Key Matchups the Gators Must Win Against the Bulldogs

The Gators face an uphill battle this week heading into their yearly showdown with the No. 1 ranked Georgia Bulldogs. Where should the Gators aim to get their best shots in?

Photo Keon Zipperer; Credit: Alex Shepherd 

Pumpkin patches are in season; light jackets can be worn in the evening and Halloween is just around the corner, which can only mean one thing: It's Florida-Georgia week. 

The Florida Gators hit the road and head east this week to Jacksonville, Fla., to take on rival and the No. 1 ranked Georgia Bulldogs in what some dub the "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party." 

For Georgia, little has effectively gone wrong against them this season. The Bulldogs sit atop the consensus college football rankings at 7-0 on the season and, most recently, a 55-0 thwacking of the Vanderbilt Commodores. 

For the Gators? Not so much. Florida steps into the matchup at 4-3, entering last week's bye week following a disappointing 45-35 loss to LSU. 

Many things feel the same as last year heading into this week. Georgia once again enters 7-0, looking for their eighth win; the Gators once again 4-3, hoping to avoid their fourth loss; QB Anthony Richardson is leading his offense into TIAA Bank Field. What can the Gators do this time to attempt to flip the script and inject a much-needed W in the win column?

UF has run the ball with plenty of success this year, while Georgia owns the best rushing defense in the SEC. That matchup will be of significance, of course, but Florida will need to do much more than move the ball on the ground to pull off an upset victory.  

All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Focus. 

Florida's inside pass rush vs. Georgia's interior offensive line

Having the fifth-highest-rated offensive line among Power Five schools as your opponent is certainly a challenge and a big one. However, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and that link appears to be on the interior of the Georgia Bulldogs' offensive line.

Starters left guard Xavier Truss and center Sedrick Van Pran co-lead the Bulldogs' OL in quarterback pressures with seven a piece. The next closest is right tackle Warren McClendon with four. The Gators need to generate pressure to slow and stop the Georgia offense. 

The man just for the job is defensive lineman Gervon Dexter Sr. Dexter is second on the Gator's defense in QB pressures with 14 on the year. Lining up inside roughly two-thirds of the time for the Gators, Dexter has a chance to wreak havoc inside and disrupt quarterback Stetson Bennett and Georgia's offense, so long as he has a big game this week and targets Truss and Van Pran.

UF's slot WRs and TEs vs. UGA's middle-of-the-field defense

The Achilles heel of the Georgia pass defense could lie in the Bulldogs' linebacking corps. Allowing a collective 85% pass completion against them, starting linebackers Jamon Dumas-Johnson and Smael Mondon Jr, a favorable matchup could prove significant for someone like tight end Keon Zipperer. 

Likely to be covered by Mondon or Dumas-Johnson, Zipperer could find himself in some good spots throughout the game, and the Gators need to be ready to attack. This could offer some free real estate inside for slot-heavy players like wide receivers Xzavier Henderson and Ricky Pearsall. Henderson could benefit as he has accumulated a healthy amount of work in the short middle area of the field. In contrast, Pearsall has excelled at attacking the intermediate center of the field.

Pearsall, an offseason transfer from Arizona State, has provided the Gators' offense with a spark several times throughout the campaign. He's been a bit quiet in Florida's last two games, though, with three receptions for 58 yards and a touchdown. UF will need him to light another spark, or several, this weekend. 

Gators WR Justin Shorter vs. Bulldogs CB Kamari Lassiter

Coming into this game, WR Justin Shorter leads the team in targets at 36, just edging out Henderson (35). Shorter also leads the team in targets outside. 

Shorter is expected to receive a healthy coverage dosage from cornerbacks Kamari Lassiter and Kelee Ringo. Lassiter has allowed just under 10 percent more passes to be completed in coverage this season, comparatively to Ringo. Lassiter also doesn't match up well with Shorter in the size department. Shorter, coming in at 6-foot-4 and 223 pounds, sizes up favorably against the 6-foot-1, 180-pound Lassiter. 

Combining the ability to win the big man battle and attack the albeit marginally shakier Lassiter could shape up nicely for Shorter outside, especially in the red zone. 

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The Gators will need to play a near-perfect or perfect game to have an honest shot at taking down the Bulldogs on Saturday. That perfect game starts with the matchups discussed, winning those for a full 60 minutes and any others that may need to be played until the final whistle is blown.

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