The Florida Gators lost 34-7 against the Georgia Bulldogs in a highly anticipated defensive matchup. Georgia continues their reign as the number one ranked team in the country, and Florida drops to a .500 record on the season. Yet again, this game was lost by the Gators due to repetitive offensive mistakes. Florida can only hope to finish strong and reach six wins and get to another bowl game. Here’s a recap of Florida’s tough loss to Georgia.
Recap
Offense
Anthony Richardson finally started at quarterback, but it was tough for him to read the Bulldogs’ defense. There’s a reason Georgia allows less than seven points a game. Still, this game was looking to be an edgy, defensive battle till the tail end of the second quarter.
Richardson had a run up the middle, where the offensive line tried to carry him to the first down. A Georgia defender ended up ripping the ball out of Richardson’s hands, and the Bulldogs jumped on the momentum from there. They would score three consecutive touchdowns to end the half, thanks to two other interceptions thrown by AR15.
Dameon Pierce was relatively effective with nine rushes and 69 yards, but Georgia’s defense chose to ease off on the run game once the Bulldogs had a big lead. Florida had to get away from its comfort zone in the second half by throwing the ball, and Georgia’s secondary easily shut the passing game down. It’s tough to expect Richardson to perform well against a defense like Georgia’s, but he needs to be more aware and avoid costly mistakes.
Defense
Yet again, Stetson Bennett was the starting quarterback for the Georgia Bulldogs in this game. Honestly, you can put anyone in at quarterback for Georgia and the Bulldogs would still be 8-0. Georgia was extremely effective in the running game, which gave way to the passing game. Kearis Jackson was the primary target with 60 receiving yards and a touchdown.
The same counter play that LSU ran against Florida was heavily used by Georgia in this game. Todd Grantham’s defense was still unable to come up with an answer for the scheme, and Zamir White kept slipping away from tackles; missed tackles are by far the primary concern with Florida’s defense this season.
In the Gators’ first six games, they were seen as one of the premier defenses in the SEC. After two consecutive games allowing more than 30 points, that narrative has changed. Both Dan Mullen and Todd Grantham will have to take a hard look at their game plan before next week’s game against South Carolina.
Concluding Thoughts
The Florida Gators were expected to be worse than last season, but this team hasn’t met those low expectations. Thankfully, the Gators have a young star at quarterback who is continuing to grow, and Dan Mullen’s squad should have a lot to learn from this game. The goal still is to reach a bowl game, and that aspiration will acquire change in the offensive and defensive schemes. There’s still four games left.
Next Saturday, the Gators will travel to South Carolina to take on the Gamecocks.