Florida vs. Georgia: TV Info, Spread, Injury Updates, Game Time and More
Florida–Georgia week has a different feel to it this time around, as the No. 11 Bulldogs enter the neutral site with a serious advantage over the unranked Gators Saturday.
In a series defined by streaks, Mark Richt's team is beginning to carve out a serious run of its own against the rival Gators, especially since Will Muschamp took over as the lead man before the 2011 season.
Florida rests at just .500 currently and does little right on both sides of the football whereas Georgia has only picked up steam in recent weeks as an SEC contender and sleeper for the inaugural College Football Playoff, despite the absence of Heisman contender Todd Gurley.
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Then again, these two bitter rivals put on close contests regularly. Georgia has title hopes, while Florida wants to play spoiler. It should go without saying that this classic annual bout is worth the time investment.
Riding the Momentum
How lopsided does this matchup look on paper?
Florida enters after its worst performance to date, a 42-13 loss to the Missouri Tigers—the same team Georgia had dismantled 34-0 the week prior.
Believe it or not, Georgia has done nothing short of improve in each of the past six weeks after a scare against Tennessee at the end of September. With Gurley out of the picture, the Bulldogs have turned to freshman tailback Nick Chubb, who now has 569 yards and five touchdowns on a 5.7 yards per carry average.
Pat Forde of Yahoo! Sports put it best:
Who needs Gurley when Chubb has played at such a high level, and the Bulldogs defense has forced nine turnovers over the course of its last two games? Richt does hint that Gurley's absence may have a hand in the team's noteworthy improvement, per The Associated Press (via ESPN.com):
"This team was improving whether Todd played or not. We were getting better defensively. We were getting better offensively. A lot of people say Todd not being there gave the team incentive to play harder. There may be some truth to that. They love Todd. They wanted to honor him, especially when he missed some games. They wanted to give him a little sign like, `Hey, we're with you.' But we were getting better regardless.
"
As hinted, momentum is not really a thing for the Gators. The quarterback issue is quite real for Muschamp's team, as Jeff Driskel went 7-of-19 for 50 yards and two interceptions last week while the team managed 2.8 yards per carry.
One team needs a jaw-dropping turnaround, while the other needs to ride the wave. Which scenario will actually happen is not so easy to discern.
Complacency and History
To be completely fair to Florida, the blueprint for a win Saturday is quite apparent: Make Georgia quarterback Hutson Mason take to the air.
Mason has yet to have the pressure of a win on his shoulders thanks to the prowess of the Georgia run game. He has completed 69.2 percent of his passes for 1,022 yards and 10 touchdowns to three interceptions, but again, he has yet to be put in that situation.
Look at last year, when complacency seemed to strike the Bulldogs in this same game. After getting to a 20-0 lead, Georgia got sloppy, turned the ball over a few times and allowed the Gators to hang around and almost pull off the upset, were it not for a lengthy drive near the end of the game.
Should that same trait rear its head again, the Gators are ready to capitalize, if comments from offensive tackle D.J. Humphries are any indication, per Thomas Goldkamp of 247Sports.com: "Get a 'W,' at all costs. We definitely need to get back to our run game on the ground and just be physical, out-physical some guys. It's Florida-Georgia. It's time to hit somebody in the mouth."
For Georgia, a team with CFP aspirations and a date against No. 3 Auburn in two weeks, the letdown potential is alive and well—especially in a rivalry game.
When: Saturday, November 1, 3:30 p.m. ET
Where: EverBank Field, Jacksonville, Florida
Television: CBS
Betting Lines (via Odds Shark):
- Over/Under: 50
- Spread: Georgia (-13)
Team Injury Reports
| Will Grier | QB | 10/26/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Georgia | Questionable | back |
| Mark Herndon | RB | 09/21/2014 | will miss the remainder of the season | Out | knee |
| Thomas Holley | DT | 08/18/2014 | will miss the entire season | Out | hip |
| J.C. Jackson | CB | 09/11/2014 | will miss the remainder of the season | Out | shoulder |
| Jake McGee | TE | 09/07/2014 | will miss the remainder of the season | Out | leg |
| Jeremi Powell | LB | 10/02/2014 | is out indefinitely | Out | knee |
| Sheldon Dawson | S | 10/01/2014 | has left the team | Out | personal |
| Shattle Fenteng | DB | 09/25/2014 | is expected to miss the remainder of the season | Out | shoulder |
| Todd Gurley | RB | 10/09/2014 | will be eligible to return on 11/15 against Auburn | Suspended | disciplinary |
| Merritt Hall | FB | 08/14/2014 | will miss the entire season | Out | concussion |
| Rico Johnson | CB | 10/02/2014 | is out indefinitely | Out | illness |
| Shaq Jones | CB | 10/06/2014 | was dismissed from the team | Out | disciplinary |
| Keith Marshall | RB | 10/29/2014 | is doubtful for Saturday's game against Florida | Doubtful | ankle/knee |
| Sony Michel | RB | 09/29/2014 | is out indefinitely | Out | shoulder |
| Jonathan Rumph | WR | 10/26/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Florida | Questionable | hamstring |
| Jon Taylor | DT | 07/23/2014 | was dismissed from the team | Out | disciplinary |
Injury reports per The Sports Network, via USA Today.
Prediction
Georgia is about to receive Florida's best performance of the season.
How the Bulldogs handle it will say plenty about their CFP resume.
For every argument about common opponents, there is a counter; Florida also beat Tennessee this year. In fact, the Gators are two weeks removed from playing LSU tough in a three-point loss.
As long as the Bulldogs apply the lessons learned from last year and control the clock with Chubb on the ground, the team will be able to come out on top. A top-15 rushing attack and a top-20 defense has a way of doing that in the SEC, especially when it has not turned the ball over in a full eight quarters of play recently.
Expect Georgia to make it four in a row.
Prediction: Georgia 35, Florida 28
Statistics and info courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
