JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Greetings from Everbank Field. We are less than an hour away from kickoff, and fans continue to file into the stadium for the annual matchup between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Florida Gators.

The Bulldogs head into this year’s game with momentum on their side, coming in on a five-game win streak. The Gators, on the other hand, have suffered losses in three consecutive contests — though those defeats came to three tough SEC West foes in Alabama, LSU and Auburn, respectively.

Regardless of each team’s record this season, when these two square off, Florida nearly always ends up on top, including three straight and 18 of the last 21.

Despite all of his success at Georgia —which includes two SEC championships and 101 victories — Bulldogs head coach Mark Richt has not been able to turn the tide against the Gators, winning only twice in 10 career meetings with Florida. He and the Bulldogs are looking to start to change that today as they continue to try to keep pace with the South Carolina Gamecocks for first place in the SEC East.

2:57 — Let’s delve into a few things before the two teams “tee it up.”

First, let’s look at two important players battling injuries:

John Brantley, Florida quarterback

Brantley has not played since he injured his ankle during the first half of the Gators’ 38-10 loss to Alabama on Oct. 1.

The Gators’ offense has struggled mightily in his absence, scoring only 17 points in the last 10 quarters since his injury occurred.

His likely return today would be a big boost for both Florida’s offense and the team as a whole.

Malcolm Mitchell, Georgia wide receiver

Mitchell, the Bulldogs’ leading receiver in terms of receptions (25) and yards (438) did not make the trip down to Jacksonville, meaning he will not be available to play on Saturday.

After tweaking his hamstring in Georgia’s 20-12 victory over Tennessee on Oct. 8, Mitchell sat out the following week’s game against Vanderbilt.

Mitchell and the coaching staff hoped Georgia’s off week last week would help Mitchell’s hamstring heal enough to where he would be ready to go against the Gators. However, that apparently  is not the case, and the Bulldogs will need to hope other receivers (i.e. Marlon Brown, Michael Bennett, etc.) can step up and fill the void.

3:18 — One of my favorite stats from this rivalry is that the team’s don’t agree on what the all-time series record is.

Florida lists Georgia leading the series 46-40-2, while Georgia counts an additional victory for itself, reflecting the series to be 47-40-2 in its favor.

3:27 — Let’s delve into some other stats, just a little over 11 minutes before the game is set to start.

Georgia holds the advantage in scoring offense (32.29 to 26.86), total offense (411.14 to 353.71) and passing offense (248.71 to 178), while the Gators own the edge in rushing yards per contest (175.71 to 162.43).

This game also features two of the best defenses in the nation, with both ranking in the top-11 in the NCAA in total defense, as the Bulldogs come in at sixth (272.86 yards allowed per game) with the Gators close behind in 11th (289.14 yards allowed per game). The two defensive units also rank in the top-9 in the NCAA in the pass defense department, Florida in sixth (168.43 yards per game) and Georgia in ninth (171.00 yards per game).

3:33 — I am now contractually obligated to mention — in case you weren’t aware — that Georgia defensive tackle Kwame Geathers as well as strong safety Shawn Williams are suspended for the first half due to their actions in Georgia’s victory over Vanderbilt on Oct. 15.

3:37 — Florida won the coin toss and elected to receive to open the game.

3:40 —  Note: We will now switch over to the game clock instead of the actual time for the reminder of the blog.

1st QUARTER

15:00 — Chris Rainey returns the ball past half field on the opening kickoff for Florida, but the Gators are called for a hold and are forced to start their drive from their own 7-yard line.

Halfback Jeff Demps gets the Gators some breathing room, though, taking a pass from quarterback John Brantley 72 yards down to the Georgia 21-yard line.

14:04 — The Gators offense stalled at the Bulldogs’ 21-yard line, throwing three straight incomplete passes and coming up empty on their opening possession after kicker Brad Phillips’ 38-yard attempt sailed wide right.

12:00 — Georgia’s initial possession did not go much better, picking up only 21 yards before it was forced to punt the ball back to Florida.

