Official game Thread Week 9: NR Florida Gators vs #1 Georgia Bulldogs "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" 10/29/22

[Escambia94]

Overview
Welcome to the 99th incarnation of the heated rivalry between the Florida Gators and the Georgia Bulldogs--the "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party", the "Florida-Georgia Game", or the "War for the Oar". The Gators limp into TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida at 4-3 (1-3 SEC) as 21-point underdogs to the #1 Georgia Bulldogs who are 7-0 (5-0 SEC). Kickoff will be at 3:30 PM ET, and the game will be televised on CBS. In odd-numbered years such as this one the Gators are are the home and the fans will be seated in the west side of the stadium. This will be Billy Napier's first Cocktail Party. Kirby Smart is 53-14 over 7 years. The Gators are 44-53-2 all-time against the Dawgs in a series that goes back to 1915 (if you follow the Florida version of the story). This year's Gators are slightly worse than they were at this point last year.

Keys to the Game
Anthony Richardson has one of the best Expected Point Average (EPA) scores amongst Power 5 QBs, but he has also some of the most variable EPA outputs. Stetson Bennett has been far more consistent. Even when AR has a good day, the defense has been a liability. The Gators will need a rare alignment of good performance from AR and the entire defense in order to pull off this 21-point upset.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1580296103257260032

Season Comparison
These Gators are far outmatched by the Bulldogs.

	UGA	UF
PPG/F	41.7	31.4
PPG/A	9.1	28.1
YD/F, TOT	526.6	430.1
YD/F, Pass	329.9	217.0
YD/F, Rush	196.7	213.0
YD/A, TOT	247.1	429.3
YD/A, Pass	163.7	244.3
YD/A, Rush	83.4	185.0

UGA	UF
Sun Sep 3 vs #11 Oregon W 49-3	Sat Sep 3 vs #7 Utah W 29-26
Sat Sep 10 vs Samford W 33-0	Sat Sep 10 vs #20 UK L 16-25
Sat Sep 17 @ SC W 48-7	Sat Sep 17 vs USF W 31-28
Sat Sep 24 vs Kent St W 39-22	Sat Sep 24 @ #11 UT L 33-38
Sat Oct 1 @ @ MIZ W 26-22	Sun Oct 2 vs EWU W 52-17
Sat Oct 8 vs AUB W 42-10	Sat Oct 8 vs Missouri W 24-17
Sat Oct 15 vs Vandy W 55-0	Sat Oct 15 vs LSU L 35-45

Key Personnel
Both teams have similar personnel with rosters filled with transfer players entering the program after firing previous coaches.

UGA	UF
QB S. Bennett 162-229, 2033 YDS, 7 TD, 1 INT	QB A. Richardson 96-170, 1367 YDS, 6 TD, 7 INT
RB D. Edwards 59 CAR, 334 YDS, 5 TD	RB M. Johnson Jr. 59 CAR, 425 YDS, 7 TD
TE B. Bowers 26 REC, 393 YDS, 2 TD	WR J. Shorter 18 REC, 405 YDS, 2 TD

Prediction
Pain. Last year the Gators were 14-point underdogs and they lost by 27. This year we are 22-point underdogs and we may lose by 30. UGly 52, Florida 10.

 

[DRU2012]

Ouch.
This was "naturally" stop #2 here at GE as we finally turn to a proper focus on this one...
Can't say that I have anything MORE "encouraging" to offer y'all...a lopsided beat-down would seem to be the likely "fair appraisal".
Sigh...
I don't, CAN'T honestly expect anything more than that. A drubbing, and emerging "4-and-4" entering November pretty well DEFINES "mediocrity"--that's what we were anticipating, what "others" expected of us and, let's face it, no more than we expected of ourselves coming INTO the season...SOME would argue that's a large part of the problem right there, in the form of a "self-fulfilling prophecy"!
But I say that without a positive change at Head Coach (which I ALSO say we GOT) it COULD have been, would still BE "a whole lot WORSE".
As noted regarding talent and our ongoing "rebuild", the right things ARE slowly, steadily "changing for the better"!
Of course, the big thing about this pending "bad loss to our Main Rival" in our currently "highest national profile game"--against the Nat'l Champ/CURRENT #1, no less as WELL--isn't likely to help our recruiting status, let's face it!
I'm concerned it's gonna knock us back down a peg or two, frankly--right when we were finally moving back into that "top ten or better"!
DAMN! finally making positive practical headway and now THIS!
Hate to say it, but if there were EVER a time for AR to "rise above", this would be THE TIME!!!
The whole TEAM needs to "get us a leg UP!", right here, RIGHT NOW.
So some kind of "decent, respectable showing", whatever THAT amounts to, would go a long way in the long run here, as it turns out...
I'm not talking about "moral victories" (I never DO): But showing a fighting sense of pride for at least the better portion of a crucial game--do we at least have THAT within ourselves at this point?

