Florida’s futility turned to fire and inspiration as the Gators scored on their opening drive of the half, forced two Georgia turnovers on its first two possessions and converted them into 10 points, trimming the deficit to 28-20. BY CARLTON REESE GatorbaitMedia.com The Florida Gators were spared the humiliation that haunted all their players and fans during a 28-3 halftime deficit Saturday; nonetheless, the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs left its friendly confines of Jacksonville with yet another victory against an outmanned opponent. The undefeated Bulldogs shook off a gallant third-quarter effort from Florida that turned rout into doubt, but in the end, resulted in a 42-20 Georgia victory for the fifth time in the last six meetings. An emotionless, outmanned and outcoached Florida Gators team seemed to have mailed in the game and likely the season when the Bulldogs scored a touchdown late in the first half to take a commanding 25-point lead into the locker room. At that point, Florida had managed just two first downs and 78 yards, only saved by a 52-yard field goal by Adam Mihalek that kept UF’s NCAA-record scoring streak intact. Florida’s futility turned to fire and inspiration as the Gators scored on their opening drive of the half, forced two Georgia turnovers on its first two possessions and converted them into 10 points, trimming the deficit to 28-20 and reminding the world that the Bulldogs’ near-disaster against Missouri several weeks ago was more reality than fluke. At that point, Georgia’s reeling offense responded to some rare pressure, driving 78 yards on six plays, capped by Daijun Edwards’ 22-yard touchdown run that stretched the lead to 35-20. Florida’s ensuing possession spelled the end when a critical penalty flag for defensive pass interference was waived off and the Gators failed to convert on 4th-and-6 from near midfield. With generous field position, Georgia mixed runs and passes en route to marching six plays for the game’s final touchdown with 13:58 remaining in the game. Twice, Florida would drive inside the Georgia 20 but both times the Gators would fail to convert on fourth downs. “We dug ourselves a hole in the first half,” said a visibly-shaken Florida head coach Billy Napier afterward. “Certainly they responded the right way. We were able to get a score, create some takeaways and get it back to a game, but ultimately weren’t able to do enough to take advantage of some opportunities we had.” Gator quarterback Anthony Richardson, who hobbled throughout the entire first half following a hit on the sideline during the opening possession, shined at least in the second half. Having the run removed from his repertoire the first 30 minutes, Richardson returned to form with his legs and his arms the final two quarters. He finished 18-of-37 passing for 271 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. The touchdown came following Amari Burney’s interception of a Stetson Bennett pass at 28-13 in the third quarter. On 3rd-and-6 from the UF 22, Richardson connected with a wide-open Xzavier Henderson, who raced 78 yards untouched down the right sideline for a score that brought the Gators to within eight. “The call we had was a quick out to Ricky (Pearsall) and I was looking to throw that, but I saw the corner squat,” UF quarterback Anthony Richardson said about the TD pass. “I just knew the whole shot was going to be there eventually, so I waited and saw Xzavier there.” Of course, Gator fans will forever cry about two pass interference calls that played a huge role in this outcome, and despite the obvious and regrettable whine factor involved, they may have a case. The first came with Georgia leading 21-3 late in the second quarter and the Bulldogs faced with 3rd-and-10 at the Florida 37 with 39 seconds to play. Georgia tight end Ladd McConkey pushed himself free from the Florida defender and caught a pass to the Florida 7. The official threw the flag, which inexplicably went for defensive pass interference. Even the UF broadcast team of Sean Kelly and Shane Matthews failed to hide their apoplexy. Certain of interference called on McConkey, they were audibly stunned to hear the official’s call, which drew praise only from the face-painted yahoos with silver spikes protruding from fake shoulder pads. Instead of 3rd-and-20 from midfield, the Bulldogs were given 1st-and-goal at the 7 and punched it in two plays later, making it 28-3 instead of a more-manageable 21-3 at half, a margin that would come back to bite the Gators. The second questionable call came with Florida facing 2nd-and-7 from its own 48 and down 35-20. Richardson threw deep for Ricky Pearsall down the left sideline and Pearsall was shoved from behind long before the arrival of the ball, prompting the official nearby to throw his flag. What looked like an obvious pass interference call on Georgia that would give Florida a first down in Georgia territory turned into a simple incomplete pass as the head referee waived off the flag without explanation. Two plays later, the Gators would fail to convert on fourth down, setting the Bulldogs up near midfield and leading to a touchdown that put the game out of reach. As has been the case all season, the Florida defense surrendered huge chunks of yards, this time giving up 555 to the Bulldogs. Bennett finished 19-of-38 for 316 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Those yards included the curious no-call on McConkey’s third-quarter reception and another on an absolute fluke when Burney batted a pass away, only for McConkey to haul it in and race 73 yards for a score that put Georgia up 21-3. The play was indicative of the entire first half when everything went Georgia’s way and Florida could not scrape out a yard. “They had a great pass rush and our communication was a little bit off and we didn’t execute that well,” Richardson said. “It’s about starting fast and finishing fast. At the beginning of the game, we’ve got to play like we did in the third quarter.” Georgia opened the scoring on its second possession, completing an 8-play, 66-yard drive capped by Edwards’ 1-yard TD run. After Florida’s second straight 3-plays-and-out possession, Georgia went 80 yards in eight plays with Kenny McIntosh running in from the 2 for a 14-0 lead. After another 3-and-out by the Florida offense, the Gator defense responded with Jadarrius Perkins’ interception of a Bennett pass on the first play of the second quarter. That would only lead, however, to the Gators’ fourth straight 3-play drive and punt. Down 28-3 to start the second half, Florida’s offense finally came to life with a 13-play, 75 drive aided at one point by a Georgia personal foul call on fourth down. Except for one 10-yard completion, the entire drive was produced via the ground game which was virtually non-existent throughout. Trevor Etienne would cap the drive with a 3-yard TD run to make it 28-10. On Georgia’s first play of the half, Burney forced a McIntosh fumble that was recovered by Trey Dean at the Bulldog 27. That set up a Mihalek 26-yard field goal and a 28-13 margin. “I gained a level of respect for that group in terms of how they responded at halftime,” Napier said. “I think today might have been a turning point to some degree relative to what is really in there, in your heart, in your soul and between your ears.” The Gators fall to 4-4, the bright spot being that all four losses have been competitive against teams that are all now or were once highly ranked. Of course, Georgia is No.1, while Tennessee is ranked No.3. Kentucky and LSU were both ranked Saturday and the Gators do have a win against 14th-ranked Utah. That win must now seem a decade ago for Florida, where fans are not likely comforted with the knowledge that this season’s schedule has turned into one far more brutal than expected. To the fans, year one of the Billy Napier era is already unofficially in the books and the recruiting bonanza most certainly to take place thanks to a new $80 million athletic facility won’t reap any dividends on the field for another year or two. For Napier, who has lost all three of his rival matchups this year, Florida State on a Friday night in Tallahassee will be his last chance to bag one the fans really want more than anything. But up next is a trip to College Station to face the Texas A&M Aggies, a team with lots of promise that has grossly undelivered this year and no doubt sees the visiting Gators as an opportunity to help salvage their sinking ship. For Georgia, the 8-0 Bulldogs host Tennessee for what is essentially the SEC East Division championship game, a bitter pill for any Gator fan to swallow, but one that is necessary while they wait for Sept. 2, 2023 and the promise of a fresh new season.

