Florida Football: 3 takeaways from tough SEC East loss to Georgia

3. Georgia defense shut down the Florida ground game

Florida was unable to do just about anything on the ground. Part of that came down to playing from behind. But part of why they were playing from behind was an inability to move the ball on the ground. This might sound like a paradox. If anything, it was really just a self-fulfilling prophecy for the Gators on Saturday evening in Jacksonville.

While Kyle Trask had a solid day passing the ball, finishing 21-of-33 for 257 yards and a pair of touchdowns, the backfield crumpled against the Bulldogs on neutral turf. Carrying the ball 19 times, the team combined for 21 net rushing yards. That is in no way the mark of a College Football Playoff contender, and it will be tough to win out if the Gators keep putting up anemic rushing displays like this.

Georgia came into the game as one of the best defenses in the country against the run. Entering Week 10, the Bulldogs gave up just more than 85 yards per game to rank top-five nationally and first in the SEC in rushing defense. They lived up to that billing in a big way against the Gators, clamping down and preventing them from getting any momentum that didn’t rely on Trask’s arm.