With the annual rivalry matchup between the
6-1 (4-1 SEC) No. 5 ranked Georgia Bulldogs and the 3-4 (2-2 SEC) Florida Gators less than a day away, Kirby Smart and his crew are putting the final touches on their two-week prep for what will be an electric atmosphere in Jacksonville.
One problem for Georgia this season is that their defense has not been as dominant as they have been in the past, but their matchup with Florida will give them, particularly the secondary, the chance to make some game-changing plays in the form of big turnovers as Florida adjusts to a new interim head coach in Billy Gonzales.
DJ Lagway is a turnover machine in his second year as Florida's QB
Over Florida's first seven games, athletic quarterback DJ Lagway has thrown a whopping nine interceptions on his way to leading the unranked Gators to a below .500 record. To put that in better perspective, he leads the SEC in interceptions, and it matches the number of touchdowns he has thrown this season.
Lagway's 56.2 QBR is good for No. 81 in FBS as he has struggled to read coverages resulting in an inordinate amount of passes completed to the wrong team. Meanwhile, Georgia's signal caller in Gunner Stockton sits niftily at No. 2 in the FBS with a 90.1 QBR and 10 touchdowns to just one interception.
The Bulldog secondary needs to take some chances against Lagway on Saturday
Most Georgia fans are aware that Smart and defensive backs coach Donte Williams emphasize being in the correct position and keeping the play in front of them over taking unnecessary risks that could lead to explosive plays. But with a quarterback who has been so careless with the football, maybe Daylen Everette, Ellis Robinson IV, KJ Bolden, and company will be looking to ball hawk more than usual at EverBank Stadium on Saturday.
The Dawgs' secondary only has four interceptions so far in 2025, with Robinson IV leading the way with two. There should be plenty of opportunities for him, Bolden, Everette, Joenel Aguero, Demello Jones, and JaCorey Thomas to add to that total on Saturday.
A better, more consistent pass rush would also benefit the secondary as a pressured and hurried Lagway has proven to make mistakes all season long. And that is something Georgia has emphasized duirng their bye week.
Kickoff between Georgia and Florida is scheduled for 3:30 pm EST on Nov. 1.