Georgia will square off against Florida for the 101st time in history even though Gator fans will try to tell you that this is the 100th all-time meeting. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 54-44-2.
There is a lot of talk of moving this rivalry out of Jacksonville But, did you know the game has also been played in Macon, Tampa, and Savannah? The last game in Savannah was in 1930 and the final score was 0-0.
Georgia has had Florida’s number as of late as they won seven of the previous 11 meetings. The Bulldogs won last season 34-7. The 27-point victory was the third-highest differential in a Dawg victory since 1980.
The 1980s were special for the Bulldogs as were other decades as you can see in this graphic.
Kirby Smart is 4-2 against the Gators as a head coach. He was 1-3 as a player, but he picked off two Florida passes in that one victory. With another win, Smart will move up on this Bulldog head coaching list.
Last season’s game against Florida was close (3-3) until late in the second quarter. Georgia scored 21 points in the final 2:16 of the half, courtesy of touchdowns by James Cook, Kearis Jackson, and Nakobe Dean.
This year, the Bulldogs have 96 points in the second quarter alone. That total is their most in any quarter this season.
Georgia has not allowed a touchdown in both the first quarter (two field goals) and the third quarter (three field goals) this season.
Georgia is second in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 9.1 points per game. The Bulldogs have allowed 64 points through the first seven games. Since 1980, those 64 points are the fourth fewest allowed by the Dawgs through seven games and each season has been memorable.
While the Dawgs are last in the SEC with seven sacks, it is the quarterback pressures that coach keeps talking about. Here are the top ten Bulldogs in terms of quarterback pressures this season.
Last season, Georgia had 294 quarterback pressures led by Travon Walker’s 36, Jalen Carter’s 33 and Nakobe Dean’s 31.
Maybe Georgia can channel greats like Bill Stanfill, George Patton, David Pollack and Jarvis Jones in terms of pressures and sacks against Gator quarterbacks.
On offense, Stetson Bennett does not have great numbers against the Gators. He has completed just 15-of-35 passes against Florida with two touchdown passes and three interceptions. However, Bennett has proven that he is better than that. He has 2,033 yards passing already through seven games. He is second among quarterbacks in Georgia history with that many yards through seven games.
Georgia leads the nation with 21 different players with at least a reception this season. They are also tied for fifth in the nation with eight players with at least ten receptions. Kenny McIntosh is second on the team with 28. The running back had 22 in the entire season in 2021. In stats dating back to 1990, McIntosh is fifth among Georgia running backs in terms of receptions.
Ladd McConkey leads the Bulldogs with 29 receptions. Last season, he was third on the team with 31. The player who led last season was Brock Bowers. Bowers tied A.J. Green's team record for most receptions by a freshman in 2021. Both Green and Bowers had 56 in their respective seasons. This season, the sophomore tight end actually has more receptions than last. Check out the comparison from one season to the next on Bowers.
Bowers had only one reception last season against Florida. It was late in the third quarter and it went for 38 yards.
Back to McIntosh. He is one of four running main running backs used this season (although fifth string Cash Jones has the longest rush by any Bulldog running back this season). So here is a deeper look at the four main backs plus Bennett this season in each quarter.
The Bulldogs are tied for second in the SEC with five players with 100 or more yards rushing this season. However, Georgia leads the conference with eight different Dawgs with at least one touchdown run.
A few quick shoutouts to both former All-American roverback John Little and Champ Bailey who did a little bit of everything for the red and black. Both Little and Bailey will be inducted into the Georgia/Florida Hall of Fame on Friday. Little, who played under Vince Dooley in the early-to-mid 1980s is seventh on Georgia's all-time list with 381 career tackles. Bailey who was named All-American as well as the Nagurski Award winner in 1998 had eight career interceptions for the Dawgs as well as 59 career receptions. He was also a standout on special teams. Seven times in 1998, Bailey played 100 or more plays in a game.
Finally, a man who is no stranger to playing a lot of plays was Charley Trippi. the 1946 Maxwell Award winner and Heisman runner-up passed away at the age of 100 on October 19th. He had many great games for Georgia on the gridiron, but maybe his best was in the 1942 Cocktail Party. Trippi threw a touchdown pass, ran for two more and also had a 48-yard pick six on defense. Georgia won that game 75-0.
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If you missed last week's Stats Crunch which details more on the Vanderbilt recap, you can see it right here.