A closer look at how Florida football, Georgia stack up on the line of scrimmage

Traditionally, the Florida-Georgia game has come down to the battles inside the trenches.

Who could forget in 2014, when the Florida Gators upset Georgia 38-20 by rushing for 418 yards on 7.0 yards per carry. Running backs Kelvin Taylor (197 yards, 2 TDs) and Matt Jones (192, 2 TDs) each nearly ran for 200 yards.

Of late, though, Georgia has gotten the better of Florida football when it comes to the physical battles up front. It's a big reason why the Bulldogs have won five of the last six meetings against the Gators.

In Georgia's 42-20 win over Florida last season, UGA outrushed the Gators 239-100 and sacked former UF quarterback Anthony Richardson three times. Florida, meanwhile, had no sacks against former UGA quarterback Stetson Bennett.

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Here's a look at how the battles inside could stack up when Florida and Georgia play Saturday in Jacksonville at TIAA Bank Field (3:30 p.m., CBS).

Can UF football's banged up offensive line hold up?

The Gators have been on a season-long search for continuity along the offensive front. Starting center Kingsley Eguakun, a Jacksonville native, has missed five of UF's first seven games due to leg issues.

Left tackle Austin Barber missed the Vanderbilt game with an injury, and first-year transfers Micah Mazzccua (right guard from Baylor) and Dameion George Jr. (right tackle from Alabama) have been up and down on the right side of UF's offensive line.

The injuries have forced UF to develop more depth, as Kamryn Waites (fully recovered from suffering a torn Achilles last January), Lyndell Hudson Jr. (a transfer from FIU) and freshman Knijeah Harris have filled in at tackle and guard spots.

"We've barely scratched the surface of our potential," Waites said. "I feel as we get later in the season, we're gonna really show what we can do."

Redshirt sophomore Jake Slaughter has started five of seven games at center for Eguakun.

"We've had inexperienced players, I wouldn't say young players, but inexperienced players that are getting those reps, therefore they're improving," Florida coach Billy Napier said. "I do think guys like Jake Slaughter, Kam Waites, those guys being available, being able to contribute have helped us."

Georgia's defensive line (12 sacks in 7 games) hasn't been as formidable getting the quarterback to the ground compared to last season (35 in 15 games). But Georgia coach Kirby Smart said he's been pleased with the team's havoc rate, which includes pressures and pass deflections.

Linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson has been Georgia's top pass rush threat so far this season with 2.5 sacks. Even with the limited sack total, Georgia leads the nation in third down defense, allowing opponents to only convert on 23.6 percent of third down attempts.

"They've done a good job on the early downs creating those passing downs," Napier said. "Obviously those are much more difficult to convert."

Can UF's defensive line generate more pressure?

The Gators are last in the SEC in sacks with 11 in 7 games. Georgia's offensive line entered the season returning three starters, led by All-SEC right guard Tate Ratledge. But the Bulldogs have been as banged up as Florida on the offensive line. Junior right tackle Amarius Mims, a projected NFL first round draft pick, has been out more than a month since undergoing ankle surgery, but could return for the UF game. So could left guard Xavier Truss, who hurt himself during the Vanderbilt game two weeks ago.

If Truss and Mims return, Florida could have a hard time making Georgia starting quarterback Carson Beck, a Jacksonville native, uncomfortable. Edge rusher Princely Umanmielen leads UF with 3 sacks this season, but other pass rush threats haven't materialized. True freshmen Kelby Collins and T.J. Searcy have potential but lack experience facing high-level competition.

"If you look at our team, we'd like to be ahead of schedule a little bit more in terms of forcing more third and longs," Napier said. "To do that you need to create negative plays. We've been playing probably too many downs in the four to six, two to three range. You'd like to play some more yardages and ultimately the havoc rate is not quite where we want it to be on normal downs."

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida Gators football gearing for line of scrimmage challenge against UGA