 

[Escambia94]

The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party is one of the 40 oldest or most-contested rivalries in America. Georgia leads 53–44–2 in a series that dates back to 1915 according to Florida, or 1904 according to Georgia. Florida did not have an official football program until 1906. The alleged game between Georgia and the precursor to UF was the only victory for the Bulldogs that year. Marvin O. Bridges, head coach of the Blue and White football team for the University of Florida at Lake City did field a varsity team that was usually outscored by established football teams such as Georgia and Georgia Tech. The first coaches in the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, as it came to be known in the 1950s, were C. J. McCoy and W. A. Cunningham. Before 1930, Florida-Georgia contests rotated around Jacksonville (3 times), Savannah (2 times), and Tampa (1 time), along with several Georgia home games in Athens.

Florida Field opened in 1930, and the rivals played in Gainesville for the first time in 1931, followed the next season by a return to Athens. From 1933 onward, the game has been played in Jacksonville except for a home and home set in 1994 and 1995 when the old Gator Bowl stadium was being rebuilt for the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL. Georgia is 1-1 against Florida at Florida Field with its win in 1931. Florida is 1-3 against Georgia in Athens, with its sole victory being in 1995. Florida has won 41 games in Jacksonville, and Georgia has won 47. The Gators have won 22 games while ranked, and Georgia has won 24. Georgia is 13-11 when both teams are ranked.

Year	Rivalry​	Nickname​	Number of Games​
1884​	Lafayette vs Lehigh​	The Rivalry​	157​
1873​	Yale vs Princeton​	Princeton–Yale football rivalry​	143​
1875​	Yale vs Harvard​	The Game​	137​
1891​	Wisconsin vs Minnesota​	Minnesota–Wisconsin football rivalry​	131​
1892​	Georgia vs Auburn​	Deep South's Oldest Rivalry​	127​
1888​	Miami (OH) vs Cincinnati​	Victory Bell​	126​
1892​	North Carolina vs Virginia​	South's Oldest Rivalry​	126​
1894​	Oregon vs Oregon State​	Oregon–Oregon State football rivalry​	125​
1882​	Harvard vs Dartmouth​	Dartmouth–Harvard football rivalry​	124​
1892​	Cal vs Stanford​	Big Game​	124​
1890​	Army vs Navy​	Army–Navy Game​	122​
1891​	Indiana vs. Purdue​	Old Oaken Bucket​	122​
1891​	Missouri vs Kansas​	Border War​	120​
1902​	Kansas vs. Kansas State​	Kansas–Kansas State football rivalry​	119​
1894​	Texas vs Texas A&M​	Texas–Texas A&M football rivalry​	118​
1901​	Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State​	Egg Bowl​	118​
1889​	South Dakota State vs South Dakota​	South Dakota–South Dakota State football rivalry​	117​
1892​	Kansas vs Nebraska​	Kansas–Nebraska football rivalry​	117​
1892​	Tennessee vs Vanderbilt​	Tennessee–Vanderbilt football rivalry​	116​
1904​	Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State​	Bedlam Series​	116​
1891​	Minnesota vs Iowa​	Iowa–Minnesota football rivalry​	115​
1893​	Georgia vs. Georgia Tech​	Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate​	115​
1877​	Princeton vs Harvard​	Harvard–Princeton football rivalry​	114​
1898​	Michigan vs. Michigan State​	Michigan–Michigan State football rivalry​	114​
1900​	Washington vs. Washington State​	Apple Cup​	113​
1876​	Princeton vs Penn​	Penn–Princeton football rivalry​	112​
1896​	Clemson vs. South Carolina​	Palmetto Bowl​	111​
1888​	North Carolina vs Wake Forest​	North Carolina–Wake Forest rivalry​	109​
1889​	Cornell vs Columbia​	Empire State Bowl​	108​
1895​	Virginia vs Virginia Tech​	Virginia–Virginia Tech football rivalry​	103​
1896​	BYU vs. Utah​	Holy War​	101​
1905​	Stanford vs USC​	Stanford–USC football rivalry​	101​
1915​	Florida vs. Georgia​	World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party​	100​
1899​	Arizona vs Arizona State​	Duel in the Desert​	95​
1893​	Colorado vs. Colorado State​	Rocky Mountain Showdown​	91​
1929​	USC vs UCLA​	UCLA–USC rivalry​	89​
1896​	Notre Dame vs Purdue​	Notre Dame–Purdue football rivalry​	87​
1893​	Alabama vs. Auburn​	Iron Bowl​	86​
1894​	Iowa vs Iowa State​	Iowa–Iowa State football rivalry​	69​
1951​	Florida State vs. Miami​	Florida State–Miami football rivalry​	66​
1958​	Florida vs. Florida State​	Sunshine Showdown (Makala Trophy)​	65​

