Georgia vs Florida: Who has the edge?

If go by the Georgia record books, it will play Florida for the 101st time on Saturday. Florida says its the 100th meeting since they don’t count at Bulldog victory back in 1904. That’s because the Gators claim that it wasn’t the University of Florida that Georgia beat that day. It was a predecessor institution.

Either way, these teams have history. For the past 20 years or so this game has often determined which team will represent the SEC East in the league title game. Georgia is favored by a historic margin. It opened as a 23.5-point favorite according to VegasInsider.com. That line has moved to 22.5 points as of Thursday.

But games aren’t played on paper and Florida might be able to do some things to make this game a four-quarter throw down. Below, we look at how the offenses measure up to the defenses and discuss the special teams battle to determine who has the edge.

When Georgia runs it…

The Bulldogs have quietly developed one of the SEC’s most effective rushing attacks. They are averaging 5.6 yards per carry, good for No. 3 in the league. Kenny McIntosh, Daijun Edwards, and Branson Robinson have gotten things rolling of late and Kendall Milton is set to return from a groin injury, putting Georgia at full strength in the backfield. The offensive line has also continued to jell.

Despite the size it brings to the table on the interior defensive line, Florida has struggled against the run. It is near the bottom of the conference in yards surrendered per carry at 4.47. The Gators have been a tad better of late, holding teams to under 200 yards in the past three games. They held teams under four yards per carry in two of those games. But Florida has also allowed teams to gain 150 or more rushing yards in five straight. Edge: Georgia

When Florida runs it…

The Florida rushing attack has been much more potent than the run defense. The Gators lead the SEC in average yards per carry. It’s worth noting that the Eastern Washington game skews those numbers a bit. Florida averaged almost 10 yards per carry in that game. Still, it’s a versatile, deep rushing attack that is aided by a surprisingly good offensive line.

Georgia hasn’t exactly played run-game juggernauts in 2022 but it has handled business. The Bulldogs rank third in the SEC in yards surrendered per carry. When you take a closer look at the numbers, you’ll notice that the fourth quarter is where the Bulldogs have been hit hardest by the run game. The Bulldogs have engineered quite a few blowouts and with the reserves playing significant portions of the fourth quarter, teams have been able to put up some numbers. Still, this is the closest call of the six. Edge: Georgia

When Georgia throws it…

The Georgia run game is good but this team has been pass-first in Stetson Bennett‘s final season. The Bulldogs are also really good at it. Bennett is averaging right at nine yards per attempt and he ranks third in the SEC at over 290 passing yards per game. The Bulldogs have also thrown it really well on third down.

The Florida pass defense has struggled this season. The Gators rank 12th in the league in average yards surrendered per attempt at eight. They have also given up over 200 yards passing in six of seven games this season. LSU hit Florida for 349 passing yards and three scores its last time out. Edge: Georgia

When Florida throws it…

The Gator passing attack is a bit of an enigma. They can hit chunk plays, evidenced by 8.3 yards per attempt but it’s a wildly inconsistent aspect of the offense. The touchdown to interception ratio is one to one and that’s bad. The completion percentage is 56.5 and that’s good for 13th in the league.

Again, Georgia hasn’t played a tremendous passing football team to this point but it’s doing what it is supposed to do against those offenses. The Bulldogs are No. 1 in the SEC yards surrendered per game and yards surrendered per attempt. They’ve held teams to 54.5 percent passing while allowing just four touchdowns compared to six interceptions. Edge: Georgia

Special Teams…

Florida’s kicking game hasn’t been great. It has hit just five of nine field goal attempts on the year. Georgia has made 15 of 17. The Gators do have the best punting game in the SEC while Georgia sits in the middle of the pack. Both teams are doing a good job of covering kicks and punts. They’re also comparable when you look at kickoff and punt return units. This one is pretty tight but Georgia is the more reliable team when it comes to getting points. Edge: Georgia

Georgia vs. Florida overall…

Georgia has the edge in every single category so there isn’t much to say here. The Bulldogs are healthier than they have been in awhile and they are in year seven under Kirby Smart with a ton of success to build on. Florida is in year one of a coach, Billy Napier, who has the potential to take things to another level. Georgia is just further along and better. Edge: Georgia