Written by Ryan Lippert
As we head into week ten of the college football season, the race for the Southeastern Conference title has come down to four teams. Those four teams are the Alabama Crimson Tide, LSU Tigers, Florida Gators, and Georgia Bulldogs. College football fans are in for a treat as two of these teams face off with a chance to put themselves in a position to play in Atlanta in the SEC Championship Game. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at this week’s SEC Game of the Week and battle for the SEC East title between the #6 Florida Gators and #8 Georgia Bulldogs.
Fromm Looks to Rebound From Two Straight Sloppy Games
Coming into the season, Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm was considered as a top Heisman candidate and 2020 first-round draft prospect. While he isn’t in the Heisman race, he has played well enough to keep himself in the first round discussion, throwing for 1,406 yards, nine touchdowns, and three interceptions so far.
While those numbers look good, things have been rough for Fromm in his last two games. First, he had the upset loss at home against South Carolina in which he threw only one touchdown and threw all three of his interceptions. Then in Week 8 against Kentucky, they came away with a 21-0 victory but Fromm struggled, throwing for only 35 yards and no touchdowns.
This week, Fromm will look to bounce back on the road in a very hostile environment against a very stingy Florida defense. Their defense is rich in talent, led by future NFL draft picks in edge rusher Jabari Zuniga and cornerback C.J. Henderson. Florida’s secondary has been the main force driving this defense, only allowing 195.38 passing yards per game and eight passing touchdowns on the season. They have also come away with twelve interceptions so far.
If they can’t get going in the passing game, star running back D’Andre Swift will have to step up once again. Swift has had a great season so far, rushing for 752 yards and seven touchdowns, He also has an impressive backfield mate in Brian Herrien who has done his job when called on, rushing for 311 yards and five touchdowns this season. They will be facing a Florida defense that has allowed 124.1 rushing yards per game and seven rushing touchdowns so far.
Can Kyle Trask Lead This Gators Offense to Victory?
When you look at this Georgia Bulldogs defense, one thing stands out. That thing is that they have been an absolute force against the run. They have held their opponents to only 85.7 rushing yards per game and have not allowed a single rushing touchdown this season. This will be a huge challenge for Florida running back Lamical Perine to face as he only has 460 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the season.
Unless Perine can have a surprising breakout performance, the hands of Florida’s season and SEC Title hopes will lie in the hands of quarterback Kyle Trask this weekend. Trask has been very impressive so far this season after stepping in for the injured Feleipe Franks. He has thrown for 1.391 yards, 14 touchdowns, and only four interceptions in his first season as a starter since before high school. He will need a huge game from his receiving corps which holds five different targets with over 200 receiving yards each. They will be facing a Georgia defense that has been less impressive against the pass but still hasn’t been terrible. The Bulldogs secondary has allowed 181 passing yards per game with six passing touchdowns this season while coming away with five interceptions.
Final Predictions
With so much on the line, I believe this game is truly going to come down to the final quarter of play. Kyle Trask and his talented receivers will make plays early to keep Florida in this game. However, I don’t see them having any success running the ball and that is going to hurt them tremendously. I see the talent of this Georgia team taking over in the fourth quarter. Jake Fromm and D’Andre Swift will show the country why they are considered top-level prospects in the upcoming draft. Fromm will bounce back with big plays down the stretch and Swift will light it up in the stats book to lead this Georgia offense to victory. I have Georgia pulling away late to win this one 31-21 to likely claim the SEC East title and keep their names in the College Football Playoff discussion.