Behind Enemy Lines: Talking Florida-Georgia game with UGA Wire
The biggest game on the schedule for both Florida Gators and Georgia Bulldogs fans is quickly drawing near with the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party set for this Saturday at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida.
UGA is coming off a national championship-winning season and has maintained much of its momentum from last season, going undefeated so far in 2022. Meanwhile, the Orange and Blue have struggled a bit in new head coach Billy Napier’s debut as the program experiences some growing pains during the transition.
Ahead of the annual neutral-field matchup, Gators Wire caught up with UGA Wire’s managing editor Joe Vitale to get his take on what the ‘Dawgs bring to the table this year as the two flagship state universities continue their historic rivalry in Week 9 of college football.
What is the biggest difference between the Stetson Bennett we saw last season and this one?
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Stetson’s confidence this year is visibly higher. It was his first offseason where he was “the guy.” He has better chemistry with his receivers that we did not see last year. But he’s still had his struggles. He was great to start the season and then was actually playing pretty poorly until his game against Vanderbilt. He has been banged up, so hopefully, the bye week helped him out.
Kirby Smart voiced some displeasure with Jacksonville's neutral site. How do you feel?
Bob Self-USA TODAY NETWORK
I love Jacksonville. I hope it never changes. There’s nothing like it. I’ve obviously gone many times and every time I go, it reminds me how amazing it is.
Has there been much of a lingering hangover this year after last season's championship?
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
I don’t think it’s a hangover. I think that went out the door the second the ball kicked off against Oregon. We’re not as good as we were last year, but that’s because we lost 15 guys to the NFL and other starters to the transfer portal.
UGA's defense looked dominant in the first three games, but then surrendered 22 points to both Kent State and Mizzou before getting back on track. Has confidence in the corps waned at all?
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
I think it has. I don’t think anybody expected it to be as good as it was last year, but it’s been a bit disappointing in some ways. For instance, Georgia is almost dead-last in the FBS in sacks. We only have seven this year.
Defensive tackle Jalen Carter has been banged up and has missed time, which hurts. Outside linebacker Nolan Smith has been playing well, but we were expecting a very productive season from him in the backfield. Also, we just lost key defensive back Dan Jackson for the season with a foot injury.
On a scale of 1-10 how confident are you in overall this season's team?
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
I’d say I’m at a 7.5. Last year was a 10. We just knew it was our season. Everything was clicking. This year, the talent level is down. There are missed tackles, there are offensive woes that we did not think would be prevalent. Stetson Bennett has thrown only seven touchdowns. It also does not help that Tennessee is as good as it is.
Who will be the X-factor for the Dawgs this weekend?
James Gilbert/Getty Images
I think tight end Brock Bowers will get it done this week. He has not been as involved in the offense as we expected, but I expect that change this weekend.
Game prediction
AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack
Georgia, 41-20
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