Finally, the time has come: Georgia vs. Florida.
We’re seeing the significance of last year’s victory now. Aside from the fact that it gave the Bulldogs just their third win over the Gators in 18 meetings, it made the series relevant again. Let’s be honest, Gator fans haven’t exactly been fearing the Bulldogs for the past two decades; even the 2002 Georgia team that finished 13-1 and No. 3 in the nation lost to a Florida team that finished 8-5. The Gators just had their number.
But now there’s some REAL excitement. Georgia fans are pumped because the ‘Dogs beat the Gators somewhat convincingly last year, while Florida fans are unimpressed that the victory came when eventual Heisman winner Tim Tebow was banged up. Both teams had a slip-up on Sept. 27 of this season but have won the rest of their games. And both teams have not only SEC title hopes but national title hopes, with Georgia entering the game No. 6 in the BCS standings and Florida at No. 8.
Oh, and wasn’t there some controversial touchdown celebration or something last year?
Don’t think just because the players and coaches aren’t talking about it heading into the game that it’s not on everyone’s minds. Let’s not forget what Florida head coach Urban Meyer wrote in his book, Urban’s Way: “That wasn’t right. It was a bad deal. It will forever be in the mind of Urban Meyer and in the mind of our football team. We’ll handle it, and it’s going to be a big deal.” Hey, it had to have been a big deal for him to refer to himself in the third person, right?
The series never lacked anticipation and excitement but the difference now is that the rivalry has intensified on both sides. I doubt Florida fans have been this geared up for the game in Jacksonville in a while. As great as it is to dominate, sometimes you need to lose in a rivalry to truly enjoy it. Think about it: how many Yankees fans gave the Red Sox a second thought before 2004? Well, they’re thinking about them now.
As for the game itself, I didn’t like Georgia’s chances before last weekend. But after seeing the Bulldogs finally earn some of that preseason hype by dropping 52 on the road against LSU, Saturday’s matchup just became that much more intriguing. The Gators scored 51 on the Tigers a few weeks ago at home and the two teams are the only ones to have beaten LSU thus far.
Overall, Florida has a much more potent offense from what we’ve seen. Whereas people expected this season to be the Tim Tebow & Percy Harvin show, the Gators have instead incorporated other contributors, namely Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey. When you’re talking about four players who can score rushing touchdowns, that’s something that has to make a fan of the red-and-black nervous.
But here’s what to keep in mind: while there’s no point in even thinking about shutting down Florida’s offense, the Gators have struggled most when teams can go pound-for-pound against their high-powered attack. Only one team has managed to score more than 21 points against them this year. That team was Ole Miss – who upset Florida 31-30. Even dating back to 2007, in three of Florida’s four losses the Gators allowed 28 points or more, including 42 to Georgia.
Matthew Stafford won’t have to be flawless but he’ll have to be close. Finding A.J. Green as quickly and as often as possible will make the difference here; this kid is growing into an NFL wide receiver in front of our eyes and Georgia needs to take advantage. And we know Knowshon Moreno will have, at worst, a good game. At best, he’ll have a great game. It’s as simple as that. He’s broken 100 yards five times and has only had one game without scoring a touchdown: a 26-14 win over Tennessee in which he finished with 101 yards. Something tells me he isn’t crying about that performance.
Get ready for an instant classic here. The winner takes the SEC East and, in my opinion, the SEC championship. As for a prediction … Florida 38, Georgia 34. But trust me, if I’m wrong, I’m fine with that.
LAST-MINUTE IDEAS
If you’re reading this the day we hit newsstands, you have two more days until Halloween, so you’re running out of time to buy a costume. Last year I suggested buying a New England Patriots sweatshirt and headband, and walking around with a camcorder to become the Patriots’ coaching staff. A few people thanked me for the idea, so if you’re still searching for something, here are a couple of new sports-themed costumes you can pull off at the last second. All are fairly cost-effective as well.
First, get some gloves with the fingers cut, a mouthpiece, some long black shorts and pink-colored spray for your hair. You’ll have to be willing to walk around barefoot and shirtless, but now you are Seth Petruzelli, the EliteXC fighter who knocked out Kimbo Slice in 14 seconds. His 15 minutes of fame are almost up, so you had better take advantage of this one while people still know who he is.
This one is a bit obvious but you can always wear a white polo shirt with a pillow underneath while carrying around a golf club and a liquor bottle. Yep, John Daly. Not the most creative costume in the world but a lot of you are going to be drinking anyway, right? (Just be careful with the golf club, if that’s the case.) Bonus points if you have a blonde mullet wig.
For this next one, you will need a wig with thick dreads, a Los Angeles Dodgers do-rag and jersey, and right there you are Manny Ramirez. The great part about this one is that, apparently, you can do whatever you want and people will just laugh it off, attributing it to “Manny Being Manny.”
And for the hometown fans, you can either grow a goatee or pencil one on your face, then wear a Braves jersey and walk around holding an iron to become John Smoltz. Did the Atlanta legend truly burn himself trying to iron his shirt while wearing it years ago or is it a misinterpreted rumor? Does it matter? I say no. He’s one of the most beloved athletes in Atlanta sports history and who wouldn’t want to be him for a day? Have a fun and safe Halloween!
I.J. Rosenberg was off this week but don’t worry – he’ll be back to bring his actual sports knowledge next week. Meanwhile, Arapoglou can be reached at tarapoglou@scoreatl.com.
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