Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, quarterback Stetson Bennett and safety Christopher Smith spoke to the media on Monday, Oct. 24. Here are some key takeaways.

A fierce rivalry

This weekend will mark the 101st meeting of Georgia and Florida in football, and Smith said facing the Gators is always a tough task.

“You know the kind of game it is going to be whenever we play Florida,” Smith said. “They are a big rivalry. We can’t go into this game focusing on our past. We have to go into this game and this week being able to execute. I was on the field when we lost it two years ago. Last year was a tough game, although the score did not reflect that, it is always a tough game when we are able to play those guys.”

Bennett said the records of the teams don’t matter in a rivalry game of this nature.

“You can throw records out the window, more so than any other game on our schedule when we go down there and play Florida,” Bennett said. “I think Coach (Billy) Napier is building a good program. I loved him when he was at Louisiana. They are always going to be a force to be reckoned with down there.”

Preparing for Florida’s strengths

Smart spoke highly of Gators’ quarterback Anthony Richardson, particularly his athleticism.

“Some of the runs he’s had have been better than backs have across the country,” Smart said. “And he’s had 60 and 70-yard runs. and he can take off at any point in time and you don’t know who’s going to have him or who can get him down. He’s got elite arm talent in terms of strength. They clean things up for him on a lot of reads. and he does a really nice job.”

In last year’s Georgia-Florida game, Richardson completed 12 of 20 pass attempts for 82 yards and two interceptions, adding 12 carries for 26 yards on the ground with a fumble lost.

Smart also praised Florida’s defensive front.

“Extremely disruptive,” Smart said. “You know, the size and girth in the middle is what you want in the SEC, to control run games and control the A and B gaps. and then they still got the edge guys with Brenton, being probably the most disruptive guy that we’ve played in terms of just violence, striking, knock-back, setting edges, affecting the quarterback. He’s a game-breaker at that.”

Injury updates

Georgia is dealing with injuries to several key players, including linebacker Smael Mondon, wide receiver AD Mitchell, defensive lineman Jalen Carter and running back Kendall Milton.

Smart provided updates on those players on Monday.

“Smael was able to practice towards the end of the week and did a good job. Didn’t see him, really, yesterday in terms of doing anything. So Smael looked good towards the end of last week,” Smart said. “Jalen and AD, like I said last week, weren’t really practicing with us. Trying to get back. We’re hopeful to get those guys back, but still don’t know. and Kendall was able to practice non contact on — I guess it was Thursday, the last practice we had. So we’re expecting him to be able to go today.”

Which of these four players, if any, end up playing on Saturday is a storyline that bears watching going into the Florida game. All have been key contributors when on the field for Georgia this season.