ATHENS - Kirby Smart knows his Georgia football team is preparing for war this weekend. in Atlanta. For the first time ever the Bulldogs will play their biggest rival in Atlanta with major implications on the line.
The Gators are currently 5-2 with blowout losses to Missouri and South Carolina and wins over Texas, Ole Miss, and the Auburn Tigers. With their season on the line, you can expect the Gators to be in survival mode against the No. 3 Bulldogs.
“They have a lot of physicality in the program," Smart said about Florida. "They play really hard. When you turn on the tape, you see the physicality they play with on both sides of the ball. A ton of respect for both coordinators. Going against both of them for multiple years they’ve got great scheme, got really good players. A lot of respect for Buster Faulkner who obviously was on our staff and just think he's one of the best offensive minds in the country."
The Gators rank 3rd in the league in scoring offense, averaging just under 40 points per game. A big reason why has been due to the play of their star running back, Jadan Baugh. The big 6-foot-1 220-pound tackle-breaking back has carried the ball 135 times this season for 763 yards and 13 touchdowns. When he gets going, the Gators are tough to stop of offense. However, in both of Florida's losses Baugh ran for under 60 yards. Smart knows it won't be easy to stop the big Gator running back.
“They’ve got a great rushing attack and they’ve got a great back to do it with," Smart tole reporters this week. So when you can run the ball and know that your back's gonna make people miss in the open field or break tackles by running through them, over them around them, it certainly gives you the confidence to give him touches and he's been incredible. I mean we've shown our guys clips of him since the start of the year, to kind of say, are you practicing to tackle him? Are you practicing to tackle who you're playing against? We're driving the motivation that every day you're trying to prepare for the best. He's certainly done that and he’s a talented young man."
The Bulldogs rank 2nd in the league against the run, averaging just over 90 yards a game on the ground. They have been stout up front, but have had elite linebacker play led by Chris Cole and Raylen Wilson. The Bulldogs gave up over 160 rushing yards against both Alabama and Auburn, but with a much-needed off week, look for the Bulldogs to be fresh and ready to go in the trenches.
As for the quarterback position, that's still up for debate for the Gators. Starter Aaron Philo did not play against Texas two weeks ago but has a real chance of starting this weekend against Georgia, even after Tramel Jones led the Gators to a big win over the Longhorns. Either way, Smart is making sure his defense is prepared for both.
“Both are very talented. One beat Ole Miss handly, and one beat Texas on the road. I mean, they're both completely capable, good players, knowing about both of them for a long time, and in terms of their ability, they're both plenty capable, especially in in Buster's offense. It's quarterback driven, but it doesn't require the quarterback to be perfect. He gives them so many options, and he can play to the strengths of each guy.”
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