The Gators were clearly out-matched in the game both physically and schematically but still found a way to keep it interesting into the fourth quarter. The next step is to manage a road test at College Station, Texas... By Loren Meadows Gatorbaitmedia.com What We Thought: In order for Florida to have any opportunity to pull off the upset in Jacksonville, the Gators would have to depend on the dynamic playmaking ability of Anthony Richardson. And find a way to create timely turnovers with a defense that has struggled at times to get teams off the field. Richardson was by far the most athletic quarterback Georgia had seen this season and was seen as the equalizer to a dominant Georgia defense that ranked in the Top 5 against both the run and the pass. Defensively the Gators had a monumental task of stopping the two-headed monster of tight ends Brock Bowers and Darnell Washington, who had combined for 50 catches. Bowers and Washington presented a matchup nightmare and gave Stetson Bennett plenty of flexible options for the nations 7th ranked passing offense. The Gators would need to impose an occasional three-and-out, as well as at least two turnovers to make the game interesting. Couple that with Richardson repeating his Week 1 performance against Utah and the Gators could possible pull off the upset as a 22.5-point underdog. What We Got: Bowers may be the best player in college football that does not line up at the quarterback position. The versatile tight end consistently took advantage of matchups against the Florida safeties and linebackers. He finished with five catches for 158 yards and a touchdown and was open for Bennett on multiple occasions, including a key fourth-and-seven play late in the fourth quarter where Bowers out jumped Florida defensive back Miguel Mitchell for a key conversion late in the game. Florida was stagnant on offense early in the game, managing zero first downs in the first quarter. Richardson was sporadic with his accuracy and Florida failed to generate the big plays necessary for an upset of this magnitude to happen. The Gators' 16th ranked rushing attack failed to gain meaningful yardage for the bulk of the game with 100 total yards less than half of their average for the season. The Florida defense did create three turnovers and became the first team this season to win the turnover battle against Georgia. The Skinny-“Not good enough” was the term Coach Billy Napier used to begin his post-game press conference. Many would take that to mean at some point Florida did not play with passion and fight during the game. Unfortunately, “not good enough” means that Florida is not consistently executing -- players or coaches -- at the level necessary to compete with one of the nation’s best programs. While there were bright spots, the Gators are a year or two away from standing toe-to-toe with the heavyweights. To be critical, the offense at Florida will need to find a dynamic identity organically as opposed to mechanically (Richardson). Bennett threw the ball directly to the Gators five times but the Gators only brought the groceries home twice. When looking to pull of an upset in the ******** Party, the groceries have to come home with the bag full. The Gators were clearly out-matched in the game both physically and schematically but still found a way to keep it interesting into the fourth quarter. The next step is to manage a road test at College Station, Texas before giving the Gator faithful one last look at their team at home. If anything, this game showed that continued “talent acquisition” is the nature of the business. With Georgia as the measuring stick, it will be interesting to see what the Florida Gators look like in April of 2023 when spring ball is near conclusion. Meanhile they need to find a way to win at least half the remaining four games --Texas A&M, South Carolina, Vanderbilt or FSU -- just to get bowl eligible. The Gators leave this game defeated, but not battered, which may mean more than anything else at this time. Maybe not great for the ego, but productive for the program. Final Score Georgia 42, Florida 20

By KYLE CURTIS GatorBaitMedia.com JACKSONVILLE -- Things didn't. really change all that much in the first half of Florida-Georgia from 2021. Last year, Georgia was trailing by 24 and Anthony Richardson was injured. This year the Gators were down by 25 after two quarters, 28-3. Once again, things were bleak. A wobbly first quarter led to zero first downs and a banged-up Richardson for the Gators. After taking a low shot near the sideline on the first drive, Richardson came up gingerly with an evident limp. A team that prides itself in its run game had a measly four rushing yards after one half along with only 75 passing yards. Conversely, Georgia and Stetson Bennett rolled up 346 yards of offense. The longest connection of the half for the Gators came on a 41-yard catch by Justin Shorter, although Shorter had to be tended to on the sideline for an apparent ankle injury. Both Richardson and Shorter did not miss any time for their injuries. To make matters worse, the bounce of the ball went Georgias' way, tight end Brock Bowers bobbling a ball and turning it into a 73-yard TD. The Bulldogs were also the beneficiary of a blown call on pass interference, awarded by officials to Georgia instead of Florida. An act that even caused criticism from CBS announcers Brad Nessler and Gary Danielson.

By FRANZ BEARD Some things are best not forgotten. Not now. Not ever. Flash back to October 27, 2007. The Georgia Bulldogs scored on their first possession of the game against 9th-ranked Florida, a 1-yard run by Knowshon Moreno with 6:00 remaining in the first quarter. The Georgia half of the stadium erupts, particularly when Georgia’s entire team rushes the field. Mark Richt and the Georgia coaching staff stand by idly. No one makes even a token attempt to make it seem as if this is a spontaneous and not well plotted celebration. Coaches are seen through binoculars giggling. As the Bulldogs rushed the field, numerous players could be seen taunting the Gators who watched incredulously. Fortunately, there was no retaliation, otherwise a full-scale brawl could have erupted. Georgia was flagged for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Georgia went on to win the game, 42-30, and afterward Richt feigned shock. He offered up a flimsy excuse that he had simply told his players during the week that whenever Georgia scored its first touchdown a celebration penalty was called for. “I told them that if they didn’t get a celebration penalty after our first score all of them would be doing early morning runs,” Richt said. Celebration could have been spiking the football or 11 Bulldogs doing a touchdown dance. The entire football team rushing the field? That was as choreographed as “One,” the finale to the Broadway production "A Chorus Line." Perhaps some Georgia fans bought Richt's explanation of spontaneity, but few others did. In the weeks and months afterward, Georgia fans tried to write off how this could have ignited a brawl as nothing more than a conspiration theory that ranked right up there with a second shooter on the grassy knoll in Dallas on November 22, 1963. Urban Meyer never bought Richt’s explanation, not in his post game remarks or the next morning when Richt called offering an apology of sorts. His face was always taut after a loss, but this went beyond anything he had shown before. He was seething. He let it be known that he would examine the situation closely so that if and when it became necessary for payback, the action would be timely and appropriate. Almost from the moment that Florida’s 2007 season ended with a loss to Michigan in the Citrus Bowl, Meyer’s plan to exact a measure of revenge began unfurling. On the televisions in the weight room and in the locker room, video of the Bulldogs storming the field played several times every hour. Not a day without some reminder of Georgia storming the field. During the months between January 1 and SEC Media Days in Hoover, Alabama, Urban was asked dozens of times either by the media or at speaking engagements throughout the state if there was a plan for some sort of retaliation. The grin and his stock answer basically said, “Georgia won’t know the time nor the place, but at some point in the future there will be hell to pay.” On July 24, 2008 at SEC Media Days in Hoover, Alabama, Richt took the podium fully aware that he was about to be peppered with questions about the Bulldogs rushing the field back in October. The first question could have been the opening pitch of a slow-pitch softball tournament. It was a setup designed to evoke an answer that was as choreographed as the Bulldogs rushing the field. Richt answered, “We score the touchdown, then bang, guys start leaving the sideline. I was in shock as much as anybody else. My initial reaction is, ‘Oh heck, you know … what’s going on?” Oh heck? Your team rushes the field and you nor any of your coaches even fakes it like you’re trying to prevent them from doing something drastic? Numerous players are practically in the face of your fierce and hated rival, taunting and the best you can offer is “Oh heck”? Compounding matters, Richt was asked if he was remotely aware that a brawl the likes of which we’ve never seen at a Florida-Georgia game could have erupted, one that could have turned very ugly? His response, “Now I didn’t even think it could have turned into a melee.” Didn’t think? He knew then and he knows now what could have happened and perhaps would have happened if one Florida player had decided to go after a taunting Georgia player. If it had turned into a brawl, Richt and multiple players could have been tossed from the game. It didn’t happen because it was all a rehearsed show. Richt said he was desperate to get his team to show some emotions. The one who was desperate was Richt. Georgia fans were on his case for a 9-4 season in 2006 while Meyer and Florida went 13-1, winning the SEC and national championship. Georgia came into the game with two losses, one a 16-12 decision at the hands of old nemesis Steve Spurrier, this time at South Carolina; the other a 35-14 pasting at the hands of the same Tennessee team the Gators had beaten in Knoxville. Richt needed something outrageous to get the fan base on his side again, so he had his players put on a big show by rushing the field. Richt has never admitted that rushing the field was planned but earlier in the week at DawgPost, two of his players had the guts to do what Richt has never done himself. “The week of the Florida game coach Richt brought all the seniors together on Thursday and told us that he wanted to spice things up,” linebacker Marcus Howard said. “He told us that if we scored first that he wanted the entire team to run onto the field. We didn’t think he was serious at first, but he said he wanted to change the momentum of this ballgame and how this series has been going.” Linebacker Marcus Washington added, “The seniors got together and we decided then that was going to be the plan. Coach Richt wanted us to get so excited out there that the refs had to throw a penalty. The seniors tried to tell the rest of the team what to do, and they weren’t buying it at first until we made it clear it was happening.” Georgia went on to finish the season 11-2. In Georgia lore, storming the field provided the momentum for the seven-game winning streak that earned the Bulldogs a trip to the Sugar Bowl and a final No. 2 ranking in the Associated Press poll. That season was one of those famous “near national championships” Georgia fans were quick to point out before they won their first one in 41 years back in January. With Matthew Stafford and Moreno coming back, Georgia fans thought 2008 would be the year they broke through with their first national title since Herschel’s freshman year in 1980. There was that teensy matter of the Florida Gators and Urban Meyer standing in the way. By the time November 1 rolled around, Georgia was 7-1, the only loss 41-30 at the hands of Alabama in Athens. The Bulldogs were ranked 5th nationally. Florida was also 7-1, its loss to unranked Ole Miss, 31-30, in Gainesville. The Gators were ranked 8th. The week leading into the game, Meyer was asked nearly every day what he had planned for Georgia. The video of Georgia rushing the field had been playing over and over again on the TV sets in the locker room and weight room. There were rumors that a Georgia G was in every urinal. Meyer wasn’t about to let anyone in on his plan but he had something cooking. On the second play of the game, Moreno took a handoff from Stafford and before he could take a second step he met Mr. Spikes. Brandon Spikes hit Moreno hard and clean, driving him backward and into the turf. The impact almost took the breath out of the Georgia faithful. Florida fans erupted. Florida scored its first touchdown with 20 seconds remaining in the first quarter, a 13-yard run by Percy Harvin that capped a 9-play, 80-yard drive. The Gators didn’t rush the field. The Gators took a 14-3 lead with 3:52 left in the first half on a 2-yard run by Tim Tebow. Again, nothing from the Florida sideline. In the third quarter, Florida scored 21 unanswered points to stretch the lead to 35-3. Surely, Meyer was going to do something. Nothing. Nothing at all. It was 49-3 when Georgia finally scored a touchdown with 3:09 left in the game. By then most of the Georgia fans had already departed the stadium to head back home with plans only to stop at Stuckey’s for gourmet corn dogs and curly fries to help commiserate the humiliating defeat. Florida fans stuck around but most had resigned themselves to no retaliation from Meyer, but then came the time out. With 44 seconds left after a 14-yard run by Emmanuel Moody, Meyer called time out. Over on the other sideline, Richt was caught by the CBS cameras looking up at the scoreboard. It read 49-10. Forty-four seconds to go. Another Moody run. This one for 17 yards. Thirty seconds left. Meyer called time out again. Again, Richt was caught on camera staring at the scoreboard. It still read 49-10. This was Meyer’s form of payback. He was torturing Richt and letting him know that no bad deed goes unpunished. Florida went on to win the national championship in 2008. Two years later, Meyer retired. In his six seasons at Florida he went 65-15 with two national and two SEC championships. He would stay retired for a year before taking the Ohio State job. He won the 2014 national title at Ohio State and compiled an 83-9 record before retiring again in 2018. Richt coached at Georgia until 2015 when he was fired. He was 145-51 in his Georgia career with two SEC championships. He won at least 10 games nine times in 15 seasons but that wasn’t good enough. Much has changed in the years since Meyer and Richt were the coaches but the rivalry remains the same and always will. This is a bitter rivalry with so much history and so many moments, both the magical kind and the type that make us grind our teeth. Maybe we despise Georgia and of course, they despise Gators. It’s stories like what happened in 2007 and 2008 that make the rivalry what it is and why Florida-Georgia weekend was, is and always will be something special.

