Florida football: The Gators defense vs. Georgia’s offense

The good news is Florida football has some key defenders back for Saturday’s game with Georgia. The bad news  (or good news, depending on your thought process): Georgia loves to run the football.

It’s been all smiles for Florida football after coach Dan Mullen said both Jabari Zuniga and Jonathan Greenard were returning after each missing a game.

One of the main reasons is because No. 6 Florida will take on a run-happy No. 8 Georgia team that has pretty much thrived on the run game all season long.

Things will be interesting as Florida football has done well against the pass — shutting down all but Heisman Trophy candidate and LSU pretty boy Joe Burrow.

In their last game at South Carolina, the Gators — without their best edge rushers and blitzers — allowed running back Tavien Feaster to have the best game of his Gamecock career on the ground.

Now, Florida football faces the likes of the SEC’s second-best rusher in D’Andre Swift.

Georgia’s offense

Again, make no mistake, if Georgia gets its running game established early, it could be a very long day for Florida football.

And, they have had the most success running off-tackle zone runs and slam plays up the middle.

Florida Gators Football

For the season, the Bulldogs average 5.33 yards per carry when going through the right side. They average 5.98 yards per carry off the left.

Their biggest return on yardage are sweeps to the left were the Bulldogs average more than 10 yards per carry. Conversely, when they sweep to the right, the average yardage is about 7.86 per carry.

Clearly, this indicates they prefer the left side of the ball over the right — primarily because the left side of their offensive line is a bit more experienced than the right.

But, don’t be mistaken. Quarterback Jake Fromm can still be dangerous with the pass — just not really with the long ball.

Georgia receivers have done well with short dump passes of 10 yards or less on either side of the field, but Fromm’s completion rate when targeting beyond 20 yards downfield is significantly lower than with shorter passes — which is not uncommon.

One thing Florida will have to be cautious of is the play action.

If Georgia is able to establish a running game early, this could prove to be an effective tool to draw the Florida football safeties in closer to the line of scrimmage, giving corners less coverage downfield.

Florida football defense

As I said, the best news Florida football fans could hear was that Greenard and Zuniga are back from ankle injuries.

It virtually puts Florida’s defense back on the same footing prior to the LSU game where they were ranked as one of the nation’s best.

And they will be challenged Saturday with the threats Georgia brings to the table.

Florida has struggled against the pass, giving up 1,563 yards in the air. On the ground, Florida football is under 1,000 in yards given up this season.

One big thing for the Gators is their ability to force opposing offensives into three-and-out drives, which will come in handle as Georgia is one of the better teams in the SEC at converting on third down.

Florida football will be challenged to stop Swift and the Georgia running attack, but returning Zuniga and Greenard to the edges should be a big help for that.

In the passing game, Georgia’s receivers are a bit taller and more athletic than anyone Florida has seen, sans LSU. That said, getting pressure on Fromm could be the biggest part of the game plan as that would certainly go far to disrupt the passing game.

The Gators will have to play tight at the line to avoid the potent running sweeps Georgia likes to go with. But, if they are successful in stopping the run, it will force the issue in the passing game, which Florida has the athletes to compete in the secondary.

The linebackers and safeties will have their work cut out for them Saturday as they will be challenged with the first real balanced offense the Gators have seen all season.

Remember, No. 6 Florida football will play No. 8 Georgia at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2 at Jacksonville.