Jamon Dumas-Johnson changed his tune a bit this week.
Leading up to Georgia's game against Auburn last month, Dumas-Johnson fielded a question about Georgia's rivalries. He noted that Georgia head coach Kirby Smart wouldn't like it if he didn't have in-state foe Georgia Tech at the top of the list.
But with the Bulldogs set to battle Florida in Jacksonville this weekend, Dumas-Johnson is once again feeling the magnitude of one of college football's top rivalries.
"It means everything," Dumas-Johnson said. "I told y'all about ranking rivalries with Kirby and had Florida second. He emphasizes that it's going to be a physical game, that they're just like us and ultimately that they've got coaches that have been here and preach on the same things we do. Physicality, details, things of that nature.”
Smart usually downplays each contest as no different than the last. But Smart did note this week how unique the setting is when the Bulldogs and Gators square off.
"Our players love playing in this neutral site game," Smart said. "It's just kind of different in terms of the start of it, the fans, the split crowd. It seems to be a momentum flow type of game because the team that has momentum is really at home for that moment, but it goes back and forth. It's a game of momentum swings."
Some of Georgia's current players grew up around the rivalry.
Corner Kamari Lassiter recalled playing in a Georgia-Florida all-star game in middle school while he lived in Savannah. Offensive lineman Tate Ratledge, a Rome native, referred to the game as "the one that growing up you always hear about, no matter what fan you are."
"This is old-fashioned hate. Georgia versus Florida is one of the biggest rivalries ever. It was that way before I got here, and it's going to continue to be that way after I leave," said defensive back and Milledgeville native Javon Bullard. "If this game doesn't get you amped up to play football, I don't know what will. It's special. We have a lot of Florida guys on our team. I know it's special for them as well. Me being a Georgia boy, it's damn sure special for me."
Other Bulldogs, however, had to be educated about the significance of this game.
Receiver Dominic Lovett has gone through the process since transferring to Missouri. Louisiana native and center Sedrick Van Pran did his own research upon enrolling at Georgia.
"Going to YouTube, watching those old games, knowing about some of the stats and stuff that Jarvis Jones maybe had in his games when he played here," Van Pran said. "It's that level of understanding but also understanding too when you play in these games, having the experience of having played in it, you know that in order to have a successful season you have to go through those guys. Everything that you want to accomplish goes through that team."
That is as true as ever this year. Georgia brings a perfect 7-0 record into this matchup, knowing that a win puts the Bulldogs one step closer to its third straight SEC East title and keeps the line moving toward a third straight national championship.
Lovett might be the one who best summed up what to expect on Saturday.
"It’s going to be a physical war. At the same time, still go out there and have fun because we prepare," Lovett said. "Our separation is in our preparation. This game does mean something to Georgia. That’s what they told me. Go out there with your jaw set and ready to play."