Looking at the records of both schools one would think that this game would represent two teams headed in different directions. Ironically, the reality is that both teams are headed in the right direction just on different ends of the track." By LOREN MEADOWS GatorBaitMedia.com Football Analyst Florida and Georgia are forever linked. As founding members of the Southeastern Conference, the geographical neighbors have rarely seen eye to eye. So much so that the two schools cannot agree whether the rivalry began in 1904 (per Georgia), or 1915 (per Florida). Obviously, the record-keeping in either year was not as ironclad as it is today but both schools can agree that the present-day lack of affection is real between both schools. Looking at the records of both schools one would think that this game would represent two teams headed in different directions. Ironically, the reality is that both teams are headed in the right direction just on different ends of the track. Kirby Smart has Georgia across the finish line and in the barn as the defending national champions and one of the favorites to repeat this year. Comparatively, first-year Florida head coach Billy Napier is in the first leg of a revision in Gainesville but seems to be gaining on the competition -- most importantly in the area of recruiting. “He’s very thorough.” He’s an extremely hard worker,” Kirby Smart said about Billy Napier. The two coaches spent time together on Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama. Coach Napier is equally appreciative of Kirby Smart stating, “I wouldn’t be standing here today without him.” Crediting Coach Smart with his arrival in Tuscaloosa in 2011. While both men have an enormous amount of respect for one another there is still a game to be played and the 22-point spread would indicate that many expect the Gators to have a hard time with Stetson Bennett and the Georgia defense Saturday afternoon. Can the Gators keep it close after “We Are The Boys,” or will “Hail To Georgia” ring early and often for the Dawgs? Georgia Offense: It’s not flashy or exciting but the play of Bennett has been just what the doctor ordered for Georgia the past two seasons. 21-3 as a starter, Stetson Bennett (#13, 5-11, 190) commands the nation’s second ranked offense with precision and full autonomy. Bennett is free to manage Todd Monken’s offense, regularly adjusting formations and plays as the situation dictates. While not a future NFL darling, Bennett has a career touchdown-to- interception ratio of over 3 to 1 and is currently completing over 70 percent of his passes in 2022. While Bennett controls the Georgia offense, its best player is sophomore tight end Brock Bowers (#19, 6-4, 230). Georgia’s leading receiver last season with 56 catches, Bowers is on pace to lead the team again this season. Versatile as a blocker and route-runner the Bulldogs will move Bowers around in different formations as well as utilizing his skills as a runner where all three of his rushes have resulted in touchdowns for Georgia. Like Utah, Georgia utilizes two tight ends frequently and Darnell Washington (#0, 6-7, 270) is an NFL-caliber complement to Bowers. Washington is a solid in-line blocker while pulling in 16 catches for an average of 17.8 yards per catch. Out wide, Stetson Bennett’s top target is Ladd McConkey (#84, 6-0, 185) who has elevated himself from the scout team to 60 catches over the last two seasons. McConkey also handles the punt return duties for Georgia averaging 10.5 yards per return. In the run game Georgia employs a three-man rotation similar to Florida with Kenny McIntosh (#6, 6-1, 210), Kendall Milton (#2, 6-1, 220), and Daijun Edwards (#30, 5-10, 201). While Edwards currently leads the team in rushing, starter and Florida native McIntosh is the most versatile with 28 catches a 9.6-yard average and one touchdown along with 4 touchdowns on the ground. Regardless of the opponent’s personnel, the Florida defense has struggled to get any team off the field over the past four contests. The Gators rank 130th out of 131 teams in FBS in 3rd down conversions allowed, with the lack of 3rd down defense the most glaring issue for the Florida program. With that said, the Georgia receivers have been up and down and are not nearly as dynamic as those the Gators faced against teams such as Tennessee and LSU. The return of receiver AD Mitchell could bolster the Georgia receivers but Jason Marshall Jr., Jaydon Hill, and Jalen Kimber match up well against the Georgia receivers on paper. The issue will be how the Florida linebackers and safeties matchup with the future millionaire tight ends for Georgia. Did the bye-week offer a reset in philosophy and strategy? Will the Gators look to be more aggressive on obvious passing downs to generate more pressure? Georgia Defense: Georgia has been tasked with replacing a generational defense that featured a number one overall draft pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Based upon statistics the Georgia defense seems to be rounding into form. Fourth nationally in total defense and second nationally in scoring defense, Georgia features possibly the best group of linebackers the Gators have seen this season. Preseason All-American outside linebacker Nolan Smith (#4, 6-3, 235) has returned for his senior season and leads the team with 15 QB hurries and 6 tackles for loss. At inside linebacker, Jamon Dumas-Johnson (#10, 6-1, 235) is a Butkus Award candidate who currently leads the team in tackles (28) as a sophomore. Up front Zion Logue (#96, 6-5, 295) and Tramel Walthour (#90, 6-3, 280) have filled in well for the NFL departures from a year ago. While not flashy the Georgia defensive lineman do a solid job of keeping the opponent’s offensive line from climbing to the next level negating big plays in the run game. The back end is solidified by Thorpe Award candidate Kelee Ringo (#5, 6-2, 210) at corner and pre-season All-American Christopher Smith (#29, 5-11, 195) at safety. Ringo is one of the nation’s top corners against the run and screen game with two tackles for loss, while Smith is third on the team in tackles (14) and is tied for the team lead in interceptions with two. If the Gators are to have any success on offense against Georgia, it will do so on the dynamic playmaking ability of quarterback Anthony Richardson. While Richardson’s up and down play has been concerning, his ability to extend plays and effect the game with elite arm strength has the attention of Georgia Head Coach Kirby Smart. “The worst thing you can do is cover everybody,” Smart stated. Allowing Richardson the opportunity to leave the pocket and stress the second level. When discussing Richardson, Smart added, “he’s grown a lot, and he’s gotten considerably better to me during this season. They put a lot of things on top of him and he manages those well.” The best matchup on Saturday could be the return of offensive guard O’Cyrus Torrence and his play against the NFL-caliber defensive front of Georgia. A “money game” performance by Torrence could give the Gators 16th ranked rushing attack a boost and allow the Gators to dictate the tempo of Saturday’s game. Let me start with the idea of the World’s Largest Outdoor ******** in Duval County. If it was out of financial necessity, it may be warranted, but to move the game to bolster recruiting at the expense of tradition is maddening. This rivalry and its location are a “bucket list” stop for many football fans and captures the attention of not only fans in the south but those in the north as well (trust me I’m from Ohio). I hope that in the spirit of the Big 16 and Cincinnati traveling to TCU, the “smarter” heads get together and say enough is enough and keep the game on the banks of the St. Johns River. With that said, the 2022 version of whatever you like to call this game will come down to which Anthony Richardson shows up and if the Florida defense can manage not just the elusive third down stop but a couple turnovers to go with it. Florida averages close to two takeaways a game and will need to lean on winning the turnover battle for a win. Richardson committed three turnovers that led to 21 Georgia points in last year's contest. In this game he accounts for 21 points of his own. Unfortunately, the Gators' issues on defense are less about scheme and more about substance -- the Gators just don’t have the “dogs” to tame the Dawgs. Prediction: Georgia 38, Florida 21