7:34 — And the Gators strike first. Brantley connects with redshirt sophomore tight end Jordan Reed on a 31-yard touchdown pass on 4th-and-19 to put the first points of the day on the board and give the Gators a 7-0 lead after Phillips’ PAT.

Reed’s TD reception was his first this season, capping an 11-play, 80-yard drive for the Gators.

6:51 — Florida cornerback Marcus Roberson keeps the Gators’ momentum going, intercepting Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray on a tipped pass to give the Gators the ball on Georgia’s 13-yard line.

4:40 — The Gators are unable to capitalize on the turnover and the excellent field position. Trey Burton was tackled for a four-yard loss on first down, and Brantley was sacked on consecutive plays on second and third down. The Gators were then flagged for a false start, giving them 4th-and-35 from the Georgia 38-yard line. Florida coach Will Muschamp elected to punt the ball back to the Bulldogs instead of going for it on fourth down for the second straight drive.

0:00 — Georgia will open the second quarter with 2nd-and-9 from the Florida 16-yard line.

The Bulldogs’ drive began at their own 20-yard line, and has been bolstered by a 22-yard run by Isaiah Crowell, a 15-yard facemask penalty on Florida, a 15-yard reception by Marlon Brown and a key third-down catch by Michael Bennett to give Georgia its most recent set of fresh downs.

2nd QUARTER

13:28 — Georgia kicker Blair Walsh knocks in a 32-yard attempt to score the first points of the day for the Bulldogs to cut Florida’s lead to 7-3.

13:16 — What was that I said about the Bulldogs cutting into the Gators’ lead? Jeff Demps returns the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown, blazing past Bulldog defenders untouched into the endzone. Florida is now up 14-3.

10:06 — After a listless drive by the Bulldogs, the Gators take the ball back and move down the field for another score, a 43-yard field goal by Phillips to extend Florida’s advantage to 17-3.

3:44 — Blair Walsh’s struggles continue. The Georgia kicker pushes his 33-yard attempt wide right, making the Bulldogs’ 14-play, six-plus-minutes drive a moot point.

1:28 — If Georgia comes back to win, Michael Bennett’s HUGE 20-yard touchdown catch on 4th-and-5 will be a play many will cite as the turning point. Walsh’s extra point is true, and the score now stands at 17-10 in Florida’s favor.

Gators halfback Chris Rainey’s fumble on the previous possession helped the Bulldogs on the score, losing the ball at his own 25-yard line.

0:00 — The first half ends with a sack of Brantley by defensive end Abry Jones as time expires.

The Gators are up 17-10 headed into the locker room, but the Bulldogs will receive the kickoff to open the second half of play.

I will now turn over live-blogging duties to my colleague Nick Fouriezos for the remainder of the game.

3rd QUARTER

13:00 - Bulldogs first drive of the second half stalls at mid-field. Butler’s punt goes 42 yards and is downed by Blake Sailors on the Florida 1-yard line.

10:49 - After two stuffed run plays, the Florida offense tries a fake-fullback dive, pitch out to running back Chris Rainey. A Bulldog defender tried to tackle him for the safety, but Rainey ran up the middle for a six-yard gain before being taken down. The ensuing punt is downed at the Georgia 45, where the Bulldogs will begin their next possession. 4-18, 1:46

7:46 - On 4th-and-6, the Bulldogs dare to go for it and score on a 14-yard pass from Aaron Murray to Tavarres King, on a play that was reminiscent of Bennett’s leaping grab earlier in the game. 

King caught the jump ball over his defender’s head, then held onto it as he fell hard into the endzone turf. The play was helped by another huge play by Jarvis Jones, who caused a fumble and started the drive for the offense in Georgia territory. 4 plays for 18 yards, running 1:46 off the clock.

4:54 – The Gators convert on a 43-yard field goal by Brad Phillips to go ahead 20-17. 

The field goal attempt was set up by a huge kickoff return by Andre Dubose, who brought the ball to the Georgia 26-yard line. 4 plays for 4 yards, running 1:06 off the clock.

1:00 - Blair Walsh misses a 36-yard field goal wide right. The score would have tied the game, but the Gators will now start their drive from the 20-yard line.

0:00- End of the third quarter.

4th QUARTER