Florida/Georgia Q & A - What I told our UGA Site
Considering Florida's schedule, how would you describe the season?
The three top teams Florida played, Miami, Texas A&M, and Tennessee they lost. They beat the worst teams they played: Kentucky, Samford, Mississippi State, and Central Florida. For most Florida fans, the season has been underwhelming to this point, with the four most formidable opponents remaining, Georgia, Texas, LSU, and Ole Miss, with no bye week in sight.
Coach Napier has been well-documented, as has the opinion of many Gator fans based on what you see on social media, message boards, etc. What is your take on that, and how could a win over the Bulldogs affect him, as the schedule remains brutal until the season-ender against FSU?
There is no secret what a win vs. Georgia would do for Billy Napier and his career at Florida. Most people believe he needs to find a way to get to seven wins in the season to return as head coach in 2025.
Talk about DJ Lagway's skill set, what he's bringing to the program, and the development he's made as a true freshman.
He is incredibly gifted, both physically and mentally. What surprises people is how fast he is for a guy around 6-foot-3, 240 pounds. He has unbelievable arm talent but lacks significant experience. He will make the "wow" throws vs. Georgia, on one hand, and then, on the other, might throw one right into a linebacker's chest. His lack of experience vs. one of the top defensive-minded head coaches around will sometimes show on Saturday, but make no mistake about his skill set and leadership abilities.
How would you assess recruiting regarding next year's What needs to change?
Things are on pause for the Gator Nation until they have some certainty with the coaching staff moving forward.
Well, let's break Saturday's game down. What do you predict to happen?
On paper, heading into the season, I felt Georgia would be around 18-point favorites, but this is not the Georgia of old, not even close. They are still better than 99.9% of the teams they play, which is a credit to how good they have been. Losing to Alabama at first was no surprise, but then, Vandy beat Bama and, later, Tennessee.
Georgia scores 13 vs Kentucky and wins by one? Later, the Bulldogs allowed a putrid Mississippi State team to score 31 in Athens. I think Georgia has suffered from significant injuries, and losing so many top-flight players on that side of the ball to the NFL draft has caught up to them.
I thought Florida was in real jeopardy of losing to Kentucky at home, and the Gators came out and dominated the Wildcats for four quarters in The Swamp. Georgia is not Kentucky, and I believe Coach Smart will be able to remove some aspects from what the Gators will want to try and establish on Saturday, namely running the ball and forcing the game squarely on the shoulders of the talented Freshman signal caller.
He is talented enough to cause trouble for defenses at times. Still, it could be a long day for the Florida run game, making them one-dimensional and in predictable situations for the Georgia defense to dictate what they want to do. The real question in my mind and the minds of many Gator fans is which Georgia team shows up on Saturday?
Georgia 37
Florida 20
Considering Florida's schedule, how would you describe the season?
The three top teams Florida played, Miami, Texas A&M, and Tennessee they lost. They beat the worst teams they played: Kentucky, Samford, Mississippi State, and Central Florida. For most Florida fans, the season has been underwhelming to this point, with the four most formidable opponents remaining, Georgia, Texas, LSU, and Ole Miss, with no bye week in sight.
Coach Napier has been well-documented, as has the opinion of many Gator fans based on what you see on social media, message boards, etc. What is your take on that, and how could a win over the Bulldogs affect him, as the schedule remains brutal until the season-ender against FSU?
There is no secret what a win vs. Georgia would do for Billy Napier and his career at Florida. Most people believe he needs to find a way to get to seven wins in the season to return as head coach in 2025.
Talk about DJ Lagway's skill set, what he's bringing to the program, and the development he's made as a true freshman.
He is incredibly gifted, both physically and mentally. What surprises people is how fast he is for a guy around 6-foot-3, 240 pounds. He has unbelievable arm talent but lacks significant experience. He will make the "wow" throws vs. Georgia, on one hand, and then, on the other, might throw one right into a linebacker's chest. His lack of experience vs. one of the top defensive-minded head coaches around will sometimes show on Saturday, but make no mistake about his skill set and leadership abilities.
How would you assess recruiting regarding next year's What needs to change?
Things are on pause for the Gator Nation until they have some certainty with the coaching staff moving forward.
Well, let's break Saturday's game down. What do you predict to happen?
On paper, heading into the season, I felt Georgia would be around 18-point favorites, but this is not the Georgia of old, not even close. They are still better than 99.9% of the teams they play, which is a credit to how good they have been. Losing to Alabama at first was no surprise, but then, Vandy beat Bama and, later, Tennessee.
Georgia scores 13 vs Kentucky and wins by one? Later, the Bulldogs allowed a putrid Mississippi State team to score 31 in Athens. I think Georgia has suffered from significant injuries, and losing so many top-flight players on that side of the ball to the NFL draft has caught up to them.
I thought Florida was in real jeopardy of losing to Kentucky at home, and the Gators came out and dominated the Wildcats for four quarters in The Swamp. Georgia is not Kentucky, and I believe Coach Smart will be able to remove some aspects from what the Gators will want to try and establish on Saturday, namely running the ball and forcing the game squarely on the shoulders of the talented Freshman signal caller.
He is talented enough to cause trouble for defenses at times. Still, it could be a long day for the Florida run game, making them one-dimensional and in predictable situations for the Georgia defense to dictate what they want to do. The real question in my mind and the minds of many Gator fans is which Georgia team shows up on Saturday?
Georgia 37
Florida 20
