When Georgia and Florida meet at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS this coming Saturday, it will be a huge SEC showdown with major Playoff and conference implications.
On paper, this game is a toss up. According to the stats below, provided by CFBStats.com, UGA and Florida are pretty evenly matched.
But the game is not played on paper, and some intangibles will come into play here. Both teams’ backs are against the wall, so Kirby Smart knows his Dawgs have their work cut out for them, as does Dan Mullen.
Let’s take a look at the statistical comparison between the two SEC powerhouses.
First: Offense
Scoring Offense
- Florida ranks 45th in the nation in scoring offense at 32.5 points per game.
- Georgia ranks 24th at 36 points per game.
Rushing Offense
- Florida ranks 90th in the nation rushing at 142.3 yards per game on the ground. Lamical Perine and Dameon Pierce are the Gators’ leading rushers.
- Georgia, on the other hand, ranks 16th at 236.6 yards per game. D’Andre Swift, Brian Herrien and Zamir White lead the way for the Bulldogs.
Passing Offense
- Florida ranks 28th in the nation at 277 yards per game. Quarterback Kyle Trask stepped in for an injured Feleipe Franks and has been handling the starting position nicely.
- Georgia checks in at 62nd in the nation in passing, at 234 yards per game. Fromm was off to a hot start this season until a rough game vs South Carolina and bad conditions vs Kentucky. Let’s see if he can bounce back vs Florida.
Total Offense
- In total yards, Florida’s offense ranks at 52nd nationally, at 419 yards per game.
- Georgia’s offense has not been clicking lately, but the Dawgs rank 21st in total offense, putting up 471 yards per game.
First Downs
- Florida ranks 48th at 22 first downs per game.
- Georgia’s 23.6 first downs per game rank 24th in the nation.
Penalties
- Florida averages 5.4 penalties per game, resulting in 50 yards given up. That’s 42nd nationally.
- Penalties have hurt Georgia this season. UGA ranks 92nd nationally with 6.7 per game resulting 62.7 yards.
Turnover Margin
- Florida ranks 36th in turnover margin, forcing 18 turnovers and giving up 15. That’s a +3 turnover margin for the Gators.
- Georgia has forced 9 turnovers and given up 8, with a +1 turnover margin. Dawgs rank 54th in this category.
Sacks allowed
- Florida ranks 76th in sacks allowed, at 16 total and 2 per game.
- Georgia’s allowed just four sacks this season, ranking first in the nation.
Next: Defense
Scoring Defense
- Florida ranks 12th in the nation, giving up 15.8 points per game.
- Then there’s Georgia, who is surrendering just 10.7 points a game, which is 5th in the country.
Rushing Defense
- Florida ranks 31st, giving up 124 yards per game on the ground.
- Georgia ranks 5th in the nation, allowing just 85.7 yards per game.
Passing Defense
- Florida’s passing defense has been good this season, ranking 33rd in the country. The Gators allow 195 yards per game through the air.
- Georgia’s passing defense has been good as well, ranking 17th overall. Opposing quarterbacks are averaging 181 yards per game against this UGA defense.
Total Defense
- At 25th in the nation, Florida’s defense is allowing 319 yards per game.
- Georgia, at 7th overall, is allowing 266 yards per game.
Sacks
- Florida’s pass rush has been menacing this season, ranking 8th nationally with 3.6 sacks per game. That’s a total of 29 sacks so far. In the first game against Miami, the Gators tallied 10 sacks.
- Georgia’s pass rush has been pretty. The Dawgs are not getting a terrible amount of sacks, but have been able to get in the backfield and force errant throws. Ranking 72nd in the nation with 16 sacks, the bulldogs average 2.29 per game.
Next: Special Teams
Punt Returns
- Florida has returned eight punts and has averaged 4.75 yards per. That’s 107th in America.
- Georgia ranks 15th with an average of 23.4 yards per return on seven chances.
Kick Returns
- Florida has returned five kicks for an average of 21 yards per. That is 61st nationally.
- Georgia’s only returned seven kicks and averages 14 yards per return. That’s 128th out of 130.
Kicking
- Florida is 8/9 on the year from field goals, which is 88.9% and 12th in the nation.
- Rodrigo Blankenship is 12/14 on the year for an average of 85.7%, which makes Georgia 24th in the nation in kick accuracy.
