14,984. ICYMI, that is the number of days between the 1981 national championship and the game this past January (both won by our Dawgs, of course). The favorite past time of Florida fans from 1981 until 2022 was to cite this number around the UGA faithful. Even though I knew this issue would inevitably be raised in any football related conversation with UF fans, I HATED it. As the Florida program was experiencing a steady decline after the 2009 national championship victory over Oklahoma, Gator nation clung to this insult. During their disastrous 2021 season, the UGA national championship day count seemed to be all they had left.
You already know my petty ass is going to enjoy this!!! It has been 5,041 days since the Florida Gators won a college football national championship!!
As I discussed last year, my favorite GAFL memory is the 2011 game, when the Dawgs knocked off the Gators 24-20. My 4 years in Athens were not the best in terms of overall team success. The Dawgs were ranked #1 going into my freshman year, and things went downhill from there. To add insult to injury, I was 0-3 against the Gators going into the 2011 meeting. Full disclosure, I actually missed the first half of the game due to a mysterious illness. Some say it was caused by funneling Burnett's Strawberry (IYKYK) and then allowing myself to indulge in Cherry Skoal. Guess we will never know for sure. What matters is that I made it to my seat in time for the 2nd half. My one regret is that I didn't join our friends AO and Tyler (the two gentlemen directly to the left of Aaron Murray in the picture below) when they ran down to celebrate with the team. This made the front page of the AJC, and the picture is framed in Mr. Bob Odum's basement.
There are 3 certainties in life: death, taxes, and your boy Dtru never missing a chance to shout out our president, Trinton Sturdivant. Just look at my guy go!! DGAF Central. The expression on Urban Meyer's face!!! Crocodile tears.
Dtru's nickels
After week 8, Bill Connelly's SP+ has Florida ranked 31st overall (21st offensive and 65th defensive).
Florida is ranked 12th overall in the 247 Sports College Football Team Talent Composite
Redshirt Sophomore DL Gervon Dexter Sr. is a freak, and (barring any injury) will likely be a 1st or 2nd round NFL draft pick next spring if he decides to declare. As a member of the big boys club myself, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention another member of the Florida front, reserve DL Desmond Watson. Listed at 415 pounds, Watson is a sight to behold. I genuinely don't know how you block a human of that size, but I guess that's something for Coach Stacey Searles to figure out. Saturday will provide a chance for the Dawgs to see another old friend, OLB Brenton Cox Jr. who devoted part of this past off season to starting Twitter beef with the UGA Football Instagram account.
Florida QB Anthony Richardson is at his best when the Florida run game is cooking. So far this year, the Gators have one of the most efficient rushing offenses in the country, and lead the nation with 6.4 Yards/Rush (the Dawgs are strong too, averaging 5.6 Yards/Rush which is good for 13th overall). Coach Billy Napier brought Montrell Johnson Jr. with him as a transfer from ULL. The pairing of Johnson, Trevor Etienne, and AR has gashed teams while running behind a better than expected Gator OL. I think it's fair to question whether the front 7 of the Dawgs is going to be able to shut down the Florida run game. It's a tall task and a genuine concern in my opinion. We will find out soon enough.
If I had to pick one word to describe the AR experience, I would choose volatile. Must be an emotional roller coaster for Gator fans, alternating between maddening and pure excitement. The week before the UT game, UF barely snuck past an awful USF squad that has a current record of 1-6. Against Tennessee, Richardson had over 500 yards of total offense and 435 passing yards. While the UT secondary is super SUS, their run defense is really damn good. But, i digress. While the Gators don't really have a WR that can make opposing OCs shake in their boots, Justin Shorter/Arizona State transfer Ricky Pearsall/and Xzavier Henderson are a productive trio and more than capable of having big games. All three had career days against Tennessee.
Florida's offense is most effective when they are able to roll out a balanced attack. With the exception of the Kentucky and South Florida games in which Richardson was truly atrocious, AR has been very solid for most of the year. The Junkyard Dawgs will probably be playing this game without the Don of the defense, Mr. Jalen Carter. This is the type of game where JC could make a massive difference. There is plenty of talent on the UGA DL between Zion Logue, Nazir Stackhouse, Bear Alexander, Warren Brinson and Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins. None of those guys are JC, but will need to do their best impression on Saturday. The young bucks at ILB, Smael Mondon and Jamon Dumas-Johnson, along with the seasoned vets at OLB will have to be disciplined against the Florida running game. The Dawgs will have the superior roster on Saturday. As you all know, in this rivalry, that often does not ensure anything. But, I know CKS will find a way to motivate the fellas. The standard is the standard.
Go Dawgs!
Comments