ATHENS – Florida coach Dan Mullen promised to mention how impressed he was after coaching Kirby Smart on Tuesday, saying he was impressed with Georgia’s talent on defense.
Mullen may have been aware of how Smart took the umbrella earlier this season when Burn coach Gus Malzhan praised UGA’s talent level.
Related: Kirby calls smart goose Malzah for ‘coachspike’
Probably but, but likely, Mullen knows his 8th seeded Gators (3-1) will have a challenge on their hands against the 5th seeded Bulldogs (4-1) in the game at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. In Jacksonville.
“They have a talent level, in the back, and I don’t want to say that they’re just players, I think Kirby, they have a great defensive plan,” Mullen said at his Zoom press conference on Tuesday. Georgia Defense.
“They have the answers to the questions. He knows it inside and out. They do a good job of putting their boys in a good position to make plays, and they are not afraid to tweak. “
The last three meetings have had answers for the Bulldogs ’Gators, but there are also big questions about getting into this season’s matchup at Jacksonville in that defense.
All-American safety was limited after Richard Laconte crashed a dirt bike on Macon Highway on Halloween night and pulled Jordan Davis out of his nose or suffered an elbow injury, leaving him in a sling in Kentucky.
Smart said Tuesday he expects linebacker Quay Walker (neck) and safety Luis Cine (ankle) to return from injuries sustained in last Saturday’s 14-3 game in Kentucky.
Mullen, whose Gators did not enter the end zone for a touchdown until the fourth quarter of last season’s game, said Georgia has a variety of ways to defend.
“They can put big men in the game to stop the run; They can put pass rushers in the game to get pressure; They can play cover cover and man coverage; They may try to confuse you in different looks and different areas; “They blend it in a lot,” Mullen said.
“It’s a very good defensive football team, and it’s not something that makes them a great football team, it’s every level that makes them a really good defensive football team.”
Georgia-Florida Game Week
The man next to Georgia football, injury updates
Beat-up Georgia Florida opens as a favorite for the game
The latest poll features Bulldogs-Gators as the top 10 matchup
Competing week begins in NFL Javan Wims punches Gator
Wounded 4 Jordan Davis among defensive starters
Clock: Statson Bennett discusses his performance
Zamir White holds the record for the best day of his career
As Richard Lacont gets the Georgia football game ball in Kentucky
