Photo credit: Tim Casey/Florida athletics
The SEC East division title may very well be on the line on Saturday afternoon in Jacksonville as eighth-ranked Florida will take on No. 5 Georgia.
The winner of the annual rivalry contest has reached the SEC Championship in each of the past five years. Georgia comes in having won the last three.
The Bulldogs currently lead the SEC in total and scoring defense, but against a high-powered offense in Alabama, it did struggle. Nakobe Dean and Monty Rice make for an outstanding duo of linebackers. Azeez Ojulari leads Georgia with an SEC-high 4.5 sacks this season. Senior Richard LeCounte is tied for the SEC lead with three interceptions.
Florida quarterback Kyle Trask ranks second in the SEC in passer rating and is surrounded by talent. Kyle Pitts leads the Gators with 355 yards receiving and is tops in the country among tight ends with seven touchdown grabs. Wide receiver Kadarius Toney is a Swiss Army knife for Florida and has a team-high 380 yards from scrimmage and seven total touchdowns.
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Defensively, Florida yields a lot of yards, but just played its best game of the season. In last week’s 41-17 win over Missouri, the Gators held the Tigers to just 248 yards. Linebacker Ventrell Miller leads the team with 34 tackles. The Gators have the second-fewest takeaways in the SEC with just five.
Offensively, Georgia played its worst game of the season last week in a 14-3 victory over Kentucky. Stetson Bennett manages the game at quarterback, but Zamir White, Kendall Milton and James Cook make for a talented trio in the backfield. Kearis Jackson and George Pickens are also very good out wide.
Florida comes in with a record of 3-1 while the Bulldogs are 4-1. The Gators had two weeks off due to positive COVID-19 tests prior to last week’s win over Missouri.
Georgia won last season’s match-up 24-17 behind 279 yards passing and two touchdowns from Jake Fromm. The Bulldogs held Florida to just 21 yards rushing on 19 carries. Saturday’s contest begins at 3:30 p.m. ET and airs on CBS.
Prediction: Georgia 27, Florida 24
Other Games Across the State
College Football
No. 11 Miami (5-1) at NC State (4-2)
Friday, Nov. 6 at 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Despite a lackluster performance from the offense, Miami has bounced back with consecutive wins since falling to Clemson. NC State is 2-0 and averaging 38 points per game at Carter-Finley Stadium this season.
Prediction: Miami 30, NC State 25
South Florida (1-5) at Memphis (3-2)
Saturday, Nov. 7 at 12 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
Since beating The Citadel in the season opener, South Florida has dropped five straight games and by an average margin of nearly 25 points per game. The Bulls are the only American Athletic Conference without a conference win. In victories this season, Memphis is averaging almost 43 points.
Prediction: Memphis 48, South Florida 21
Pittsburgh (3-4) at Florida State (2-4)
Saturday, Nov. 7 at 4 p.m. ET (ACC Network)
Pittsburgh and Florida State are both coming off bye weeks after blowout losses as the teams meet in Tallahassee for the first time since 1982. The Panthers are likely to be without starting quarterback Kenny Pickett on Saturday. The Seminoles will look to make it two straight home victories.
Prediction: Florida State 24, Pittsburgh 22
Western Kentucky (2-5) at Florida Atlantic (2-1)
Saturday, Nov. 7 at 6 p.m. ET (Stadium)
Florida Atlantic head coach Willie Taggart will take on his Alma mater on Saturday as the Owls host Western Kentucky. FAU ranks in the top 10 nationally in scoring defense. The contest features the two lowest-scoring teams in Conference USA. Western Kentucky has allowed at least 30 points in every loss this season.
Prediction: Florida Atlantic 27, Western Kentucky 13
NFL
Houston Texans (1-6) at Jacksonville Jaguars (1-6)
Sunday, Nov. 8 at 1 p.m. ET (CBS)
The Houston Texans’ only win this season came against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Texans will go for the season sweep on Sunday. Only the New York Jets currently own a longer losing streak than Jacksonville.
Prediction: Houston 28, Jacksonville 26
Miami Dolphins (4-3) at Arizona Cardinals (5-2)
Sunday, Nov. 8 at 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS)
The Miami Dolphins have won three straight as Tua Tagovailoa makes his first career road start. Miami is yielding the fewest points per game in the NFL. The Arizona Cardinals lead the NFL in yards per game.
Prediction: Arizona 26, Miami 22
New Orleans Saints (5-2) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-2)
Sunday, Nov. 8 at 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC)
Since losing the season opener at New Orleans, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have won six of seven games. The New Orleans Saints will visit Raymond James Stadium on Sunday night in a fight for first place in the NFC South. New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees is questionable to play in the contest.
Prediction: Tampa Bay 27, New Orleans 24
Mike Ferguson is the managing editor for Fifth Quarter. Be sure to follow Mike on Twitter at @MikeWFerguson. Follow all of Mike’s work by liking his Facebook page.