Saturday, November 7, 2020, TIAA Bank Field Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida, 3:30 p.m. ET
Gators vs. Bulldogs Betting Preview: Gators (+3.5), Bulldogs (-3.5)
Florida Gators Betting Preview
The No. 8 Gators (3-1, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) will be less than full strength on defense at kickoff withs starting defensive lineman Zachary Carter and linebacker Antwuan Powell sitting for the first half after they were ejected for fighting against Missouri.
Several other players could be out as well as the Gators were without 15 players for last week’s 41-17 romp past Missouri because of COVID-19 issues.
But the offense is another story. The Gators look ready to roll behind quarterback Kyle Trask, who has thrown for 18 touchdowns — at least four in each game — and has completed 95 of 139 passes for 1,341 yards, with only two interceptions.
Tight end Kyle Pitts has 22 receptions, including seven for touchdowns is matchup night, Georgia coach Kirby Smart said.
“I don’t think anybody is stopping him, “Smart said. “It’s limiting explosives, matching up, winning some 50/50 balls — that’s what he’s best at. It’s impossible. People think you can just double cover him. You can’t do that. They put him in places where you can’t double him, and you’ve got to do other things to other people.”
Speedy receiver Kadarius Toney is one of those other people. He has 22 catches for 297 yards and six scores. Florida is averaging 42.0 points per game.
The game will be critical to each team’s fortunes in the SEC East race and a spot in the conference championship game in Atlanta.
“It doesn’t clinch it or seal anything, but whoever wins this game certainly is putting themselves in the driver’s seat to get to Atlanta,” Florida coach Dan Mullen said.
Georgia Bulldogs Betting Preview
The No. 4 Bulldogs (4-1, 4-1 SEC) will be missing some key parts on defense in taking on Florida’s prolific offense.
Star safety Richard LeCounte, who was hospitalized after a motorcycle crash on the weekend, and defensive lineman Julian Rochester, who suffered a knee injury in Saturday’s 14-3 win at Kentucky, will be out.
Several other Bulldogs were injured last week, including wide receiver George Pickens. The status for several players was up in the air early this week.
“We’ve got a lot of guys who practice who don’t get to play who will get opportunities,” Smart said.
Smart also may be facing an issue at quarterback. The Bulldogs have struggled offensively since going to the locker room with a 24-20 halftime lead at Alabama. They were scoreless over the last two quarters and lost that game 41-24 and were hardly impressive in dispatching Kentucky 14-3.
The Bulldogs are sticking with Stetson Bennett for now, although he has cooled after igniting the offense when he came off the bench in the opener at Arkansas. Bennett has thrown just two touchdowns with five interceptions in the past two games, which includes the loss to Alabama.
Smart’s other options include opening-game starter D’Wan Mathis and USC transfer JT Daniels, now recovered from a 2019 ACL injury.
Gators vs. Bulldogs Betting Pick for November 7, 2020
The will be the third consecutive season that this game has been a matchup of Top 10 teams with Georgia winning the previous two. In 2019 No. 8 Georgia beat No. 6 Florida 24-17, and in 2018 No. 7 Georgia topped No. 9 Florida 36-17. The Bulldogs have won three in a row in the series since the Gators had a three-game winning streak from 2014-16.
Gators vs. Bulldogs Betting Pick:
Gators 35, Bulldogs 28
Gators vs. Bulldogs Best Bet for November 7, 2020
The Bulldogs have issues at quarterback where Bennett has thrown five interceptions the last two games. Despite the loss to the Bulldogs last year, Trask passed for 257 yards and two touchdowns and tight end Kyle Pitts had four receptions for 78 yards against the Bulldogs.
Gators vs. Bulldogs Best Bet: OVER 53.5
