JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The inside track to the SEC East Division title is at stake when No. 6 Florida and No. 7 Georgia meet on Saturday in Jacksonville, Fla., and if recent series history is a guide, the team that rushes for the most yards will win the rivalry contest. The team that has won the rushing battle has won this matchup each of the past 13 years, which could be good news for a Georgia squad that has relied on the SEC’s top running game to overcome a slumping passing attack.
TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Georgia -6.
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“I think we’ve been able to put a lot of our backs in good situations to be able to win and do things,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart told reporters Monday in referencing the Bulldogs running backs, who average 236.9 rushing yards per game (16th nationally). Both teams were off last week, and the Gators looked to get healthy as graduate transfer linebacker Jon Greenard and senior defensive end Jabari Zuniga are expected to return from ankle injuries. Florida has excelled on offense through eight games, averaging 419.6 total yards while scoring 32.5 points per game. “At this point in the season, it’s for first place in the SEC East,” Florida coach Dan Mullen told the media Tuesday. “All you can really control is winning the East. If you do that, you get an opportunity to go to Atlanta (for the SEC championship) and play one game there.”
ABOUT GEORGIA (6-1, 3-1 SEC)
Junior running back D’Andre Swift fronts the ground attack, leading the conference in rushing yards per game (107.7) and on the season has 752 yards with seven touchdowns. Swift rushed for 179 yards and two touchdowns in a Oct. 19 triumph over Kentucky while senior running back Brian Herrien added 60 yards and a score. Junior quarterback Jake Fromm only passed 12 times for 35 yards against Kentucky - a game played in heavy rain - but in a loss to South Carolina threw a career-high three interceptions.
ABOUT FLORIDA (7-1, 4-1 SEC)
Since taking over at quarterback for the injured Feleipe Franks, junior Kyle Trask has passed for 1,351 yards and 13 touchdowns - four in a Oct. 19 victory over South Carolina - while completing 67.1 percent of his passes. Sophomore running back Dameon Pierce rushed for 87 yards and a touchdown against the Gamecocks, while senior running back Lamical Perine added 68 yards. Greenard is tied for ninth in the SEC with four sacks and has 6 1/2 tackles for loss, leading a defense that has registered five or more sacks in seven games.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Florida is one of three FBS schools (Eastern Michigan, Washington State) to have four players with at least 275 receiving yards, at least 20 receptions and at least two touchdowns.
2. The Bulldogs lead the SEC in scoring defense and rank fifth nationally at 10.6 points per game, and are tops in the SEC and seventh in the country in total defense at 266.7 yards per contest.
3. Georgia has won the past two meetings with Florida, including a 36-17 victory last season in a matchup of top-10 teams.
PREDICTION: Georgia 31, Florida 27