Florida football legend Rex Grossman got honest on what makes the Florida-Georgia rivalry so special. “The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail” is set to have its 102nd iteration on Saturday with Kirby Smart's dominant Bulldogs taking on an embattled Billy Napier and his unranked Gators.
Despite Georgia football's recent dominance of this matchup, having won three straight games by more than 20 points, the rivalry has historically been pretty even. Even though, that wasn't really the case when Rex Grossman was the quarterback at UF. It was something he spoke about on Friday when asked about this annual showdown in Jacksonville.
“Well I was right in the middle when we were smoking Georgia every year…It's such a fun game to play in and kind of like a midseason bowl game. Everyone's partying, the atmosphere is crazy. Even if you're not a Florida or Georgia fan, you gotta go to that game and experience it, it's pretty unique,” said the Gator legend in an interview on “SEC This Morning.”
Florida football is up against the odds against Georgia
Unlike Grossman's days in Gainesville, Billy Napier and company are heavy underdogs against the No. 2 ranked Bulldogs. While the Gators are coming off an impressive 48-20 victory against Kentucky, many pundits are completely dismissing their chances in this matchup.
This includes ESPN's Rece Davis, who wants to rename the rivalry due to Georgia's recent dominance. It's clear the College Gameday host forgot what the rivalry looked like during Rex Grossman's years at Florida. The former Chicago Bears QB, along with being a Consensus All-American and SEC Player of the Year with the Gators, was 4-0 against the Bulldogs.
Grossman is a great example of how, while the Florida football program has struggled a lot recently, the Gators can always start a new winning streak against their rival up north with just one win. And there's no reason for Billy Napier and his team not to believe that they can upset the Bulldogs with how they played against Kentucky.
Despite losing senior quarterback Graham Mertz to a torn ACL a few weeks ago, the Gators' future at football's most important position looks very bright. True freshman QB DJ Lagway, a five-star recruit from Willis, Texas, is coming off a stellar game against Kentucky, where he averaged 37 yards per completion.
To add to the Bulldogs' concerns, Georgia's star quarterback Carson Beck has struggled significantly recently. The senior has thrown eight interceptions in his past four games.
Kirby Smart and company will need Beck to play a lot better against the Gators if they want to leave Jacksonville with a win. This is in large part because their run game has taken a huge step back this season. Behind Florida football transfer Trevor Etienne, Georgia is only rushing for 130 yards a game, 60 yards less than what they averaged last year.
Overall, this is a game that, despite the heavy odds against Florida, could get very interesting, especially if it stays close heading into the fourth quarter.
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