JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — If you are in search of some profound take from the clicking field following the newest version of Florida-Georgia, sorry, wouldn’t have a lot for you rather than the most obvious: You can’t trick these Dawgs.
That’s it. That’s the new lava. Well, that and No. 1 Georgia making in all probability its greatest remark of the season in a 43-20 win over its greatest rival. The effort used to be aided via Florida, thoughts you, however let’s no longer stray too a ways from the purpose.
You can’t outscheme ability. Various groups in this competition have attempted, however so long as Georgia’s protection has its thumb at the scales, there are going to be extra of these effects. Saturday marked the newest conquest, the Bulldogs’ twenty fifth consecutive win. In SEC historical past, best Alabama has ever gained that many in a row.
“‘Bama bodies,” stated one NFL scout who witnessed the carnage inflicted via Georgia’s D, “from about seven or eight years ago.”
That used to be a roundabout praise to what Georgia is and what Alabama used to be. Maybe the ones two will hash it out once more in December. For now, the Dawgs hammered house the purpose in hammering the Gators for the 6th time in the remaining seven years …
You gotta guy up towards Georgia.
OK, so the Dawgs had been more than likely going to win this sport although Gators trainer Billy Napier had no longer known as two ill-advised machine performs that failed early in the primary. In the method, Florida additionally equipped a lesson plan for the way no longer to assault Georgia.
“That’s just what teams do against us,” Georgia defensive lineman Zion Logue stated. “They don’t really run at us, they try to run around us. … They try to get us tired, but they don’t really know we run a lot during the week.”
Which lets in the Dawgs to run down the opposition on Saturdays.
The end result used to be turning Gators quarterback Graham Mertz — coming off his career-best sport (423 yards passing at South Carolina) — right into a king of test downs. There used to be additionally a punt block for a security and strip sack that, extremely, resulted in Georgia’s protection getting better its first fumble of the season.
It all contributed to a 36-0 run after Florida scored on its first ownership. Georgia trainer Kirby Smart continues to possess the competition. Those six wins had been via a mean of 23.5 issues.
The end result reverberated all of the means from right here on the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party to the College Football Playoff Selection Committee assembly room in Irving, Texas. That’s the place the primary CFP Rankings will emanate from Tuesday.
On Saturday, Georgia made a remark: The Dawgs should be No. 1 in that first ballot.
Not that it essentially issues this early in the method, however do not omit the primary factor being the primary factor — a run at an ancient 0.33 consecutive nationwide championship.
“I don’t address it,” Smart stated. “I think they hear it because they’re on their phones 24/7. It bothers me that they may hear that or they may feel anxiety or feel pressure. … At the end of the day, the quickest way to lose [a game] is to think about that. … When you think about attacking somebody and coming after them every play with the mindset of, ”Friday the 13th,’ they can’t kill Jason. He keeps coming back, man.’ You’ve got to keep going that way.”Â
We can start to speak about extra severely the idea that of a three-peat now that the 2023 season is 9 weeks previous. The end result deflected from the most important query getting into the sport. No Brock Bowers? No drawback for Georgia. Missing his All-American big name tight finish, all QB Carson Beck did used to be unfold the ball round to 8 receivers. What’s left of a protection that has had 19 draftees the remaining 3 years — 8 in the primary spherical — did the remainder. Â
“I think the total effect is, kids believe,” Smart added. “There is a culture in our building. We don’t get [many] penalties, we don’t beat ourselves, and we have a quarterback who gives us an opportunity. And we’ve got defensive players who play really hard. It’s a recipe for you to have success.”
Eventually, all dynasties will have to peter out. This one is not even shut. Saturday used to be evidence of idea with the Dawgs rounding into form. This wasn’t suffering with South Carolina (24-13) or rallying at Auburn (27-20), this used to be using the bye week to reveal certainly one of Georgia’s fiercest opponents.
Gators far and wide will feel sorry about how Saturday crumbled so temporarily. On Florida’s 2nd ownership, Florida had the ball close to midfield main 7-3. On third-and-9, there used to be a cool flea flicker play known as that resulted Mertz getting sacked and fumbling. (Florida recovered.)
On the Gators’ subsequent ownership, Napier went for it on fourth-and-1 from his personal 34. As the play caller, he idea it used to be a good suggestion to line Mertz up in the shotgun, transfer him beneath middle after which purposefully snap the ball between Mertz’s legs to operating again Trevor Etienne about 4 yards at the back of the QB.
The Georgia protection arrived in the backfield adore it used to be past due to a rave. Etienne used to be stopped for a 3-yard loss, and the Dawgs prolonged their lead 3 performs later as a part of scoring 21 instantly issues in 7:03 of sport time.
“Typically, when you play Billy, he’s very aggressive when it comes to analytics,” Smart stated. “He has a lot of fourth downs he goes for it. You win some, you lose some.”
And some open the floodgate for grievance. That fourth-down gamble harkened again to the notorious Fourth-and-Dumb in 1976. That 12 months, Florida trainer Doug Dickey went for it from his personal 29 main via seven in the second one part. The failed try sparked a 21-0 Georgia run in a 41-27 win.
Was Saturday’s gamble Fourth-and-Dumber?
Like we stated, Georgia used to be more than likely going to win anyway. This used to be extra like a dialog piece. It used to be simple to protect the verdict to move for it. The name? That used to be one thing else. If you are Florida seeking to end up your manhood towards a hated rival, why use play methods?
You know what is ready.
“We wanted to come out and just show people we’re still that Georgia defense,” Logue stated, “the best of the best.”
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