By FRANZ BEARD A few thoughts to jump start your Saturday morning: WHY I HATE GEORGIA AND WHY YOU SHOULD TOO It is the day of the annual Florida-Georgia game. Georgia is the reigning national champion and ranked No. 1 in the country. Florida, struggling to keep its head above the water, is a 22.5-point underdog and there are some folks who believe it will be an upset if the Gators can keep it that close. Whenever Florida and Georgia meet in any sport it is like tossing lit matches on open, 50-gallon cans of gasoline. You have no clue just how much I despise the Georgia Bulldogs. It is estimated that the temperature on the surface of the sun is 15 million degrees Celsius. That doesn’t begin to come close to how passionately I despise Georgia and how much I wish they lose every time they step on a playing field no matter the sport. Recently, I was asked if I cheered for Georgia in last season’s College Football Playoff semifinal against Michigan, won by Georgia, 34-11. My response, “There is only one reason to ever cheer for Georgia in anything and that is because Georgia winning helps the Florida Gators win a championship.” With that in mind, I’ll share with you the reasons why I despise Georgia and why you should, too. Reason No. 1: My dad was a freshman at the University of Florida in 1942, still too young to sign up to join the Navy to fight the Germans and Japanese in World War II. At UF, nearly every able-bodied athlete had signed up to fight for the US in the weeks following Pearl Harbor. Florida was expected to have an exceptional football team in 1942, but the decision to declare war unilaterally on Germany and Japan ended those hopes and dreams. When the 1942 season rolled around, the majority of Florida’s football team was made up of kids awaiting their 18th birthday or those who couldn’t pass the physical. The University of Georgia had one of the pre-eminent ROTC programs in the country. Numerous star players from around the country were assigned the UGa, which already had a roster full of stars like Flatfoot Frankie Sinkwich, who would win the Heisman Trophy, George Porschner, Charlie Trippi and Gene Ellenson, who would later be the defensive coordinator at Florida from 1960-69. It was Georgia’s men vs. Florida’s boys when the two teams squared off in Jacksonville on November 7. The game was all but over after the first quarter. By halftime it was carnage. Georgia coach Wally Butts could have shown some mercy but he chose not to. Sinkwich and Trippi were still in the game late in the fourth quarter. Georgia went on to win the national championship. Florida went 3-7 with wins over Randolph-Macon, Auburn and Villanova. My dad never forgot what Wally Butts did. He went to his grave in 1986 despising Georgia because of that game. Reason No. 2: The 1968 Gators were preseason picks to finish in the top five nationally while winning their first national championship, but things didn’t turn out exactly like they were planned. The Gators were 4-0 and ranked seventh nationally when they ventured to Chapel Hill. On a rainy October Saturday in which the field at Kenan Stadium turned into a quagmire, the Gators fumbled seven times and lost, 22-7, to the Tar Heels. By the time November 9 rolled around, Florida was 4-2-1 and a deeply divided football team both on and off the field. At the heart of the divisions was a quarterback controversy between Larry Rentz and Jackie Eckdahl that divided the offense. The defensive players were angry that the offensive players put personal loyalties above the team. Call it a no-win situation. In the week prior to the Georgia game, offensive play caller Fred Pancoast went to the hospital for an emergency appendectomy. Ray Graves saw this as a chance to shake things up with the team so he turned the offense over to defensive coordinator Gene Ellenson and offensive coordinator Ed Kensler took over the defense. Maybe Graves thought things had hit rock bottom and there was no way but up. Well, he was wrong. On a cold, rainy, miserable day at the old Gator Bowl, 9th-ranked Georgia put a whipping on the Gators. It was 42-0 at halftime and 48-0 with seconds remaining in the game when Vince Dooley called time out so that his senior center who hadn’t kicked since high school could try a field goal. He made it, of course. The final score was 51-0. That night Steve Spurrier, John Brodie’s backup quarterback with the San Francisco 49ers, spoke to Coach Ellenson to ask what had happened. Spurrier never has forgotten that Dooley called time out to run up the score, which has everything to do with what happened in Athens in 1995. Leading 45-17 late in the fourth quarter, Spurrier called five consecutive pass plays including one off a double reverse as the Gators marched down the field to score one final TD. The extra point made it 52-17. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. That’s how Spurrier looked at it. He called Coach Ellenson after the game and told him, “This was for you, Coach.” Reason No. 3: The Gators went into the NCAA jailhouse in 1984. Among Florida’s heinous crimes were a couple of T-shirts and gym shorts for Dale Dorminey, whose luggage was lost while flying to Gainesville, and buying Dorminey a pack of Juicy Fruit and a Sprite while waiting on the return flight at Gainesville Regional on Sunday. Oh, there were other violations that weren’t exactly petty, nearly everyone committed by Florida boosters, who were out of control. The Gators were caught and paid the price for their crimes against the NCAA, but it’s not like they were the only ones who were operating outside the law. Bobby Bowden and FSU got hit with illegal recruiting inducements, but the Seminoles got a slap on the wrist. Georgia’s recruitment of Herschel Walker wasn’t exactly on the up-and-up. The Bulldogs reportedly outbid Southern Cal allegedly because John Robinson was on the golf course and couldn’t counter the Georgia offer. Georgia stonewalled the NCAA and lost two scholarships. Vince Dooley lobbied the NCAA long and hard to keep Georgia out of trouble. He had the leverage of being chairman of the NCAA’s powerful television committee. Charley Pell is vilified as the personification of all that was wrong with college football at the time. He was a saint compared to Dooley. While Dooley was the head coach Georgia went on probation for football three times (1965, 1978, 1982) and once more while he was athletic director (1997). Two basketball coaches he hired (Hugh Durham and Jim Harrick) put Georgia on probation. Jan Kemp blew the whistle on a fraudulent academic support program of which Dooley was well aware. When she refused to give athletes passing grades for course work they either flunked or didn’t do, Kemp was fired. Kemp sued and was awarded more than $1 million by a jury. Back to 1984. Florida got hit with some of the most severe sanctions in NCAA history. Included were serious scholarship reductions and two years of no television. Charley Pell lost his job. The Gators won the 1984 SEC title on the field, but after the season the SEC athletic directors and presidents voted to strip the Gators of the championship they earned on the field. Dooley led the charge. I did an interview with Wilber Marshall a few years back. He told me some of the schools that voted to strip the Gators of the SEC in 1984 were among those who offered him big money to come to their schools when he was recruited out of Titusville Astronaut. Reason No. 4: Galen Hall was informed he would be fired just prior to the LSU game on October 7, 1989. His crime was allegedly paying a month of child support for Jarvis Williams. Williams’ mom was said to reimburse him the next day. Hall denied he ever paid any money and the NCAA has never conclusively proved that he did, yet the Gators got slapped with a year of probation for something that happened before even one Florida player was on the roster. The NCAA ruled the Gators ineligible for a bowl game in 1990, which happened to be Steve Spurrier’s first year. The Gators had the best record in the SEC and should have won the championship but the athletic directors and presidents voted to make the Gators ineligible for the title. Vince Dooley led the charge once again. Add 1968 to 1990 and maybe you have a better understanding of why Steve Spurrier was so intent on sticking it to Georgia any and every chance he got. Reason No. 5: October 27, 2007. Mark Richt had his team rush the field after scoring on their first possession of the game. After the game, won by Georgia, 42-30, Richt feigned shock that his team risked possibly starting a brawl. He piled on that story at SEC Media Days in July of 2008, claiming he was in total shock. Richt told the media that he saw the players rushing the field and said to himself, “Oh heck, you know … what’s going on?” His nose grew. A couple of days ago, former Georgia linebackers Marcus Howard and Marcus Washington came clean and admitted that Richt planned the whole thing. Urban Meyer, like Spurrier, exacted his revenge. In the 2008 game, Meyer waited until there were 44 seconds to go in the game. Florida led, 49-10, when Meyer called time out. Richt was caught staring at the scoreboard. One play later, Meyer called time out again, this time with 30 seconds to go. It was pure torture for Richt. By nature I am a forgiving person, but my forgiveness has its limits when it comes to the Georgia Bulldogs. Unless it helps the Gators in some way, there is absolutely no reason whatsoever to wish a Georgia athletic team well. I despise the Georgia Bulldogs. You should too. The SEC Soothsayer No. 1 Georgia (7-0, 4-0 SEC) vs. FLORIDA (4-3, 1-3 SEC) in Jacksonville: The spread is 22.5 points. I think the Gators will score some points. I believe Anthony Richardson is going to play well and that Montrell Johnson and Trevor Etienne will run effectively. I don’t know if the Gators can get enough stops but I think they cover the spread. The Sayer says sooth!: Georgia 31, Florida 21 No. 19 Kentucky (5-2, 2-2 SEC) at No. 3 Tennessee (7-0, 3-0 SEC): Kentucky has an excellent defense but unless the Wildcats play from the lead, they’ll probably be in deepest and darkest against the Vols. Close for a half. Maybe. The Sayer says sooth!: Tennessee 35, Kentucky 17 No. 15 Ole Miss (7-1, 3-1 SEC) at Texas A&M (3-4, 1-3 SEC): The wheels are coming off in Aggieland. The Aggies can’t score so the Ole Miss defense gets a break. The Sayer says sooth: Ole Miss 28, Texas A&M 13 Missouri (3-4, 1-3 SEC) at No. 25 South Carolina (5-2, 2-2 SEC): If this game were at Mizzou it would be easy to pick the Tigers. At Willie Brice, go with the Chickens. The Sayer says sooth!: South Carolina 24, Missouri 17 Arkansas (4-3, 1-3 SEC) at Auburn (3-4, 1-3 SEC): Auburn has trouble scoring and Arkansas has trouble stopping anyone. Arkansas has a better quarterback. That will be the difference. The Sayer says sooth!: Arkansas 28, Auburn 30

