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GAINESVILLE — Playing football as a kid in Jacksonville, Jack Pyburn grew up around the Florida-Georgia game and came to appreciate the rivalry’s magnitude.
“I’ve been to that game my entire life,” the Gators’ edge rusher said Monday. “It’s where I’m from. It’s my home.
“That game, it meant everything.”
Some things never change.
The stakes will be high when the surging Gators (4-3, 2-2 SEC) and unshakeable Bulldogs (6-1, 4-1) meet Saturday at EverBank Stadium. Loser of three consecutive meetings, Florida seeks to end Georgia’s dominance, derail coach Kirby Smart’s push for a third national title in four seasons and bolster coach Billy Napier’s case for a fourth season in Gainesville.
While a UF victory as 16-point underdogs against No. 2 Georgia appears improbable, Pyburn said a strong showing is imperative.
“If we want to be where we want to be as a team and put Florida back where I believe that this university deserves to be, we have to win games like this,” he said. “We have to be competitive in games like this, and we have to show up in moments like this.”
Florida has routinely no-showed against Georgia since a 24-10 win during Smart’s first season in 2016 extended the Gators’ winning streak in the series to three games.
A 42-7 Bulldogs beat-down during coach Jim McElwain’s final game in 2017 turned the tide and triggered a Georgia onslaught. Smart’s program has won six of seven meetings by an average margin of 22 points, including last season’s 43-20 win.
“It has no bearing on Saturday,” he said Monday. “Each season is independent of the previous. We’re trying to earn it each day.”
The Bulldogs, though, have had their way with virtually the entire SEC for some time.
“This will require our best,” Napier said.
Georgia finished undefeated in league play during the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/embattled-coach-billy-napier-surging-220000806.html
Author : Orlando Sentinel
Publish date : 2024-10-28 22:00:00
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