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The Gators are coming off a bye week as they head to Jacksonville this Saturday for the Florida-Georgia rivalry game. This bye week came after their upsetting 49-42 loss to the unranked LSU Tigers. Now 4-3, the Gators will be put to the ultimate test this week as they take on the No. 1 Bulldogs.
Gators Defense Needs Improving
One major takeaway from the defeat in Death Valley was that the Gators are struggling defensively. They allowed LSU to rush for 321 yards against their defense, almost triple what the Gators averaged so far this season. This performance was comparable to the widely criticized defense we saw in the Gators 2020 season. Not to mention the Tigers rushing offense was ranked 127th in the FBS heading into the game.
These two teams have had very different paths from last year's meeting in Jacksonville up to this weekend's resumption of the rivalry.
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Preparing for the Georgia Offense
A bye week may have been just what the Gator’s needed after the setback at LSU. Safety Trey Dean is confident in the secondary’s preparation this week to play up to the level they need to succeed against Georgia.
It is unclear whether Georgia will start Stetson Bennett or JT Daniels at quarterback. Daniels is 7-0 as a starter but struggled with a strained oblique at the beginning of the season. While he hasn’t played since Sept. 25, his performance in practice will determine whether or not we will see him on the field Saturday. As for Bennett, his last game against the Gators in 2020 ended in a 44-28 defeat for the Bulldogs. However, the senior quarterback is showing new confidence as he finds himself at the top of the SEC with a 210.93 passing efficiency rate. Dean III says the Gators recognize this change and are preparing their defense for the challenge.
Be sure to tune into the live coverage of this rivalry matchup this Saturday at 11:30 a.m. on ESPN 98.1 FM & 850 AM.
Kick off starts at 3:30 p.m. on CBS.
