Georgia Football: Game-by-game predictions for 2017
This is the game that Smart and the Bulldogs will have circled on their calendars, and for good reason — the Gators are the defending SEC East champions, and to have any hope of making it to the SEC Championship game this season, the Dawgs will almost certainly need to emerge from Jacksonville with a win.
It won’t be easy. As per usual, Jim McElwain’s Gators don’t look very flashy, but they should be rock-solid on defense once again. All signs point to a low-scoring, field position-intensive battle between the top two teams in the East. Sophomore kicker Rodrigo Blankenship will get a chance to shine, as the Dawgs will need every point they can get in this one.
This one will come down to the wire. UGA gets some late punt return heroics from sophomore cornerback Mecole Hartman en route to the game’s winning touchdown, and Dominick Sanders ices the game with an interception on the Gators’ last drive. The Dawgs are the victors in The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, and virtually lock up an SEC East title.