Florida linebacker Myles Graham doesn’t need a refresher on what’s been happening in this rivalry. He’s lived through enough of it to know exactly why Saturday matters.
The Gators are coming off a strong defensive showing against Texas, when they limited Arch Manning and the Longhorns to 278 total yards in a 27-24 win. But Graham said Wednesday that Georgia brings a different kind of test altogether, and the numbers back him up.
The No. 3 Bulldogs enter with the SEC’s top scoring offense and rank third in passing at 272.1 yards per game.
“Gunner Stockton, he's a winner,” Graham said on Wednesday. “You gotta respect it.
He's a winner; he's a football player. He's gonna put the team on his back.
He's gonna make the throws that he needs to make, and it's a great challenge that we're excited for.”
Stockton is in his second season as Georgia’s starter and has thrown for 1,570 yards and 16 touchdowns across seven games this year. Last season, he finished with 2,894 passing yards, 24 touchdowns and five interceptions, and he also posted 223 yards and two touchdowns with an interception in Georgia’s 24-20 win over Florida.
That result extended Georgia’s winning streak against the Gators to five straight, and Graham made it clear he wants a different ending this time.
“I haven't won a game versus these guys since I've been here,” Graham admitted. “So I'm ready for the opportunity. I can't wait.”
Florida-Georgia always carries weight, but this year comes with even more riding on it. ESPN views the winner as controlling its College Football Playoff destiny, and Graham said the Gators understand exactly what’s at stake.
“It’s a huge game. It counts for a lot.
It’s a rivalry. It counts in the regular record and the SEC record, so this is a huge game.
We know that it's an opportunity of a lifetime, and we want to be in this position. We're excited for it.
We'll capitalize on it.”
Graham also pointed to the challenge of making sure newer players understand the meaning of the game, especially with so many fresh faces around the program.
“We all have to get those guys that haven't been part of it to understand how monumental this game is. It means everything, and we haven't been on the right side of it. And we have to find a way to climb back out of the hole, so we're excited for it.”
On the other side, running back Jadan Baugh doesn’t need much convincing. Baugh was in the same recruiting class as Graham and grew up about 60 miles west of Athens, near Georgia’s campus. He said the Bulldogs’ interest in him never amounted to much, and Florida gave him the chance he wanted.
“It wasn't too hot (of an interest),” Baugh said this week of Georgia's interest in him as a player. “Like I said, they was looking over me and I didn't too much care.
But Florida gave me a platform. They brought me in with open arms to just go out there and play the best ball I can play.”
The Gators will need that kind of edge when they meet Georgia in Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. EST on ABC.
In Other News...
Floridas Georgia Game Just Got A Lot More Unsettling
The buildup to Floridas game against Georgia has taken a familiar late-October turn, only this one comes with a deeper layer of uncertainty. The Gators top two quarterbacks, Aaron Philio and Tramell Jones Jr., are both listed as questionable because of injuries, even though coach Jon Sumrall said each practiced this week. Jones, in particular, is now dealing with fresh bumps and bruises, which only adds to the unease around a matchup that already carries plenty of weight for Florida.
If neither of them is available, Florida would be pushed down the depth chart and into a much different kind of plan with Aidan Warner or Will Griffin in line for the job. The injury picture extends beyond the quarterback room, too, with several players on both sides showing up on the report before the Oct. 31 game in Atlanta, leaving the Gators to sort through a week of uncertainty at a critical position. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Could Get A Huge Offensive Boost Before Georgia
Florida has a chance to get a key piece of its passing game back at just the right time, with wide receiver Vernell Brown III now listed as probable after missing three games because of a knee injury. Head coach Jon Sumrall and offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner both offered updates on Browns recovery, and the timing matters with Georgia up next and the Gators looking for any offensive lift they can find.
The injury report still has a few names worth monitoring, with quarterbacks Tramell Jones Jr. and Aaron Philo listed as questionable but expected to be available. Florida may also be without receiver Bailey Stockton and linebacker Jaden Robinson, who are both doubtful, but Browns return would give the offense a far more dynamic option as the Gators prepare for one of their biggest games of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Could Make Georgia Sweat In Rivalry Game For One Reason
Georgia rarely walks into Jacksonville with much reason to worry about Florida, but this years rivalry game carries a little more intrigue because the Gators may be able to make the Bulldogs uncomfortable in the one spot where game plans can get scrambled fast. The Week 9 preview around college football flagged Florida as a team worth watching against Georgia, with the focus landing on the uncertainty under center and what that could mean for how the Gators approach one of the SECs biggest stages.
For Florida, the question is less about matching Georgia blow for blow and more about whether the quarterback situation gives the Gators enough stability to test a rival that is still chasing its own goals in the College Football Playoff picture. The Bulldogs are one of several ranked powers under scrutiny this week, and with the first playoff rankings approaching, even a game that usually feels familiar could carry more weight than usual if Florida can turn that uncertainty into something a little more stressful for Georgia. [Read more 🡒]