JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Even though Georgia rebounded from its 36-16 loss at LSU on Oct. 13 with Saturday’s 36-17 win over Florida, there is still a deficiency that must be remedied according to Bulldogs third-year football coach Kirby Smart.
And it must be remedied quickly with a trip to Kentucky looming this week.
“We played better today, and that’s a good team we played, but our rushing defense concerns me,” Smart said after conquering the Gators for a second straight season. “There were numerous times we had second-and-longs, so we were winning first down, but then we had several third-and-1s. You’ve got to turn a second-and-long into a third-and-long, or at least to third-and-5 or third-and-6.
“We’re still a work in progress there.”
Georgia moved up a spot to No. 6 in Sunday’s Associated Press poll, while Kentucky moved up one position as well to No. 11.
Florida rushed 37 times for 170 yards against the Bulldogs, averaging 4.6 yards per carry. Georgia has not been disastrous by any stretch this season against the run, ranking 43rd nationally and eighth among Southeastern Conference teams with an average of 140.5 yards allowed per game.
In Lexington, however, the Bulldogs will look to contain Wildcats junior tailback Benny Snell, who has amassed 935 yards on 179 rushes, averaging 116.9 yards per game and 5.2 yards per carry.
“That’s an elite back,” Georgia sophomore inside linebacker Monty Rice said Saturday. “That’s one of the best backs I’ve seen. He’s big and strong and fast. He likes contact. He’s a heck of a player.”
Although Lamical Perine and Jordan Scarlett combined for 118 yards on 22 carries for the Gators, most of their damage – 82 yards, specifically – occurred in the first half. In fact, after Florida returned the second-half kickoff 51 yards and took a 14-13 lead moments later on a 36-yard scoring strike from Feleipe Franks to Freddie Swain, the Bulldogs allowed just 68 total yards the rest of the way.
That’s 68 yards in 28-plus minutes.
“We closed pretty good, on offense especially,” Bulldogs junior cornerback Tyrique McGhee said. “I’m proud of how our defense did, too. It was a great finish all the way around.”
Said Rice: “Once you give up a play and the play is over, what can you do about it? You gave it up, and it is what it is. You go on to the next play.”
Georgia opened Sunday as 12-point favorite for this week’s game, which matches teams with 7-1 overall records, 5-1 league marks and will determine the East champion. It’s being billed as the biggest contest ever at Commonwealth Stadium/Kroger Field, and it’s just the fourth matchup of ranked teams in the history of the stadium that opened in 1973.
The first three such showdowns were Kentucky’s games against LSU in 1984 and 2007 and the game against Florida in 2007.
“That LSU loss was pretty devastating to all of us, but we came in and got this huge ‘W’ in Jacksonville,” said McGhee, who forced a fumble and intercepted a pass against the Gators. “We know what’s at stake for us now.”
Odds and ends
Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm, who completed 17 of 24 passes for 240 yards and three touchdowns against the Gators, is fifth nationally in efficiency with a 174.0 rating. Saturday’s game in Jacksonville had a 4.5 rating on CBS, the highest rating for any afternoon college football game this season.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.