Florida Gators have history on their side against Georgia Bulldogs, and it could be the key to victory on Saturday
One year after barely losing to the Georgia Bulldogs 24-20, the Florida Gators key to victory might be OC Buster Faulkner.
If the Florida Gators want to win a National Championship this season, or even make the College Football Playoff, they have to find a way to beat the Georgia Bulldogs. Their two losses are really bad in blowout fashion to the Missouri Tigers and South Carolina Gamecocks, and a win over Georgia would give them three top-10 wins and a second in the top five.
After finding themselves on defense in an upset win over the Texas Longhorns before the bye week, they are thrown back into the gauntlet with their big rival Georgia. It’s a unique game in that it will be played in Atlanta this year due to the renovations in Jacksonville. Even with the perceived home field advantage for the Bulldogs, the Gators may have a secret weapon at their disposal.
Buster Faulkner’s had success against Kirby Smart’s defense
Even though this is the first season for offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner in Gainesville, he’s got a lot of experience playing Kirby Smart’s defense. The last two years, he led his two units to successful performances, albeit they weren’t quite good enough to get the win.
The really interesting aspect of the discussion is rooted in having successful drives. The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets only had two three-and-outs against Georgia.
The 2024 matchup is the one to look at in depth. The Yellow Jackets tallied 563 yards, albeit in an eight overtime 44-42 loss. Within that total, they threw for 303 yards at 8.2 yards per attempt, and another 260 yards on the ground at 5.5 yards per carry. That performance was mainly quarterback Haynes King, who was an elite rushing quarterback, with all 303 through the air and another 11o on the ground. Current Florida wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. led the team in receiving with 86 yards and a touchdown.
The key link within that performance was the ability to control the football. They held the ball for 37:11 in regulation. Their only drives less than six plays resulted in a fumble, and they had touchdown drives that lasted 11 and 18 plays. Is this something that the Gators can do with this team? I think so, mainlye because they did exactly that against Texas.
They held the ball for 38:11 against the Longhorns, including 8-19 on third down, including 8-13 in the second half, and 2-2 on fourth down. They had long drives of nine, 10, 14, and 15 plays. It’s definitely something they can repeat, and it’s not quarterback-dependent on either Aaron Philo or Tramell Jones Jr.
It could be the key to a Gators win on Saturday, especially with running back Jadan Baugh and also the likely return of wide receiver Vernell Brown III.