By KYLE CURTIS GatorBaitMedia.com With Todd Grantham's departure this offseason, many Gator fans were left optimistic about the young-blood Patrick Toney taking the reigns as defensive coordinator. The results on the field have not been pleasing. Maybe a case of first-year jitters? Although, there has been one underlying reason for each loss. Not even 90,000 in The Swamp screaming at the top of their lungs can get the opposing offense off the field on third downs. Florida has been historically bad on “money down” this season, and it is not close. The Gators rank 130th in the nation on third down defense, allowing the offense to convert on an average of 7.8 yards per play 52.6 percent of the time. Let’s look at the top 10 most crucial third conversions by opposing teams throughout the season. 1. LSU: 2:21 left in the first half and the Tigers faced a 3rd & 8 at their own 46. The Gators have gone back and forth with the Tigers all half and have yet to stop them on defense. Jayden Daniels’ connects with Jaray Jenkins for a 54-yard touchdown reception directly before the half. This resulted in LSU having a 28-21 halftime lead along with scoring a touchdown on all four of their drives in the first half. 2. LSU: 12:36 left in the first quarter on LSU’s first possession following a Florida Gator possession where Anthony Richardson and Justin Shorter connected for a touchdown. The Tigers faced a 3rd & 8 at their own 27. Following a 52-yard touchdown reception by Justin Shorter on the second play from scrimmage, The Swamp was buzzing. A chance for the Gator defense to set the tone early and force the Tigers to go three-and-out. Jayden Daniels was able to elude from the pocket and find his superb wideout Kayshon Boutte for a 40-yard gain, quieting the crowd. The drive ended up in an LSU touchdown tying the game at seven. 3. LSU: 5:00 left in the third with LSU leading 35-21, the Tigers faced a 3rd & 6. Jayden Daniels, once again, completes a pass to Karen Lacy for 13 yards in a spot where Florida’s defense desperately needed to get off the field. Later in the drive, the Tigers would cash in on their sixth straight touchdown drive to extend their lead to three scores, 42-21. 4. LSU: 7:20 left in the second with the Gators up a score, 21-14. The Tigers faced 3rd & 10. The score is tied, and the Gators are looking to get off the field to give their offense enough time to try and get a halftime lead. Daniels had a different idea, completing a 26-yard pass for another chunk yardage play on third down. The drive would result in a touchdown, putting LSU up 28-21. 5. Utah: 10:22 left in the fourth quarter with the Gators up by a field goal. The Utes faced a 3rd & 6. Cameron Rising was able to expose another part of Florida’s defense that has lacked this season, tight-end coverage. He hit Brant Kuithe across the middle for a 14-yard gain. This helped the Utes score and ultimately put them up 26-21 late in the fourth quarter. 6. Missouri: 11:10 left in the fourth quarter with the Tigers down two scores. They face a 3rd & 22 on their own 42. With a chance to close the game for the Florida defense, they played well on first and second to get into a dream position for a defensive coordinator, third and long. Missouri’s quarterback Brady Cook found Cody Shredder for a 27-yard gain and the first down. This resulted in a Missouri touchdown and the Tigers getting within one score. 7. Tennessee: 13:40 left in the third quarter with Tennessee possessing a 24-17 lead. The Volunteers faced a 3rd & 7. On a down that was crucial for Florida to get back their offense back on the field, the air raid is not what killed them. Rather Jaylen Wright gaining eight yards in a defense set up for a medium pass scheme. The conversion resulted in Tennessee marching down the field and creating a two-score ball game early in the second half, a deficit deemed to be too much. 8. Tennessee: 13:40 7:55 left in the fourth quarter and Florida trails by 10 points. The Volunteers are faced with a 3rd & goal from the five-yard line. A virtual must-stop for the Florida defense to force a field goal and maintain the two-possession lead. Once again, Toney and the Gator’s defense prepared for a pass and got beat by a Jaylen Wright outside run that resulted in a touchdown. This put the Vols up 38-21 halfway through the fourth and the game out of reach. 9. LSU: 12:45 left in the second quarter and the Tigers face a 3rd & 8. Daniels completes a pass to Jaray Jankins for 13 yards. The drive later resulted in a touchdown. A preview of what was to come for the rest of the game. 10. LSU; 9:02 left in the first quarter on LSU’s opening drive. The Tigers faced a 3rd & 15 after already having connected on a long third down on the previous set of downs. Yet again, Daniels connected with Boutte for 14 yards. Although they did not achieve the first down, it set up a semi-easy call to go for it on fourth down early in the game ultimately resulting in another score for LSU. A common recurrence throughout this analysis was the LSU game. The Tigers went a staggering 8x12 on third downs and scored touchdowns on six straight possessions. In the SEC, that cannot be winning defense. This weekend the Gators are faced with the task stopping, or at least slowing down, the Georgia Bulldogs. Debatably, the best roster in the country, the Bulldogs sit atop the AP Poll and have yet to lose a game this season. Georgia is fourth in the nation with a 54.93 percentage conversion rate on fourth downs this year. As previously mentioned, Florida lacks in that field. The Gators currently are last on third down defense, allowing opponents to convert 52.6 percent of the time. Two stats that don’t gel well together for the Gators. The Georgia quarterback, Stetson Bennett, emphasized the importance of being successful on third down to ON3 earlier in the season. “That’s what I’m most proud of, it’s the third downs, you know,” Bennett said. Here is a peek at how Georgia and Bennett have been successful on third down at this point through the season. ● In a tough Missouri game, the Bulldogs were down a touchdown early in the third quarter when Stetson Bennett was able to connect on 3rd and 7 to Ladd McConkey and lead the Dogs to a score to keep them in the game. ● Another Missouri conversion, at this point with eight minutes left in the second quarter, the Bulldogs had still not scored. They faced a 3rd and 7 and felt as if they needed something to show for the current possession. Bennett was able to connect with Dominick Blaylock for 18 yards and ultimately got a field goal out of the possession. ● Early in the South Carolina game, before things got out of hand, Bennett gave Georgia some breathing room. Bennett also harped on how important red zone efficiency is along with third down. He lived up to his word. On third and goal Bennett was able to find his a All-American tight end, Brock Bowers, for a score that would put them up 21-0 with still 11 minutes left in the second. “I mean, that’s what we’re harping on–third down and red zone, you know, this whole offseason and we executed,” Bennett said. The Georgia Bulldogs are not one to make mistakes, more likely to force them. The Gators will have to show up on Saturday ready and prepared.

“For anyone who didn’t hear,” said McClain’s mom to the confused. “He is going to Miami.” By KYLE CURTIS GatorBaitMedia.com LAKELAND -- Cormani McClain, the No. 2 overall player in the nation, chose to take his talents to the University of Miami over the likes of Florida and Alabama on Thursday night. In quite possibly the biggest recruiting whiff in a decade, the Gators missed, leaving their fan base in shock because McClain was projected as a UF lock. Miami now hops over Florida in the latest update of On3’s recruiting updates to No. 8 nationally. By KYLE CURTIS GATORBAIT MEDIA To put it in perspective, the five leading experts (who are right 75% of the time) made a crystal ball projection on McClain’s future, all five predicting he was going to the Florida Gators. On3 had Florida listed as a 96% chance to land McClain while Alabama held a 3% chance with Miami only sitting at 1%. Why Miami? “Miami was my dream school growing up,” McClain said. While this was an all-time miss for the Gators, they still possess one of the strongest defensive back classes in the nation. Four-star defensive backs Dijon Johnson, Ja’Keem Jackson, Jordan Castell, Sharif Denson, Aaron Gates and Bryce Thornton round out a class that is well above average for Corey Raymond and company. Florida has been in on McClain since he began playing corner when he was a sophomore in high school. Since then, he has grown up right in front of our eyes and has had a season of nine and ten interceptions. Nonetheless, McClain chose to spend his college years in Coral Gables. The vibe was a bit off at the signing. Leading up to the event, music was being played along with a video highlighting Cormani’s youth career. McClain then walked out a few minutes before 6:45 for his scheduled 7 o’clock announcement to the song “Rags to Riches” by Roddy Rich. With little to no buildup, he announced he was going to attend the University of Miami. With only a few noises in the crowd, there was one lone cheer from a singular Hurricane fan. “For anyone who didn’t hear,” said McClain’s mom to the confused. “He is going to Miami.” That is when everyone realized it wasn’t a joke, some clapping with an odd sense of bewilderment. A few minutes pass, and Cormani realized he needed to reannounce his commitment because the CBS and other tv stations there had not prepared for him to announce that quickly. Again, solidifying his choice to Miami. Following the announcement, camera crews zeroed in on McClain. One picture stood out: McClain was posing with a young Miami fan, pointing to his shirt that said “Gator Hater”. The nail in the coffin. In a week where the Gators face the No. 1 team in the country and one of our biggest rivals, it felt like Thursday night was a bigger loss than what Saturday could hold.

