ATHENS, Ga. - The Georgia Bulldogs have never been low on motivating factors.
Former football coach Mark Richt always put the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division title at the top of his preseason objectives. With players, the goals have been a bit more wide-ranging.
"I won't be pleased until my team wins that 'natty,'" sophomore inside linebacker Natrez Patrick said earlier this month, referencing a national championship that has eluded the program since 1980.
Georgia hasn't won an overall SEC title since 2005, and this year's team is all but out of the East Division race with a 2-3 league mark that includes a blowout loss at Ole Miss (45-14.) and heartbreaking defeats against Tennessee (34-31) and Vanderbilt (17-16). The Bulldogs lost to the Volunteers on a 43-yard touchdown pass as time expired, and they were upset by the Commodores despite outgaining them by 250 yards.
Having plummeted from a No. 9 ranking that was attained following a 33-24 opening victory over North Carolina, the unranked Bulldogs have adopted more of a pride theme heading into Saturday's showdown against No. 14 Florida in Jacksonville, Fla.
"At the end of the day, we still have that 'G' on our helmet and the last name on our back," redshirt junior outside linebacker Davin Bellamy said. "You still have the family that you've built with the coaches and the players, and no one wants to give up on each other. At the end of the day, we're all blessed to play this game, and especially at this level, so you never want to go out there on a Saturday and take it for granted."
Saturday's game, at least from a big-picture standpoint, has a 1990s feel to it. Florida is a 7.5-point favorite and leads the SEC East, but Tennessee is right behind and needing the Gators to stumble.
Bulldogs first-year head coach Kirby Smart was asked this week in a news conference whether the Bulldogs can play wild and loose given that they have little to lose.
"I'm not looking at it like we're desperate or anything like that," Smart said. "Maybe they play uptight because they're the ones that if they lose, Tennessee gets it (the East upper hand). It's one of those deals, but we're really not focused on that as much as we are playing our best game.
"If we play our best game, we've got every opportunity to win. The sole purpose of every meeting and every practice is to play our best game."
The last time Georgia lost to Vanderbilt - a 31-27 setback at Nashville in 2013 - the Bulldogs rebounded after an open date to defeat Florida 23-20. That's the last win for the Bulldogs in this series, with the Gators having rolled the past two years to 38-20 and 27-3 triumphs.
Beating Florida is something that only Georgia's seniors and redshirt juniors have tasted.
"Last year was last year," junior running back Sony Michel told reporters. "It was tough, and we lost, but I don't even know the score of last year's game to be honest with you. We're going to leave that in the past, and I guarantee you that this year is going to be different."
Asked if that meant he was declaring a victory, Michel said, "I can guarantee that we're going to leave it on the field."
Only six Georgia teams in the last 26 seasons have tasted victories over Florida, which can certainly be a point of motivation. The Bulldogs are also two wins away from reaching a 20th consecutive bowl game, which may not pack the same punch these days given the gluttony of postseason locales, but Georgia does have the longest active streak in the SEC.
It's also the final countdown for the seniors, who now need just one hand to count their remaining regular-season games.
"If you're not playing for the love of the game or just being able to compete out there, then play for the seniors," senior right tackle Greg Pyke said. "It's our last go-around, and we've had to buy into what a new coaching staff has brought. I know Coach Smart is behind us, and we are behind him, but I would tell the younger guys to play for us seniors."
Said senior safety Quincy Mauger: "Every game is that much more precious as a senior, so we're not taking anything for granted. We'll be there Saturday to play Georgia football, which means being tough and very physical."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.