Sunday Press Conference

FOOTBALL

Looking to build off the momentum of a five-game win streak, the Dawgs will begin preparations for their contest against the Florida Gators in Jacksonville on Saturday.

“We know it’s a big game,” coach Mark Richt said Sunday. “We know it’s big for a lot of reasons for us this year. A lot of our fans will ask me in the offseason if we are going to beat Florida. That’s the goal, but what I hope more than anything is when we get to that game that it is meaningful in the SEC Eastern Division race, which it is right now. That is what we are thrilled about, but we know we haven’t had a lot of success in Jacksonville lately, so we have our work cut out for us.”

Standing at 5-2 overall and 4-1 in conference play, Georgia is now ranked 21st in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll and 22nd in the AP Poll.

“I think it is a good thing,” Richt said. “Once you get in the polls you try to stay there. It’s hard to see progress unless you are in there, although I knew we were making progress. When it comes to media coverage, especially on the networks that cover college football, they tend to spend a lot of time on the top 25 teams, so hopefully we can stay there for a while.”

The Dawgs will welcome the return of inside linebacker Alec Ogletree for the Florida game, as Richt said that he plans to have him in the starting lineup but unsure who the other starting inside linebacker will be at this time. Wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell and free safety Baccari Rambo are also expected to play, but unsure if junior Rantavious Wooten will return from a concussion.

At 4-3 overall and 2-3 in the SEC, Florida is coming off of a three-game slide after losing to Auburn 6-17 on October 15th. Georgia will have to face the challenge of not knowing what quarterback will start for the Gators, as John Brantley, Jeff Driskel and Jacoby Brissett have all seen time at the position.

“It is difficult no doubt,” Richt said of the preparations. “The only thing I guess is good is that we will have video on all three of the quarterbacks who have played. We don’t know really who is going to play or who is going to start, so we are just going to have a plan for whoever is in there and try to get as much information as we can going into the game.”

Saturday’s match-up is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. and will be televised on CBS.