"They’ve been playing this game for a century, almost always in Jax, but its future location is in question because they’ve invented a reason to move it – primarily because they can." Go ahead, put the game in Athens and Gainesville because you need to cater to the group of 17-year-olds who may or may not choose to play for the Bulldogs or Gators and, by the way, may change their minds and hit the transfer portal 15 minutes later if another school will make them a better NIL deal for blue jeans and hamburgers. Florida-Georgia in Jacksonville is coming to an end after 2023 either way, I’m pretty sure. Because “they” say it’s better if they rip this event off the calendar, despite the thousands who have celebrated the weeklong jubilee up and down the Southeast Georgia and Northeast Florida coast since Roosevelt was president, and then some. Riddle me this: Who the hell is “they” and why don’t the fans have a voice in college football anymore? Who, in fact, owns the game? Is it the NCAA who keeps winking at corruption while raking in millions as the de facto operators of college basketball’s cash bar? Is it the college football committee whose inability to reach a consensus on an expanded playoff is leaving hundreds of millions on the table? They’ve been playing this game for a century, almost always in Jax, but its future location is in question because they’ve invented a reason to move it – primarily because they can. It’s being driven by Kirby Smart and the Georgia illiterati who perhaps have forgotten what happened the last time they invited the Gators to Athens when they got smoked. That 1995 contest is known as “The Half A Hundred” game, thanks to Bulldogs slayer Steve Spurrier, who has 11 Dawg skins on his wall for his happy hunting years 1990-2001. Danny Wuerffel led Florida to a 52-17 win with help from backup Eric Kresser and Spurrier’s team pillaged Sanford Stadium. Maybe they don’t want to hang out that “Welcome Gators” sign anymore? Oddly enough, when Spurrier came to Gainesville in 1990, his brain trusts argued that the game should be moved out of Jacksonville and become a home-and-home series because of Georgia’s recent dominance. In his infinite wisdom, Spurrier calculated the odds were in his favor because the game was on Florida soil, his team could bus to Jacksonville and the Dawgs would come by airplane -- and the name of the place they played back then was “The Gator Bowl.” Clearly, though, sentiment doesn’t count. And I’m not even sure if cash will be the deciding factor, because each school is already making more than $3 million per game and that will increase with the CFB contract after ’23. So as we sit here likely counting down the days before the demise of Fla-Ga-Jax, all we will be left with are the echoes, the memories and the glorious camaraderie we’ve enjoyed in our jubilee days. After home-and-home kicks in, that means only about 5,000 visiting fans will be allowed to see the game in person – no more stark contrasting of 40,000 orange and blue on one side and 40,000 red and black on the other. There is something sociologically gratifying about a Border War contest whose participants are living among each other, interacting with respect and appreciation for each side’s loyalty, making it as much about human decency and fraternization as about sport. I will miss the reconnection with our great friends, the Watsons, neutral Auburn folks who have hosted us for several decades, especially remembering the times we party-hopped house-to-house along Ponte Vedra Boulevard – sometimes with Gators, sometimes with Bulldogs. Yes, it is possible to co-mingle with The Enemy and enjoy wonderful Southern hospitality. Full disclosure here, as many of you already know – I grew up a Gator fan and Florida-trained journalist who prides himself on story telling, hopefully without hardcore bias leaking through. I will admit to you that the few years out of the sports writing business I watched Florida-Georgia on TV with my infant son Brenden, who already at age 18 months was running up and down the sofa, yelling in baby talk, “Gooooo Gators! NOT YOU GEORGIA!" Nearly a half century later, at 6-foot-3, Brenden is my business partner and president of GatorBait, who probably still whispers those words. For many years I would meet Ed, my best friend from Ocala who resides in Atlanta and sometimes poached a place to sleep. Ed is a Lifetime Gator fan whose son Edward graduated from Georgia. When Edward starting coming down for the game we agreed that neither side would gloat — lucky for him because the Gators were on a 7-0 run under the HBC. But it stayed civil. Not everybody from Georgia agrees with moving the game. I know my media colleague and longtime friend Tony Barnhart, formerly of CBS and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, doesn’t want to break up his foursome of college fraternity pals who meet annually to break bread, imbibe, swap lies and tee it up – “and maybe not even go to the game.” Tony is a longtime Bulldog advocate who was able to balance a hugely successful broadcast-writer career with objective reporting, despite bleeding red and black blood. They’re holed up in Darien, Georgia this week, anticipating the outcome in their favor as 22-point favorites, but, also espousing the concern “we know what kind of strange things can happen in Jacksonville.” One story Tony shared this week was his memory of the famous 1980 “Run Lindsay” game. He wasn’t in Jax but was working for a small North Carolina paper covering a game in Tallahassee, watching Fla-Ga on TV. When Scott took the pass from Belue in for the score, Barnhart leapt up so fast that he knocked over his motel room lamp and broke it. The next morning he fessed up to the motel owner of the Econo Lodge. “Were you rooting for Georgia or Florida?" asked the owner. “Georgia,” said Tony. “No charge! Around here, anybody who roots against the Gators is an ally.” Loyalty runs deep and sometimes pays dividends. I hope the people trying to move this game out of Jacksonville will look up the word “loyalty” in their dictionaries.

BY FRANZ BEARD GATORBAIT MEDIA So far, so good. A month of practice is in the books along with one closed-door scrimmage with Miami. A second closed door scrimmage with Jacksonville University will take place this weekend and then there is the Orange and Blue Scrimmage, open to the public at the O-Dome Tuesday night (7 p.m., free admission). After that, it’s time for Todd Golden and the Gators to start trending to real basketball against real opponents in games that count. The first one is a week from Monday (November 7, O-Dome, 8 p.m.) against Stony Brook, an 18-13 team last year that is picked to finish next-to-last in the Colonial Athletic Association this season. Golden is young, energetic and an absolute analytical whiz who breaks down every second of every practice, whether it’s a drill or in scrimmage situations to figure out the who, what, when, where and how for this team. It’s a fresh approach that offers promise for a basketball program that had a spinning-the-wheels feel to it the past few years. Mike White is a very good basketball coach, but his way of doing things seemed mired in inconsistency. Maybe White didn’t have the right players for his brand of basketball or perhaps his approach just didn’t work in this place, but whatever the reason, it was time for a fresh breath of air. That is what Golden has brought to the program. Practice is done at breakneck speed. There is very little yelling other than to shout approval or encouragement when something goes right or is done spectacularly. When things bog down or there is a series of mistakes, the whistle blows and the team encircles Golden at midcourt. There is no yelling and screaming, but he gets his point across. Golden’s way of doing things seems to have caught on rather well with a team that is blending six returning players with four transfers and three freshmen. There seems to be good chemistry both on and off the court and players seem to genuinely like the coaching staff. Golden is the CEO and defensive specialist. Carlin Hartman handles the big guys. Kevin Hovde is the offensive coordinator. Korey McCray is the dynamite recruiter who handles point guards and wings. In the first month of practice, the new staff has had to deal with returning All-SEC Colin Castleton getting used to contact again after offseason surgery to repair a torn labrum and back up center Jason Jitoboh going through a grueling rehab after four spring and summer surgeries on a severely damaged eye dating back to the Tennessee game in Knoxville last year. St. Bonaventure transfer point guard Kyle Lofton, a three-time All-Atlantic 10 performer who was one of the most heavily recruited transfers, missed more than two weeks after a groin strain suffered during a Saturday morning practice. Belmont shooting guard transfer Will Richard injured an ankle and is only recently back to full strength after missing more than two weeks of practices. There are two other transfers and the freshmen, all of whom are getting acclimated to classes at the University of Florida, new teammates, new coaches and basketball at the speed of Golden. The speed of Golden is often determined by hustle stats. Without them Golden never would have progressed from walk-on to a valuable contributor in Randy Bennett’s ultra-successful system at Saint Mary’s. Hustle stats became an invaluable asset to Golden’s successful three-year stint at San Francisco and they already determined who was starting last Saturday in Florida’s closed-door scrimmage with Miami, an Elite Eight team from last year. “With our scrimmage against Miami, we started the five guys that are winning in their respective spots,” Golden said. “That’s not necessarily going to be the case on opening night – it could end up being that way – but we’re not saying, ‘Hey, whoever is in this spot on November 6 is starting on November 7,’ but our hope was that our hustle stats generally correlate to winning and losing plays. So, guys who are doing well are making more winning plays in practice so we wanted to give them the positive affirmation of what they’re doing. And, some of those guys were able to play really well Saturday.” The five who started the Miami scrimmage game were Castleton, CJ Felder, Kowacie Reeves, Riley Kugel and Trey Bonham. Kyle Lofton, who, along with Castleton has already been named a starter for the opening against Stony Brook, was held out of the scrimmage since he was just coming back from the groin injury. There has been no published report of the scrimmage outcome although word has leaked out that the Gators won on the scoreboard. Golden was more concerned with winning rebounding battles, reducing turnovers and playing at a pace and tempo to his liking, but overall, he liked how the Gators played and how far they’ve come in a month. “I’m positive,” he said Tuesday. “I feel good about where we are. We had a good closed-door scrimmage against Miami. I won’t get into too many particulars about it, but that’s a good club (Miami) and a team that’s expected to have a very good year. A veteran team that