Georgia is heading into Saturday’s SEC showdown with Florida knowing exactly where the danger is coming from.
The No. 3 Bulldogs and No.
17 Gators meet in Atlanta at 3:30, and Florida’s offense has been built around running back Jadan Baugh. The Gators would put themselves in a strong position for the College Football Playoffs with a win, while also grabbing a key tiebreaker over Georgia in conference play.
Baugh has been one of the biggest offensive forces in the matchup, and the numbers back it up. He already has 763 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2026, and he grew up about 10 miles east of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the site of Saturday’s game.
Kirby Smart made it clear this week that Georgia has spent plenty of time studying Baugh and making sure his name has been front and center in preparation.
"We've shown our guys clips of him since the start of the year to kind of say, 'Are you practicing to tackle him? Or are you practicing to tackle who you're playing against?'
We're driving the motivation that every day you're trying to prepare for the best. He's certainly done that.
He's a talented young man," Smart said earlier this week.
Georgia has seen Baugh before. He ran for 72 yards and a touchdown against the Bulldogs last season, and he added 64 yards as a freshman in 2024. This will be the first time Georgia faces him under Florida’s new regime, though, and Smart pointed to the challenge that comes with a back who can force defenders into bad decisions.
"Yeah, they got a great run scheme, and they got a great back to do it with," Smart said. "So when you can run the ball and know that your back's going to make people miss in the open field or break tackles by running through them, over them, around them, it certainly gives you the confidence to give him touches. And he's been incredible."
The matchup sets up as a real test of strength on strength. Georgia enters with the No. 2 rushing defense in the SEC, allowing 91.4 yards per game. But the Bulldogs have shown some cracks lately, giving up 192 rushing yards to Auburn in their last game and 161 on the ground to Alabama the week before.
Florida’s last outing offered its own proof that the Gators can move the ball on the ground. Against Texas, they rushed for 158 yards, and the Longhorns came in with the No. 4 rush defense in the conference. Florida’s defense also held Texas to 105 rushing yards, 40 fewer than the Longhorns’ average.
With both teams leaning on the run game, Baugh stands out as the offensive centerpiece in the game. Georgia knows it, Florida knows it, and Smart’s comments made it plain that the Bulldogs have been preparing for him all along.
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Miami has its own agenda after rebuilding the roster and landing in a top-15 spot of its own. The teams already know each other well after meeting twice last season, with Florida winning both, but this one offers a fresh test for both sides and an immediate chance to see whether the Gators lofty ranking holds up under real pressure. [Read more 🡒]