 

[DRU2012]

Always worth reviewing the history and IMPORTANCE of this one--even IF our chances of a worthy showing THIS year seem limited at best. A lot of eyes on us. Both on-site AND nationally--and, I fear, its impact on recruiting this time may be unavoidably crucial.
I can wish it were otherwise, but a decent, spirited showing team-wide and game-long would be the most worthy and helpful response.

 

[Escambia94]

The Gators currently have the most efficient rushing attack in the nation at 6.36 yards per rush! The Gator season record is 5.8 yards per rush in 2008.

Efficiency Rank	Overall Rank	School	Games	Total Attempts	Total Yards	Yards Per Rush	Rushing TD	Yards Per Game
1	16​	Florida​	7​	234​	1488​	6.36​	20​	212.60​
2	5​	Oregon​	7​	279​	1712​	6.14​	20​	244.60​
3	2​	Army West Point​	7​	389​	2342​	6.02​	25​	334.60​
4	17​	Alabama​	8​	280​	1686​	6.02​	17​	210.80​
5	12​	TCU​	7​	273​	1590​	5.82​	22​	227.10​
6	7​	UAB​	7​	293​	1696​	5.79​	18​	242.30​
7	8​	Michigan​	7​	293​	1692​	5.77​	24​	241.70​
8	11​	Kansas St.​	7​	286​	1625​	5.68​	17​	232.10​
9	1​	Air Force​	8​	475​	2694​	5.67​	25​	336.80​
10	22​	Florida St.​	7​	254​	1431​	5.63​	15​	204.40​
11	29​	Georgia​	7​	246​	1377​	5.6​	24​	196.70​
12	19​	UCLA​	7​	260​	1453​	5.59​	16​	207.60​
13	21​	Ohio St.​	7​	258​	1434​	5.56​	17​	204.90​
14	38​	Kansas​	8​	274​	1512​	5.52​	20​	189.00​
15	3​	Ole Miss​	8​	367​	2017​	5.5​	26​	252.10​

 

[DRU2012]

So our performance tomorrow depends upon the application of our running game?
Perhaps. But then again, our QB ALSO has a cannon arm, and on his "good days" can dazzle there as well (though admittedly "good PASSING days" haven't yet been NEAR as frequent as his and the team's dominant running performances).
Still, it doesn't take Nostradamus to foresee a shocking outcome somehow emerging from a game where AR is able to go in and turn the whole "expert analysis" and "supporting numbers" UPSIDE DOWN!
It isn't "likely", by any means, and I sure as HELL am not predicting it...BUT:
Count me in with the rest of a by now JOY-STARVED Gator Nation who would at this point mainly settle for wins here and against the Noles in order to at least find a certain hope and PEACE at the end of this otherwise somewhat "LOST" 2022-season.