obviously made an Elite Eight run last year and added some good pieces. I thought we played pretty well. A lot of areas to improve on. We didn’t have Kyle so getting him back will make us a little more solid but with two weeks to go before our first game, I think we’re in a good spot.” Golden liked what he saw of the defensive effort on some of Miami’s veteran players and he found the offensive rebounding a real positive. The defensive rebounding is an area that Golden wants to improve. Three-point shooting continues to be a real plus. “We shot it okay on Saturday, but I think we’ll shoot it better as we continue on,” he said. With only Lofton out, Golden got to see 12 of the 13 scholarship players on his roster in action. Probably the one who stood out the most was sophomore Kowacie Reeves, who has come on strong to become a real force at both ends of the court in the past couple of weeks. Against Miami, he made shots from the outside, scored off the drive and inside the 3-point line. He defended and rebounded. This was the Kowacie Reeves we saw at the end of last season when he was finally cut loose and given minutes by the previous coach. The scrimmage showed how he’s grown and matured as a player. “I think he’s playing within himself,” Golden said. “He’s understanding through our coaching what we value and again, to his credit, he’s been really receptive to coaching. And, I think for him, he’s not always trying to prove what he can do. He’s just doing the things he does well really, really well and that’s comforting.” The next week or so will be spent fine tuning the offense and defense in preparation for the season opener and a November schedule that includes Florida State as well as potential matchups with Duke, Gonzaga and Purdue, all of which are ranked in everybody’s preseason top 10. BREAKING DOWN THE ROSTER Probable starters Colin Castleton (6-11, 250, 5th YR): Fully recovered from surgery to repair a torn labrum that forced him to play the final six weeks of last season one-handed, Castleton has had an exceptional fall. He has extended the range on his jumper to the 3-point line and he’s shooting well enough that he will have the green light to let it fly if he’s open. What is most impressive is his mobility with the basketball in his hands. He’s been seen in practice to grab a rebound, put the ball on the deck and break out of the pack to start a fast break. He has always been a good passer, but the new offensive scheme gets better spacing so his assists should go way up. All-SEC the last two years, he’s picked All-SEC in the preseason again although Golden thinks he should be on preseason All-America teams. He’s starting to assert himself as a vocal leader on the team which is encouraging. CJ Felder (6-7, 240, SR): Slowed last year by illness and a sports hernia, he is healthy again. He has had a very strong fall in which he’s played out high as much as he has in the blocks down low. He is the most physical player on the team and despite being 6-7, is a legitimate shot blocker, which he proved in his first two years at Boston College. What he’s shown in the fall is the ability to put the ball on the deck and drive to the rack. He has 3-point range and is a very good shooter from the corner. Kowacie Reeves (6-6, 192, SO): The lights have come on and he’s starting to play every day in practice the way he played against Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament last year. The ability to score has always been there, but in addition to shooting the 3-ball, he’s putting the ball on the deck and driving to the rack where he’s an explosive jumper. He’s also refined his pull-up abilities and has become a lethal threat from 15 feet on in. He’s very much improved defensively and showing more of a willingness to rebound on both ends of the floor. He dominated in the scrimmage with Miami. Will Richard (6-4, 206, SO): Now that he’s healthy he’s starting to show why he was such a coveted transfer. He has always been an outstanding long distance shooter and he’s been showing that since he’s been able to practice. He also has the ability to get into the paint off the dribble and score. Richard has a strong all-around game. He rebounds better than his size and he’s a capable defender who can handle both wings and even take some turns defending the power forward. Kyle Lofton (6-3, 188, GR): If the Gators had him the last couple of years, they would have been a real threat to make deep runs in the NCAA Tournament. He is a pure point guard with a pass first mentality. He makes everyone around him better at both ends of the court. He is an elite defender. A good, but not a great outside shooter who can knock down a three. When he gets into the paint he pressures opposing defenses because he is always a threat to dump it off, but can take it all the way to the rack. Off the bench Jason Jitoboh (6-11, 300, SR): He is in the best shape of his life and playing very good basketball. Golden is being careful with him as he is still not 100 percent recovered from the injury that required five eye surgeries. He is productive on the court at both ends and his value as a teammate cannot be emphasized enough. He is always encouraging teammates and takes particular delight when a teammate does something spectacular. Alex Fudge (6-9, 200, SO): He can defend all five positions. This is an elite defender who can erase in the paint as well as handle point guards. He will be invaluable when the Gators press because he can defend and score easily in transition. If there is a weakness in his game it is an inconsistent outside shot. He’s streaky and when he gets it going he can fill it up, but he also has spells when he can’t buy a basket. He will be early off the bench and will probably end up playing 20-25 minutes a game. If he starts hitting shots, Golden may have to find a way to start him. Myreon Jones (6-3, 177, GR): He’s regained the shooting touch that made him a 15-point a game scorer at Penn State. He is most comfortable on the wing, but Golden doesn’t hesitate to give him minutes at the point either. If he can shoot at the 38 percent level from beyond the 3-point line he will have a very big year. When he’s hitting shots the defense stretches and the inside game opens up. Riley Kugel (6-5, 207, FR): He is surprisingly developed for a true freshman. He plays mostly on the wing, but Golden has given him some reps at the point as well. He is a very good 3-point shooter. When defenders try to crowd him, he’s quick enough to put the ball on the deck and blow by them. He is a spectacular leaper (vertical is 45+ inches) who has had some of the more spectacular dunks in the preseason. He is going to play early and often. Trey Bonham (6-0, 170, JR): Imagine Kasey Hill’s quickness and Taurean Green’s jump shot. That’s what Bonham brings to the table. He shoots from different area codes and as associate head coach Carlin Hartman says, “He makes them!” He ran the team efficiently in the closed door scrimmage with Miami. He has benefitted from the time as the No. 1 point guard during Kyle Lofton’s recovery time from the groin injury. Lofton is such a good defender that Golden won’t hesitate to pair him with Bonham at times. Bonham will be the shooter on the offensive end and Lofton will take the wing defensively at the other end. He’s an excellent press defender and an absolute blur with the ball in his hands in the open court. Niels Lane (6-5, 215, JR): This is Florida’s defensive stopper. Lane can defend everything except center with a high level of skill. He will be the guy Golden sends in the game to cool off a hot shooter. During fall practice he has shown the ability to get some points off the drive or in the paint off rebounds. His vertical is in the 43-inch range so he’s a spectacular dunker, but he has a slow release jump shot that will take minutes away from him. Denzel Aberdeen (6-5, 189, FR): He has a future at the point but right now he’s a bit buried on the depth chart behind Lofton and Bonham. He has had some extremely good practices as of late including one that he hit 5-6 from the 3-point line during an intrasquad scrimmage. He makes good decisions with the ball in the open court. Defensively, he still plays like a true freshman at times but he picks things up quickly and rarely makes the same mistake twice. Getting minutes will be a struggle, but he’s capable of playing well when called upon. Alexs Szymczyk (6-10, 240, FR): He was a late signee out of Germany although before COVID he was playing high school basketball in Lakeland. He has range to the 3-point line plus he’s big and willing to throw his body around. Minutes will be hard to come by but he learns daily in practice and it’s easy to see progress is made. Right now his biggest asset is the five 6-10, 240-pound fouls he has to give that can help eat up minutes if one of the other bigs gets in foul trouble.

THOUGHTS OF THE DAY By FRANZ BEARD GatorBaitMedia.com Senior Columnist A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning: So you’re saying there’s a chance?” – Lloyd Christmas when told by Mary Swanson there’s only one chance in a million the two of them could ever be a couple. If you believe the Las Vegas oddsmakers, the Florida Gators’ (4-3, 1-3 SEC) chances to spring the upset on No. 1 Georgia (7-0, 4-0 SEC) are only slightly better than those of Lloyd Christmas from the 1994 film “Dumb and Dumber.” Georgia is a 22.5-point favorite which are only slightly better than the odds Vegas would have given Moses to part the Red Sea back in the day. But there is a chance. There is always a chance once foot hits football and very large young men start running into each other at rather astonishing speeds. Georgia is such a huge favorite because the Bulldogs rarely make the kind of mistake that could alter the outcome of a game. The Gators, on the other hand, don’t seem to be able to stand prosperity. If you don’t believe that, then just watch what happens on third down. All too often this season the Gators have done a dandy job of bottling up opponents on first and second downs only to give up a chunk play (see third-and-22 vs. Missouri) for a confounding first down. The Gators, we know, spent the bye week in search of their missing third down mojo. What happens if they found it whether by design or they simply stumbled on it? What happens if the Gators avoid turnovers, blown coverages, missed assignments and they set the edge? What happens if Anthony Richardson goes interplanetary? He’s talented enough to do it and he’s easily the most physically gifted quarterback Georgia has faced this year. If he avoids turnovers and shows Georgia what he did against Tennessee (453 passing yards for two TDs, 62 rushing yards for two TDs) the Gators might be in the hunt. If the defense remembers it’s legal to tackle opponents, break up passes, sack the quarterback and go an entire game without blowing an assignment on a deep pass, the Gators might have a chance. Perhaps this is asking too much of the Gators, but as good as Georgia is, the Bulldogs could have and actually should have lost to Missouri. It took scoring two touchdowns in the final 