Jadan Baugh enters Florida’s matchup with Georgia coming off one of his best chances to reset the narrative. After a rough stretch against Missouri and South Carolina, the Gators running back showed signs of life against Texas, finishing with 19 more rushing yards than he managed in those two games combined.
That matters now more than ever. Through the first four games of the season, Baugh looked like he might force his way into the Heisman conversation, going over 100 rushing yards in each contest.
Then Missouri slowed him to 13 yards on 12 carries in Florida’s 45-17 loss, and South Carolina held him to 59 in the Gators’ 38-19 home defeat. Fresh off the Texas game, the Atlanta native should be as rested as he’ll be all week when Florida faces the No. 3-ranked Bulldogs.
The challenge in front of him is clear. Georgia has allowed the nation’s ninth-fewest rushing yards this season, giving up just 640.
In SEC play, nobody has been stingier on the ground. LSU’s 2.7 yards per attempt allowed is the only mark that sits even slightly better than Georgia’s 2.8.
The Bulldogs have also kept opposing offenses from leaning on the run game. Teams have only run the ball 225 times against Georgia, second fewest in the conference behind Florida’s 223. So while the Gators technically have a slight edge there, the bigger point is that both teams have been hard to test on the ground.
Georgia’s defense is not just holding its own statistically - it has been punishing. The Bulldogs come in after a rare loss in which they allowed 192 rushing yards.
Even so, that number stands well above what they gave up against other top and strong opponents: 161 against then-ranked No. 6 Alabama, 85 against Vanderbilt, and only 82 combined against Oklahoma and Arkansas.
That leaves Florida with a simple but difficult task. If the Gators can’t get Baugh rolling, the strain on their starting quarterback situation only grows. Georgia’s front has made life miserable for opposing offenses all season, and Florida will need Baugh to be much closer to the player he was early in the year if it wants to leave with a defining win.
In Other News...
Florida Still Has A Guard Question Heading Into Miami
Boogie Flands absence for Floridas exhibition against Stetson gave the Gators an early look at how the backcourt might have to adapt if the starting point guard is unavailable. Denzel Aberdeen slid over to point guard, Urban Klavar moved into the starting lineup at shooting guard, and Florida still handled business in an 85-68 win, with Klavar and Aberdeen carrying much of the scoring load.
Even with the result in hand, the setup left the bigger question hanging as the Gators shift their attention to the regular-season opener against Miami. Todd Golden praised the way his team performed, but the illness that sidelined Fland added another layer to Floridas guard rotation picture, and the staff now has a short window to sort out how it wants the backcourt arranged when the games start counting for real. [Read more 🡒]
Florida-Georgia Just Lost The Rivalry Feeling Fans Loved Most
For the first time in 31 years, the Georgia-Florida game is leaving Jacksonville, with this years meeting set for Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta because of construction at EverBank Stadium. The setup changes more than the location on the schedule. It strips away the strange, enduring charm that made this rivalry weekend feel like its own holiday, from the old tailgating scenes to the beach gatherings that have long defined the trip for fans on both sides.
The move also comes with a 50-50 ticket split between the schools, and the matchup is already mapped out to land in Tampa in 2027 before returning to Jacksonville through 2031. Even with a path back to the river city, the rotation underscores how much is lost when Florida and Georgia are not meeting in the place that gave the rivalry its distinct personality, and it has plenty of fans and former players thinking about what used to make the weekend feel bigger than just another SEC game. [Read more 🡒]
Floridas Best Shot Vs Georgia Comes Down To One Brutal Test
With Florida and Georgia heading into another rivalry meeting at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the spotlight is on a familiar kind of uncertainty for the Gators: quarterback play. ESPN analyst Greg McElroy expects No. 3 Georgia to bounce back from its recent loss, while Florida is still sorting out its own answer under center, with Jon Sumrall yet to name a starter between Aaron Philo and Tramell Jones Jr. It is the kind of week where every practice rep matters and every hint from the coaches gets parsed for more than it probably should.
Georgias quarterback situation adds another layer, even if the Bulldogs appear to be in better shape overall. Kirby Smart said Gunner Stockton dealt with a shoulder stinger after the last game but did not show concussion symptoms, which at least eases one concern for a team trying to steady itself after a loss. For Florida, though, the bigger issue is simpler and more pressing: finding the quarterback who can handle the moment in a game where one rough stretch can quickly tilt the whole afternoon. [Read more 🡒]