 

[DRU2012]

One more thing:
This is a strange situation for these particular Gators. Whatever you make of their dubious lack of actual accomplishment, whatever THEY make of their OWN record of falling short, change is coming: "change" of the WHOLESALE variety.
And now here's the game that ALWAYS "matters".
We all KNOW that this is "an OPPORTUNITY", a chance for them to redeem themselves, to rise above their own naked UNDERachievement.
Such chances don't come very often.
That goes double, TRIPLE for Anthony Richardson--but HE has somehow GOT to NOT get caught up in all that: He must somehow relax, get out of his own way...Let his own great underlying talent and SKILL rise above all the talk, all his own EXPECTATIONS.
This whole TEAM has got to think less, for one crowning day return somehow to simply PLAYING--playing for the sheer fun and self-satisfying "here and now".
...BE HERE NOW...NOW BE HERE..."
"...BE HERE NOW BE HERE..."
If Billy can somehow communicate THAT, frame the mood and motivation of his team in just those terms and lead them into Jacksonville in just that fresh and clear state-of-MIND, a shocker can be created and presented there this Saturday afternnon.
Easier said than DONE. Or so it would seem.
Then again, maybe NOT.
For all the hype, after all that fishbowl scrutiny that greeted his long-overdue installment as "Gator QB-1" to begin the season, at THIS point Amthony Richarson is flying UNDER the radar.
In this morning's quarterback discussion on the SEC Network, where they actually RANKED these SEC quarterbacks, AR wasn't even INCLUDED, on ANY of the commentators' lists to BEGIN the discussion.
On COCKTAIL PARTY Saturday!
So here's your chance, guys.
Carpe diem.
Seize the day.
Be here now.

 

[DRU2012]

Blew the INT.
No way we win WITHOUT grabbing those.
3rd down STOP, though--finally.

 

[Escambia94]

Torrance lets an interception bounce off his hands. That might be the last mistake Georgia makes today.

 

[DRU2012]

AR hit late outta bounds...limping badly now.
There goes ANY chance we had.
I will be mostly in the background today, I think...

 

[DRU2012]

Torrance lets an interception bounce off his hands. That might be the last mistake Georgia makes today.

Afraid you are right about that non-INT, E--.

 

[DRU2012]

Sigh--meanwhile, WE are on our way back to inevitable irrelevancy. Here comes the beginning of the end...Here is our fat-pore D.

 

[DRU2012]

Screw this.
Sorry--whatever "chance" we might have had, it is "ZERO" with ME watching.
That said, I may or may NOT be back. This SEASON.

 

[DRU2012]

Now, on top of everything else, we gotta hear how great Tennessee is doing???
This "rebuild" is gonna take Billy YEARS.
Y'all think this floundering administration and dumb-ass fan-base (I count MYSELF a longtime MEMBER) will give him that time?
I apologize: I am so disillusioned.
I really WILL shut up now.

 

[DRU2012]

(Just PAINFUL...)

 

[DRU2012]

This is a worse showing than even I expected.
This Florida D has already surrendered.
Did I say "dissilusioned"?
"DISGUSTED" is more like it.
Farewell, my friends.

 

[Escambia94]

I would be lying if I said that it could be worse.

 

[DRU2012]

Am not even WATCHING the Game anymore.
Just wanted to say that with this (NON)performance, and in light of ANOTHER 5-Star WHIFF in recruiting, on further evaluation I am no.longer convinced that we will make any kind of REAL "progress" under Billy's oversight after all:
BILLY is too NICE...certainly too honest. We've SEEN how it's gonna work
It is no coincidence that Urban Meyer was the last guy to have real success here, that now the MIAMI programs grab today's "top prospects".
The most a team and program can hope to do , more and more from here on, is to sell your collective soul and future down the river in return for more immediate success: EVERYONE, Coaches and players "cash it in NOW" with that SHORT TERM SUCCESS and then GET OUTTA DODGE, ASAP.
"DOING THINGS THE RIGHT WAY" just takes too long, if it works at all--you are shown the door LONG before the benefits are finally reaped, if they ever ARE.
I don't know if I truly believe my own conclusions here--I DO know that I don't WANT to...
That if this IS the way of things from now on, then this is the long, sad sunset of all I loved in College Football--Gator Ball in particular.
I hope I am wrong. Boy, do I hope I am wrong, wrong, WRONG.

 

[Escambia94]

The Florida Gators can rest easy knowing they still have the record for most consecutive games scoring at 424 games. Walk-on kicker gets the Gators on the board with a 52-yard field goal.

 

[DRU2012]

I am in need of HOPE.
Am switching over to (the aptly named in its latest form) original Star Wars movie ("Episode 4"--y'all know its name)...must. stop. the. blood. the. pain...