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Florida, Georgia clash for SEC East lead

Nov 1, 2008 - 10:54 AM (7) Florida (6-1) vs. (8) Georgia (7-1), 3:30 pm EDT

JACKSONVILLE, Florida (Ticker) -- Florida coach Urban Meyer has ordered a media blackout, refusing to let his players talk about Georgia - the Gators' upcoming opponent.

It's that time of year again - the week of the game formerly known as the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.

Saturday's annual grudge match between the seventh-ranked Gators and eighth-ranked Bulldogs could decide the Southeastern Conference's East Division title. The bitter rivals are tied atop the division with only three league games remaining.

Despite Georgia's 42-30 victory last season victory last season, Florida has dominated the series in recent years, winning 15 of last 19 meetings. The Bulldogs (7-1, 4-1 SEC East) have not won consecutive games against the Gators (6-1, 4-1) since 1989.

This could be the biggest game in the series since 1985, when Georgia upset top-ranked Florida, 24-3. Both teams entered this year's contest ranked in the top 10 for only the fourth time in the 77-year history of the rivalry.

In last year's meeting, Georgia's Matthew Stafford passed for three touchdowns and Knowshon Moreno rushed for a career-high 188 yards and three scores.

The Bulldogs also sacked Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, the eventual Heisman Trophy winner, six times.

The game featured a controversial moment when 70 Georgia players stormed off the bench to celebrate in the end zone following the Bulldogs' first score a 1-yard run by Moreno in the first quarter.

Coming off a lackluster win over Vanderbilt the week before, the Bulldogs responded to coach Mark Richt's pregame challenge to play with more emotion, and were willing to take an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty to prove a point.

With the Gators primed for revenge, Meyer doesn't want to give the Bulldogs any bulletin board material.

"We've been hearing about (the celebration penalty) since that (Florida) game was over," Georgia linebacker Rennie Curran told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "We know (the Gators) are going to use that play to get fired up."

Both teams enter the game with loads of confidence following impressive wins last week.

The Bulldogs hammered defending national champion Louisiana State, 52-38, in Baton Rouge as Moreno rushed for 163 yards on 21 carries, including a 68-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

Florida did its part by drubbing Kentucky, 63-5, the Gators' 22nd straight win over the Wildcats.

Tebow passes for two touchdowns and ran for two others. The junior tied Emmitt Smith's school record with 36 career rushing touchdowns.

The Bulldogs and Gators have each won three in a row since they both lost on September 27. Georgia fell to Alabama, 41-30, and Florida was edged by Mississippi, 31-30.

The Bulldogs hold a 47-37-2 lead in one of the South's most storied rivalries.