Game Day: Florida vs No. 1 Georgia (CBS, 3:30)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It’s been two weeks since the Florida Gators’ last outing and it’s been a year since their last crack at the Georgia Bulldogs. If you’re a UF fan, you know where this is going. 

Basically, there will be very two very distinct measuring sticks in play when Florida (4-3, 1-3) and No. 1 Georgia (7-0, 4-0) square off for the 100th time in their storied Southeastern Conference rivalry Saturday at TIAA Bank Field. 

They are: 

1) What, if any, adjustments have been or can be made to address the defensive issues that allowed LSU to roll for 528 yards and convert 10 of 14 third- or fourth-down situations in the 45-35 home loss to the Tigers on Oct. 15?

2) How much has UF quarterback Anthony Richardson grown since making his first career start against the top-ranked (and eventual national champion) Bulldogs on Oct. 30, 2021, when his three turnovers over just 88 seconds inside three minutes to go in the first half turned an anyone’s game into a 24-0 halftime deficit in the blink of a red-and-black eye? 

[Read senior writer Scott Carter’s comprehensive “Opening Kickoff” setup here]

To be fair, the Gators could show significant progress on both fronts Saturday and still end up on the wrong end of the scoreboard. That’s how good the Bulldogs are. That’s why UGA, with wins in four of the previous five in the series, will go into the game as a whopping 22.5-point favorite, putting UF in its biggest underdog role in more than 40 years. 

Both teams are coming off bye weeks, which is often the time struggling teams make changes. The Gators, who are looking to avoid their worst five-game Southeastern Conference start since the 0-10-1 debut 1979 season under Charley Pell, qualify as a “struggling” bunch, but this is college football and there is only so much that can be done relative to personnel. Scheme is another matter, and it’s safe to assume Coach Billy Napier and his staff will do something different on the defensive side, given UF is surrendering 429.3 yards per game (that’s 12th in the 14-team league and 108th out of 131 FBS-classified teams) and has allowed opponents to convert on third down at 52.6-percent efficiency. That’s 130th nationally (only Colorado, at 52.8 percent, is worse), which should make Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett (2,033 yards, 7 TD, 1 INT), tailback Dajuan Edwards (334 yards, 5 TD) and tight end Brock Bowers (26 catches,…