Florida’s quarterback situation will draw plenty of attention this week, but the bigger swing factor against Georgia may be Jadan Baugh.
That much became clear over Florida’s first few games in 2026. For a stretch, it looked like Baugh could power the Gators to a 30-point outing almost on his own.
Missouri then invited Florida to beat it any other way and the Gators couldn’t. South Carolina used a similar plan and got the same result.
Texas was less extreme in how it played the run, and Baugh found more room again.
That matters now because Florida’s offense is going to need him rolling on Saturday if it wants a shot against Georgia. The running game has to help whichever quarterback the Gators start, and Florida will have to stay on schedule to have a real chance.
Jon Sumrall addressed that point during his SEC Teleconference when he was asked about Baugh and Florida’s need for a productive ground game.
“The biggest challenge for us is when we've gotten in negative plays and been in longer yardage situations. Even if you look at just the Texas game, early in the game, we didn't stay ahead of the chains enough, and that's why we had a hard time offensively with staying on the field.
That's when we've had, throughout the year, when we've had struggles, it's been first-down inefficiencies. It led to third-and-longs, which makes playing every position on the field harder.”
The numbers from Buster Faulkner’s own history against Georgia back up the idea that the ground game can’t go missing. While he was the offensive coordinator at Georgia Tech, the Yellow Jackets had very different results in their two recent games against the Bulldogs.
In 2024, Georgia Tech pushed Georgia to eight overtimes before losing, averaging 5.5 yards per rush and scoring 42 points. In 2025, the Jackets averaged only 3.0 yards per rush and scored just 9 points.
The lesson is simple enough: go one-dimensional against Georgia, and it gets a lot harder in a hurry. That doesn’t mean Florida can expect to throw it around 50 times and still come out with a win on Saturday.
Baugh has already shown he can give Georgia problems. Last year, he ran for 72 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. In 2024, he finished with 64 yards on 17 attempts.
If Florida is going to pull off the upset in Atlanta, Baugh likely needs to do more than that. He may need to top 100 yards to give the Gators the kind of offense they’ll need.
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Florida Just Made Its Biggest Offensive Decision Before Georgia
Aaron Philo is back in the spotlight at the right time for Florida, and the Gators have made their call for the Georgia game. After Philo was sidelined by injury and Tramell Jones Jr. stepped in to lead a recent upset win, the quarterback situation had become one of the biggest questions hanging over the week. Now the job goes back to Philo, who helped fuel Floridas strong start to the season before the setback.
The timing matters because Georgia brings the kind of defense that can expose even small flaws in an offense. Florida is banking on Philos return to steady the group against the top-ranked unit on the schedule, while Jones surge has only added intrigue to the decision. For a rivalry game with plenty at stake, the Gators are choosing the quarterback they believe gives them the best chance to match Georgias pressure and keep the offense moving. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Heads Into Georgia With One Huge Question Still Unanswered
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The matchup also puts the spotlight on how Florida wants to play it, because the ability to run the ball and lean on a strong defensive line could go a long way toward keeping the game on script. Even so, the quarterback picture remains unsettled, with no starter announced and Tramell Jones and Aaron Philo both listed as questionable, leaving one of the teams most important decisions open as kickoff approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Florida May Be Getting A Massive Boost Right Before Georgia
Floridas passing game has been searching for consistency while the receiver room works through injuries to Eric Singleton Jr. and Vernell Brown III, a hit that has shown up in the offenses overall effectiveness over the last few games. The two bring different traits to the field, and when both are available, the group gives the Gators more options in how they can attack downfield and on the perimeter.
As Georgia looms, there is at least some reason for optimism that the receiving corps could be getting closer to full strength at just the right time. If that trend holds, it could open up more of the game plan Florida has been unable to fully lean on lately, with the real question being how quickly those pieces can be worked back into rhythm before the rivalry game arrives. [Read more 🡒]