Kirby Smart reveals what he tells young players entering their first taste of Florida rivalry

For every Georgia football player, there comes a time where they get their first taste of the all-important Florida rivalry. For many Bulldogs, that will come Saturday when they face off against the Gators at a neutral site in Jacksonville.

That includes quarterback Carson Beck, a Jacksonville native who, despite being in his fourth season at Georgia, has not seen game action against Florida. It’s also true for several freshmen and transfers who will play in EverBank Stadium, home of the NFL’s Jaguars, for the first time.

Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart, a Georgia alumnus who himself played in the rivalry many times, revealed his advice to those players on what to expect.

“Welcome to the SEC,” Smart said. “Every game’s gonna be a rivalry game when you get in the SEC. They’re all tough games. This one’s unique because of where it’s played and it’ll be a new experience for some of our guys. But you forget about that after the whistle blows and you kick off and get out there and go play.”

The rivalry between Georgia and Florida has remained fairly even over time. The Bulldogs hold a 54-44-2 all-time advantage in the series and have claimed five of the past six games, including each of the past two seasons.

Georgia enters this year’s game No. 1 in the country and in the midst of a 19-game winning streak. The Bulldogs have won back-to-back national championships with their last loss coming in the 2021 SEC Championship. That in mind, they enter as 14.5-point favorites according to FanDuel.

However, the Bulldogs have looked more vulnerable at times this season with a couple of close calls early in SEC play against South Carolina and Auburn. They also recently saw a major piece of their offense suffer an injury in tight end Brock Bowers and are set to play their first game without him.

Florida, on the other hand, seems to have found a rhythm in winning back-to-back games after suffering its first loss of SEC play to Kentucky in Week 5. The Gators most recently got a win against South Carolina thanks to a big performance from quarterback Graham Mertz, who threw for 423 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.

Both teams are coming off a bye week, so they should be equally well-rested and make for what should hopefully be an entertaining game. For the new players set to debut in the rivalry for the first time, they’re about to find out just what all the hype is about.

Kickoff between Florida and Georgia is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday in Jacksonville.