FLORIDA FOOTBALL & RECRUITING COVERAGE |
- UGA Post Game Press Conference
- Florida vs No. 1 Georgia Game Thread (All Game Talk in Here)
- Florida renews interest in defensive tackle
- Florida four-star pledge sees negativity, but still locked in
- Five-star talks top five
- Committed corner has two November visits to Florida coming up
- Anonymous Player In-Season Q&A Part I
- Coach's Corner: Q&A with former UF assistant Red Anderson
- Florida's Terrific 10 Targets
- One-on-One with Steve Spurrier (Audio added)
- Where are they Now: Shane Matthews talks Florida Football
Unranked Florida came undone in the last two minutes of the first half and went on to lose 34-7 to No. 1 Georgia. Inside the Gators takes a quick look at the Gators' third loss to the Bulldogs in the last four years.
Here’s the Instant Analysis.
IT WAS OVER WHEN: Linebacker Nakobe Dean jumped a hitch route, picked off quarterback Anthony Richardson and took it to the house to give Georgia a 24-0 lead in the first half. Honestly, one could say it was the interception by Florida that gave the Gators the ball on the two yard-line leading to that series of unfortunate events that was actually the beginning of the end. But it was that pick-six that created a hole Florida not only didn’t dig out of, but was actually buried in. By a gang of Georgia tacklers.
THEY STOLE THE SHOW: If you’re looking for a bright spot from a Gators’ perspective? Rashad Torrence II. The young safety tied with Trey Dean in total and solo tackles with eight and five, respectively. Not only that but he had a fumble recovery and two interceptions on the day. These last few weeks he’s steadily turned into a great safety for the Gators. Too bad this great individual performance, like the previous ones, was overshadowed by a woeful showing from the team.
THESE STATS DON’T LIE: The first one? Red zone scoring. Georgia finished the game three-for-four inside the 20 for 13 points while the Gators got in the red zone just two times before scoring a touchdown on its third attempt with 2:49 left in the entire game. The second stat? The field position on the turnovers Florida forced were it's own two, Georgia’s 49 and its own 11. For Georgia? Florida’s 11, 36 plus its endzone on a pick-six.
THIS MATCH-UP PROVED KEY: Anthony Richardson vs. the Georgia linebackers. Nolan Smith, Quay Walker, and Nakobe Dean are three outstanding linebackers. Not only did Smith and Dean contribute with all three of Georgia’s takeaways but Walker led the way with seven solo tackles and 13 total plus a half a tackle for loss and two QB hurries. They did well in coverage to bait Richardson and obviously were stout in containing a QB who is dangerous with his legs.
WHAT A PLAY: Kearis Jackson hauling in a 36-yard bomb from Stetson Bennett after the Bulldogs intercepted Anthony Richardson on a tipped pass. He caught it in the back corner of the endzone over his shoulder in what led to a 17-0 lead for the Bulldogs with 1:35 left in the first half. Either that or Nakobe Dean jumping a hitch route out wide because you don’t often see those. There’s not much in terms of plays you could pick from for Florida.
UP NEXT: The Gators now get ready for their upcoming night matchup on the road against the South Carolina Gamecocks in Columbia, South Carolina. They’ll look to improve on what is now a .500 record at 4-4 and a two-games-below-.500 one at 2-4 in the Southeastern Conference.