georgia football jamon dumas johnson florida tennessee

ATHENS — It’s natural to wonder if Georgia might be looking past the Florida Gators this week. Georgia is a 22.5-point favorite against Florida, a 4-3 team. After the game against Florida, Georgia is set to host No. 3 Tennessee. Should both teams win, it will be the highest-ranked matchup in the history of Sanford Stadium.

These are 18 to 22-year-olds taking the field on Saturday, and the Georgia-Florida game has produced plenty of surprise results over the years.

But inside linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson made it very clear that not only is he focused on the Florida game, but coming out on top of this rivalry game.

“The rivalry means everything. To coach Smart, to the team, to the people last year. Even two years ago, we still go off on that, how we lost in 2020,” Dumas-Johnson said. “We still got a chip on our shoulder going into that game. We’re still trying to play for those seniors that lost in 2020.”

To put Dumas-Johnson’s comments into perspective, he was still a high school senior when Georgia lost 44-28 to Florida back in 2020. Saturday will be the first time Dumas-Johnson starts in this game, as he was a backup in the 34-7 win over Florida last season.

Dumas-Johnson did play in the win and while Georgia left Jacksonville victorious, the defense wasn’t able to keep Florida out of the end zone. A late score by Emory Jones spoiled a shutout that Dumas-Johnson was still thinking about this week.

“We won. We almost held them scoreless, and when we gave up the late touchdown the defense was pretty mad about those seven points we left on the field,” Dumas-Johnson said.

Florida is a different team than the one Georgia faced last season, with Billy Napier now coaching the Gators. Florida is one of the top rushing offenses in the country and has put impressive performances against Utah and Tennessee.

Slowing quarterback Anthony Richardson will be a key for the Georgia defense. And while the Florida defense has been one of the worst units in the SEC — the Gators rank 105th in the country in yards per play allowed — defensive linemen like Brenton Cox and Gervon Dexter will make things difficult for Georgia.

As was the case against Oregon and South Carolina, a fast start would make life very difficult for the opposing Gators. It could also put the game to bed early, allowing Georgia to get in and out of Jacksonville with another win.

“We know the kind of game it’s going to be when we play Florida,” safety Chris Smith said. “It’s a very big rivalry. We can’t go in this game dwelling on our past. We have to focus on the gameplan this week. I was on the field when we lost to them two years ago. It’s always a tough game when we play those guys and we have to be prepared.”

Georgia isn’t the only team with a potential trap game that doubles as a rivalry game. Tennessee is taking on No. 18 Kentucky. The Wildcats have a defense that could keep Tennessee in check, though the Volunteers do have the luxury of playing at home.

Both teams are double-digit favorites this week. But Georgia very much is focused on the task at hand.

“This game is really important. We can’t really relax on anything, these Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s are what makes us who we are,” Dumas-Johnson said. “We have to come out fast. Whoever is the more physical team is going to come out on top.”

Jamon Dumas-Johnson still mad about 2020 Florida loss

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