No. 5 Georgia looks to maintain control of the ‘Cocktail Party’ against regrouping Florida

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Georgia’s season has been a tale of resiliency.

The fifth-ranked Bulldogs have trailed at halftime in four of their five Southeastern Conference games. They dialed up defense down the stretch, made plays in crunch time and pulled out three of those to stay in the hunt for the SEC championship game and the College Football Playoff.

Whether it’s talent, coaching or a little bit of luck, those experiences should help in the final month of the regular season. Georgia’s playoff push begins Saturday against regrouping Florida in the rivalry known as the “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.”

“If you can’t get up for a game like this, you don’t need to be playing,” Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart said.

Georgia (6-1, 4-1 SEC) has won four in a row and seven of eight in the neutral-site series played in Jacksonville. Only one of those eight was even close, a 24-17 victory for the Gators in 2019.

No one knows what to expect from this one. Georgia is a 7 1/2-point favorite, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.

Florida (3-4, 2-2) fired coach Billy Napier following its last game, a 23-21 home victory against Mississippi State, and used a bye week to rally behind interim coach Billy Gonzales. Gonzales made no staff changes, but have the Gators tweaked enough behind the scenes to make a difference on the field and in the rivalry?

“At the end of the day, the message is simple: You can’t be thinking about if you’re leaving or if you’re staying,” receiver J. Michael Sturdivant said. “You have to focus on what’s going on today and how you can help the team win.”

Key losses for the Gators

Florida will be without two of its best receivers, Vernell Brown III and Aidan Mizell. Both were ruled out Wednesday. Brown leads the team with 32 catches for 451 yards. Mizell had been coming on lately, with 11 receptions for 107 yards and a touchdown.

With them sidelined, freshman Dallas Wilson, Tre Wilson, Sturdivant and TJ Abrams will be asked to do more against the Bulldogs.

A very different Georgia defense

The Bulldogs rank last in the SEC with eight sacks, the first time they’ve sat at the bottom of the league in any defensive category during Smart’s 10-year tenure in Athens. Georgia also sits 14th in third-down defense and 12th in pass defense.

Smart emphasized better tackling and getting off to best starts during the team’s bye week.

“It just comes down to execution,” Georgia linebacker CJ Allen said. “Executing at the right time and eye discipline.”

‘Cocktail Party’ taking a break from Jacksonville

This matchup marks the last one in Jacksonville until 2028. The rivalry will break from its traditional home and be played at NFL venues while EverBank Stadium is undergoing a $1.4 billion renovation.

The “Cocktail Party” will relocate to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta next year and to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa in 2027. The game is expected to return to Jacksonville on a multiyear contract.

Atlanta was the obvious choice for Georgia’s home game in 2006, while Orlando, Miami and Tampa bid on Florida’s home game in 2027.

The schools have played annually in Jacksonville since 1933, with a two-year hiatus while the Gator Bowl was being renovated before the Jaguars’ inaugural season. The game moved to Gainesville in 1994 and to Athens, Georgia, the following year.

“I like the home-and-home,” said Florida safety Bryce Thornton, whose father Bruce played running back at Georgia (2000-04). “I actually want to go up there and play. … I just think it’d be a different dynamic.”

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