COLLEGE GAME PREVIEW

CFB Preview: Georgia vs. Florida

The Sports Xchange

October 31, 2014 at 9:25 am.

QB Hutson Mason has been efficient this season, completing 69.2 percent of his passes with 10 touchdowns and three interceptions. Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

KICKOFF: 3:30 p.m. ET
GAMEDATE: 11/1/14
SITE: EverBank Field, Jacksonville, Florida
TV: CBS
SERIES: Georgia leads Florida 49-40-2 or maybe 50-40-2 depending on whom you ask. Florida does not recognize its 1904 loss to the Bulldogs. Whatever, what’s plain is that the Bulldogs have won three in a row in the series after last year’s 23-30 victory.
RANKINGS: Georgia 9th

KEYS TO THE GAME

Georgia sophomore linebacker Leonard Floyd is learning the intensity of the Florida-Georgia rivalry.

“There’s a lot of trash talk going on out there,” Floyd said. “We’ve got bad blood for ’em. We’re going to be pretty amped up and ready to play them.”

Georgia will look to win its fourth straight game against the reeling Gators. The Bulldogs enter the game as a double-digit favorite, but they aren’t taking the Gators lightly.
Without running back Todd Gurley, who will sit out his third game as a penalty for taking money for autographs, Georgia has rallied for back-to-back wins over Missouri and Arkansas behind an opportunistic defense (a combined nine forced turnovers in the two games) and the strong play of freshman running back Nick Chubb.

Chubb has averaged 172.5 yards per game over his last two outings. Like Florida, Georgia is coming off a bye.

“We’re looking forward to this game,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said. “It’s very meaningful to us. We’re all trying to get to Atlanta (for the SEC title game), so that’s what we’re trying to do this weekend.”

Embattled Florida coach Will Muschamp, whose job could be on the line, knows both sides of the Florida-Georgia rivalry and is aware how meaningful a Gator win would be over the rival Bulldogs.

“It’s a critical game,” Muschamp said. “It’s an East rival. It’s an SEC rival. It’s a rival of the University of Florida. And it’s very important to our university.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Bulldogs
–QB Hutson Mason will be starting his first and only game in the Florida-Georgia rivalry. Mason has been efficient this season, completing 69.2 percent of his passes with 10 touchdowns and three interceptions.

–RB Nick Chubb has proven more than a capable replacement, averaging 172.5 yards per game in two starts as RB Todd Gurley’s replacement. For the season, Chubb has rushed for 569 yards and 5.7 yards per carry with five touchdowns.

–LB Amarlo Herrera has remained the heart and soul of Georgia’s defense. Herrera has been strong against the run as an inside linebacker all season long with a team-high 57 tackles, which includes six tackles for loss and three sacks.

–CB Damian Swann is putting together a strong senior season. Swann is tied for the team lead in interceptions with three and also has two forced fumbles.

Gators

–QB Treon Harris will get his first career start in one of the biggest rivalry games of Florida’s season. In three career games, Harris is 12-of-18 for 263 yards with three TDs and one interception.

–WR Demarcus Robinson was tabbed by coach Will Muschamp as “the lone consistent productive receiver for the Gators this season.” Robinson has a team-high 34 catches, 524 yards receiving and four TDs.

–DE Alex McCalister is quietly emerging into a reliable pass rusher for the Gators this season. McCalister has five tackles for loss and a team-high four sacks.

–LB Antonio Morrison has been one of the bright spots on the Gators defense this season. He has a team-high 52 tackles 4.5 tackles for loss, a sack, an interception and a fumble recovery.

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