributors such as Ventrell Miller, Amari Burney and Jaydon Hill have uplifted the Florida defense to some big moments.
It will be a massive challenge for the Gators to challenge Georgia’s offensive machine. Bulldogs quarterback Stetson Bennett has thrown just one interception this season while facilitating an offense filled with weapons.
If the Gators defense cannot put up a respectable fight, the game could be over before it starts.
“I think we've got a group of people that really care about doing their job better, and that's what they're going to try to do,” Napier said.
Florida will certainly have its hands full Saturday. However, an upset victory on a huge stage could completely change the outlook on Napier’s first season at the helm.
Florida-Georgia kicks off at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at TIAA Bank Stadium in Jacksonville. The game will broadcast on CBS.
Contact Jackson Castellano at jcastellano@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @jaxacastellano.
Jackson Castellano is a third-year sports media journalism student and the Digital Managing Editor at The Alligator for Spring 2024. In the past, he's served as the Sports Editor, Assistant Sports Editor and a Sports Reporter covering Football, Men's basketball and Baseball.
