JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — So much of the discussion about the Gators this season has revolved around head coach Billy Napier‘s future.
The Gators (4-3, 2-2) have an opportunity to alter that debate in dramatic fashion on Saturday afternoon when they face No. 2-ranked Georgia (6-1, 4-1) at EverBank Stadium in the latest edition of once of college football’s most stories rivalries.
Florida is a heavy underdog, but the Gators have shown significant improvement over the past month following a bye week in early October. The Gators beat UCF, should have won at Tennessee, and played their best game of the season two weeks ago in a runaway victory over Kentucky in the first SEC start for true freshman quarterback DJ Lagway.
“I do think that we’ve challenged our team to be very consistent, be an everyday guy,” Napier said. “If we have a lot of players doing it every day, we have a chance to be an everyday team.”
Tomorrow. 🎥 pic.twitter.com/3J2t9tW8bQ
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) November 2, 2024
A good place to start for Florida is to erase from its memory the last games against the Bulldogs, three defeats by a combined score of 119-47. The Bulldogs have become a powerhouse under ninth-year head coach Kirby Smart, winning a pair of national championships and reeling off 42 consecutive regular-season wins until a loss to Alabama earlier this season.
Georgia has played like the best team in the country over the last 3 ½ games and is coming off a convincing victory at No. 1 Texas. Quarterback Carson Beck, a Jacksonville native, directs the offense and the defense, while perhaps not as dominant as some of the Bulldogs’ units under Smart, remains a formidable hurdle for Lagway and Co.
Anything can happen when these two schools square off, a reality that has proven true many times over the years. Both have dominated the series in different eras, and the Bulldogs hold the current bragging rights.
Can the Gators revive some of their past glory on Saturday afternoon along the St. Johns River? If so, they will be talking about it for years to come.
In this edition of The Opening Kickoff, here is a closer look at the Florida-Georgia matchup:
THREE STORYLINES
- Florida is coming off a 28-point victory over Kentucky two weeks ago in one of the Gators’ most impressive victories under Napier. Georgia has dominated this rivalry under Smart, winning six of eight. Can the Gators…
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