GEORGIA

Bickering defense or fired up defense?

“We’re playing too soft as a defense." By now you've read that quote by Georgia safety Shawn Williams.

One of the team's senior defensive captains lit into the underwhelming unit Monday night in a way few college players ever do in public.

“Personally, if I was the coaches, I can’t tell them what to do, but I’d have Amarlo Herrera in the game more,” Williams said of Georgia’s starting Mike linebacker. “I wouldn’t bring him out. . . . I want to see Amarlo (Herrera) and (Alec) Ogletree in the game at linebacker; I don’t want to see anybody else at linebacker. I feel like they’re two guys that are going to go out and give you all they got, no matter if they mess up or do right. I feel like they’re going to get to the ball and tackle. That’s what we need.”

In so many words, the other linebackers, Mike Gillard and Christian Robinson were unofficially called out.

“As a man, I wasn’t hurt at all. I felt disrespected. And, yes, I definitely took it personally," said Gillard who added there are no issues between him and Williams, but the comments did "add fuel to the fire."

As for Robinson, “No one wants to hear they’re soft.”

So this can go one of two ways.

Either Williams knows exactly what he's doing, or there will be a lot of finger pointing and "every man for himself" syndrome.

Maybe Williams found the right Zippo lighter to fire up the group. But let's face it, there is a lot of truth in what was said.

Georgia's defense was one of the best in the country last season. This year, their numbers have plunged.

The Dawgs are ranked 47th in total defense (367.43 yards per game), 72nd against the run (167.86) and 49th in scoring (24.14 ppg).

The struggles stopping the run are most alarming. They'll have to figure it out against the Gators who are rushing for more than 200 yards  a game.

Uprights can be your friend, just not a very good one 

Let's see Marshall Morgan hit a moving goal post?

Hurricane Sandy will not make landfall in Jacksonville, but I can tell you her winds will make a huge difference.

Friday the winds were blowing about 25 mph and making the goalpost shake and sway. Imagine what it's going to do to a kick?

Marshall Morgan "leads the nation hit uprights," said Coach Mark Richt. That is hard to prove, but the freshman kicker has struggled to keep them between -- or off -- the uprights at times.

Morgan has missed four extra points so far this season. The good news for the Dawgs is when they back him up a little bit. The man from Ft. Lauderdale is 5-of-6 on field goals and has hit two 50 yarders.

Morgan could face the biggest kicks of his life tomorrow. But Sandy won't exactly make it easy (unless her winds are at his back and then he could hit from really deep). 

To add to the pressure, the Gators might have the best kicking duo in the country.

Last week against the Gamecocks, sophomore punter Kyle Christy set a school record with a 54.3-yard average. Christy leads the nation with a 47.9-yard punting average. 

Kicker Caleb Sturgis has made 12 of 14 field-goal attempts this season, including both from beyond 50 yards.  

Winning the big, big game

We've all heard how Aaron Murray beats up on the bad teams and can't put it together when it's all out in front of him. Same thing for the other Dawgs of the last few years.

Well here it is.

Georgia hasn't won a game this big since they beat No. 3 LSU in the SEC Championship in 2005. It gets a little ugly from there.

The last time the Dawgs beat a top 5 team was when the stunned No. 5 Auburn 37-15 in 2006.

Since 2000 those are the only two wins the Dawgs have had against Top 5 teams. Georgia is 2-8 in that span and they have lost their last six.

Now, of course, no one looks good against Top 5 teams because, that's why they are in the Top 5. But since 2009, the Georgia only played No. 4 LSU close (20-13 loss. The infamous A.J. Green celebration game).

And while we are pouring it on, the Dawgs have not beaten a Florida team ranked this high since I was born in 1985. The Gators were ranked No. 1 and Georgia No. 17. Dawgs 27, Florida 3.

So there you go. This one is kind of big.

FLORIDA

Who saw this coming?

None of the illustrious voting members of the media saw a Florida season going this well. The Gators were ranked No. 23 in the AP and Coaches Polls to start the season.

But that was with good reason.

Florida was coming off a 7-6 season in which they were lucky to break .500 with a win over Ohio State in the Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl (when a tax slayer is involved, your football season probably hasn't been a good one).

Those kind of season put your head coach on the hot seat after one season.

But Georgia Alum Will Muschamp has left little doubt now.

The Gators are unbeaten and are doing it against one of the toughest schedules around.

Florida is one of two teams in the county with wins against three ranked teams (No. 23 Tennessee, No. 4 LSU, No. 9 S. Carolina).  Plus, Florida is the only school to beat two top 10 teams.

And the reason for that is....

Defense.

This crew can play.

(Believe it or not I've got a few stats).

Their rush defense ranks No. 10 in the country (97.9 yards per game). Pass defense is No. 20 (181). Total defense No. 7 (282). Scoring defense No. 4 (12 points per game). Turnover margin is plus-11 (the best for the Gators since they won the title in 2008).

So it won't come easy for the Dawgs.

CB Loucheiz Purifoy is one of the leaders. The sophomore is fourth on the team in tackles and forced the fumble to start the game against South Carolina. He also plays WR.

LB John Bostic is second on the team with 27 tackles, but is tops with six tackles for loss and three sacks.

The next Tim Tebow?

Ok that's just crazy talk, but that has sentence has been uttered when talking about QB Jeff Driskel.

The sophomore is big and he is a dual-threat. Driskel is second on the team with 321 rushing yards (4.9 per carry, 4 TDs). He's thrown for 929 yards (67 percent), plus he's got 8 TDs to one interception.

He threw for four TDs in the 44-11 beat down of USC last week, and has scored seven TDs in the last two games.

He also ran for 177 yards against Vandy, breaking Tim Tebow's school record for rushing yards by a QB.

The Dawgs have not stopped anyone running's game this season. They did handle Missouri QB James Franklin in week 2, but didn't really get in Connor Shaw's way in the South Carolina debacle.

But if they can figure out how to slow down Driskel, this thing might go much easier.