9:36 for Georgia to pull out a 26-22 win. Missouri had chances to put the game away and couldn’t do it. And one other thing to remember. Georgia, with its “generational” defense and its greatest team in 40 years, was only ahead of Florida 3-0 until the Gators gave the Bulldogs 21 points in the final 2:26 of the first half. Georgia won, 34-7, but 28 of those points were the direct result of Florida turnovers. So, is beating Georgia probable? No, not at all. Florida hasn’t shown that it can play a near flawless game which is what it may take. But is there a chance? Maybe not a good one, but there is a chance. Depth chart for Georgia (Starters in bold face) Offense WR: Xzavier Henderson; Daejon Reynolds or Marcus Burke WR: Justin Shorter; Ja’Quavion Fraziars or Caleb Douglas WR: Ricky Pearsall; Trent Whittemore or Thail Chiaokhiao-Bowman LT: Richard Gouraige; Kamryn Waites LG: Ethan White; Richie Leonard IV C: Kingsley Eguakun; Jake Slaughter RG: O’Cyrus Torrence; Richie Leonard IV; Jalen Farmer RT: Michael Tarquin; Austin Barber TE: Dante Zanders; Keon Zipperer QB: Anthony Richardson; Jalen Kitna; Jack Miller III RB: Montrell Johnson Jr.; Trevor Etienne; Nay’Quan Wright or Lorenzo Lingard Defense DE: Princely Umanmielen; Justus Boone NT: Desmond Watson; Jalen Lee; Jaelin Humphries; Jamari Lyons DE: Gervon Dexter Sr.; Tyreak Sapp; Chris McClellan JACK: Brenton Cox Jr.; Antwaun Powell-Ryland Jr.; Lloyd Summerall III or David Reese LB: Ventrell Miller; Scooby Williams or Derek Wingo LB: Amari Burney; Shemar James STAR: Tre’Vez Johnson; Jadarrius Perkins; Kamar Wilcoxson CB: Jason Marshall Jr.; Jalen Kimber; Jordan Young S: Rashad Torrence II; Kamari Wilson; Corey Collier Jr. S: Trey Dean III; Donovan McMillon; Miguel Mitchell CB: Jaydon Hill; Avery Helm Special Teams KO: Trey Smack or Adam Mihalek PK: Adam Mihalek or Trey Smack P: Jeremy Crawshaw; Jacob Watkins LS: Rocco Underwood; Chase Whitfield H: Jeremy Crawshaw; Jacob Watkins KOR: Trevor Etienne; Xzavier Henderson or Jason Marshall Jr.; Thai Chiaokhiao-Bowman PR: Xzavier Henderson; Jason Marshall Jr. or Trevor Etienne Injured: TE Nick Elksnis (out, upper body); TE Arlis Boardingham (out, upper body); EDGE Lloyd Summerall III (questionable, upper body); LB Diwun Black (out, lower body); CB Devin Moore (out, lower body) Rocco Ortiz will transfer Long snapper Marco Ortiz, who hasn’t played since the season opener with Utah, announced that he is leaving the team to preserve his redshirt with the intent of placing his name in the transfer portal in December. Ortiz leaves UF as a graduate. With his departure, Florida currently has 83 on scholarship with four running out of eligibility when the season is over. The Gators have 22 committed recruits and plans to sign a class of as many as 28, so expect many more to be entering the transfer portal in the weeks ahead. UF volleyball The Gators (16-4, 8-2 SEC) moved into sole possession of first place in the SEC when they scored a straight set win on the road at Auburn, 25-23, 25-18, 25-15. Merritt Beason and Sofia Victoria each had 14 kills for the Gators while Alexis Stucky had 37 assists. SEC football No. 6 Alabama (7-1, 4-0 SEC): Defensive lineman Justin Eboigbe will miss the remainder of the season due to a neck injury. Arkansas (4-3, 1-3 SEC): Quarterback KJ Jefferson says that when the Hogs face Auburn Saturday, “We’re just going to come out and dominate and play our brand of football.” Auburn (3-4, 1-3 SEC): Wide receiver Tar’vish Dawson is leaving the team and plans to transfer in December. No. 1 Georgia (7-0, 4-0 SEC): Although Georgia is a 22.5-point favorite over Florida, left tackle Broderick Jones said the Bulldogs will “prepare the same as if we’re playing the national championship game.” No. 19 Kentucky (5-2, 2-2 SEC): The Wildcats have beaten Tennessee only three times since 1985. The Vols are 82-26-9 all time against UK. No. 15 Ole Miss (7-1, 3-1 SEC): The Rebels will be facing their old defensive coordinator DJ Durkin when they travel to Texas A&M. Lane Kiffin said the Rebels tried to keep Durkin but they were outbid. “Kind of a common theme with that program,” Kiffin said. No. 25 South Carolina (5-2, 2-2 SEC): Wide receiver Corey Rucker will miss his seventh straight game while recovering from a stress fracture in his foot. No. 3 Tennessee (7-0, 3-0 SEC): When asked who is the No. 1 team in the country, ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit said, “It’s a toss-up for me between Tennessee and Ohio State.” Texas A&M (3-4, 1-3 SEC): Backup punter Alan Guerreri is leaving the team and will put his name in the transfer portal. Our SEC orphans in the Big 12 Oklahoma (4-3, 1-3 Big 12): The Sooners are favored by a single point at Iowa State (3-4, 0-4 Big 12 Saturday. Texas (5-3, 3-2 Big 12): Bijan Robinson is the second highest rated running back in the country by Pro Football Focus. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: When Charlotte pulled the plug on Will Healy, it brought to six the number of coaches who have been given the pink slip this year. There are boosters from Texas A&M, Miami (Florida) and Iowa who firmly believe that number should have expanded to nine last weekend, but the collective buyout for Jimbo, Mario and Kirk Ferentz is right at $200 million. Unless some gozillionaire decides enough is enough, those three will be back for several more seasons, much to the chagrin of fans who think if you’re paid millions your team should win football games. Countdown to Firing Day: Week 9 Extinct Species List Scott Frost, Nebraska: They’re still searching for a new coach, but there is a report in the Omaha paper that keeping interim head coach Mickey Joseph could be a deal breaker. Another report has Mark Stoops on the potential list. He’s got a better gig at Kentucky. Herm Edwards, Arizona State: The smart hire would be Oregon offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham, who played and coached at ASU, but when is the last time Arizona State did something smart? Geoff Collins, Georgia Tech: The home run hire would be Deion Sanders but the new AD came from Alabama so figure it will be someone off the Saban tree. Interim Brent Key fits that bill, plus he would work cheap and is a Tech graduate. Karl Dorrell, Colorado: The two home run candidates are Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy, a former CU All-American, and Illinois defensive coordinator Ryan Walters, a former CU defensive back. Walters could also be the guy Nick Saban goes after if Pete Golding gets shoved out the door. Paul Chryst, Wisconsin: The home run hire is Kansas coach Lance Leipold. The probable hire is interim coach and defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, a former Wisconsin walk-on who made All-America three years and played 10 years in the NFL. Will Healy, Charlotte: They went with a D1AA coach in Healy and that didn’t work out, but whoever it is has to work cheap. The name Skip Holtz keeps popping up as does Alabama tight ends coach Joe Cox, who may want to hold out for something more substantial. On Life Support Bryan Harsin, Auburn: Winner of this year’s Dead Man Walking Award. He’s known for weeks now that he’s going to be fired. It’s just a matter of when. Neal Brown, West Virginia: The Mounties got hosed by 38 points last week by Texas Tech. It was almost a shocker that Brown wasn’t fired then. He’s 3-4 with one winnable game in the last five. Ken Niumatalolo, Navy: The Midshipmen are 2-5 which means they have to go 4-1 just to finish break even. If he can beat Army in the last game of Jeff Scott, South Florida: Everybody likes Jeff. Everybody appreciates that he’s trying to build the program the right way. He doesn’t have an on campus stadium like they have 90 minutes away at UCF and he certainly isn’t winning as many games as Gus Malzahn is at UCF. Endangered Species List: Willie Taggart, Florida Atlantic: They’re 3-5. Finishing 4-0 would definitely save Taggart’s job. If he goes 3-1 there’s an outside chance he remains gainfully employed. David Shaw, Stanford: The Cardinal are on a 2-game winning streak that includes a nail-biter over Notre Dame. Getting to 6-6 would require three wins in the last five and that would calm the masses who think it’s time for a new coach. Scott Satterfield, Louisville: The Cards are 4-3, but there is probably only one win in the last five and if Lulvil sleeps on James Madison there will be hell to pay. Rick Stockstill, Middle Tennessee: Since beati ng Miami – Florida not Ohio – the Blue Raiders are 0-3. They are 3-4 with five winnable games to go. They better win at least three or Stockstill can hang up his whistle. Danny Gonzales, New Mexico: The Lobos are 2-6, 0-4 in Mountain West play. Right now a 3-9 record might be a reach. Gonzales is 7-20. Buzzards are circling the football complex. Tom Allen, Indiana: He’s 3-5 this year, 5-15 in his last 20. Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan State and Purdue await. Figure he’s a goner. Justin Wilcox, California: Cal has lost three in a row and the next two games are Oregon and Southern Cal. The final game is UCLA. Situation grim. At best. Jeff Hafley, Boston College: He’s 14-16 for his BC career. They fired Steve Addazio with a .500 record. Hafley needs to four of the last five just to break even.

Kearney fits Napier’s scheme perfectly. At Orange Park, Kearney spearheaded one of the most lethal rushing attacks in the state. By GatorBait Staff Florida Gator recruiting gathered huge momentum this week when they flipped one of the state’s top recruits from FSU in Roderick Kearney, a 6-foot-4, 300-pound interior lineman from Orange Park. Kearney is the third offensive lineman the Gators have been able to get during this recruiting cycle and his choice provided a massive momentum shift for this 2023 cycle. Kearney made his commitment to Florida State on June 26, just two days after his official visit to Florida. Nonetheless, the Gator staff held strong and consistent with Kearney throughout his recruitment and was able to help him realize he had a better future in Gainesville. Kearney stresses the importance of little tidbits which he gleans from film study. He was named the offensive line MVP of the Under Armour All-America Camp in Miami earlier this year and has led his high school team to the playoffs the past two seasons. Kearney fits Napier’s scheme perfectly. At Orange Park, Kearney spearheaded one of the most lethal rushing attacks in the state. The run-heavy offense along with the spread attack meshes well with Napier’s vision of Florida’s offense. Now, other big news is looming. THIS IS EXPECTED NEXT: CORMANI HEADED TO GATORS? Cormani McClain, the #2 overall player in the nation, is set to make his commitment tomorrow in Lakeland and looks like he will be a Gator. McClain has the opportunity to be the highest rank Gator recruit since Martel Ivey (#2 overall player) in 2015. Florida is the favorite to land the 6-foot-2 defensive back, although Alabama and Miami are also in the mix to land the top defensive player in the 2023 class. GatorBait’s Kyle Curtis will be in Lakeland for the announcement and to provide live coverage.