The No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs and the No. 17 Florida Gators face off on Saturday in Atlanta in a crucial SEC showdown for both teams. With a win, the Gators would likely control their own destiny to the College Football Playoffs and would hold an important tiebreaker over the Bulldogs in conference play.

The Gators' offense runs through running back Jadan Baugh. Baugh went to high school about 10 miles east of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where Saturday's game kicks off at 3:30. He already has 763 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2026.

Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart understands to beat Florida, they'll have to contain Baugh. If Georgia can't get it done, it won't be because they were unprepared.

"We've shown our guys clips of him since the start of the year to kind of say, 'Are you practicing to tackle him? Or are you practicing to tackle who you're playing against?' We're driving the motivation that every day you're trying to prepare for the best. He's certainly done that. He's a talented young man," Smart said earlier this week.

Smart and the Bulldogs have seen Baugh before. He rushed for 72 yards and a touchdown last season, and he had 64 yards in 2024 as a freshman. However, this is the first time the Bulldogs will have faced Baugh under the new Gators' regime.

"Yeah, they got a great run scheme, and they got a great back to do it with," Smart said. "So when you can run the ball and know that your back's going to make people miss in the open field or break tackles by running through them, over them, around them, it certainly gives you the confidence to give him touches. And he's been incredible."

It will be a strength-on-strength matchup when the two teams meet up at 3:30 on ABC. Georgia currently has the No. 2 rushing defense in the SEC, giving up just 91.4 yards per game. Auburn was able to find success in the Bulldogs' last game with192 yards, and Alabama had 161 yards rushing the previous week.

The Gators rushed for 158 yards against the Longhorns in their previous game. Texas has the No. 4 rush defense in the conference. The Gators' defense has improved against the run, giving up just 105 yards to Texas, 40 fewer than the Longhorns' average.

Baugh is arguably the biggest star on offense on either side of the ball. He'll need a big game for the Gators to upset Georgia, and Kirby Smart is well aware.

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