Aaron Philo will start at quarterback for the No. 17 Florida Gators in their SEC rivalry game against the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, according to a source familiar with the decision. The junior returns after a shoulder injury sidelined him for the Gators' 27-24 upset of then-No. 7 Texas two weeks ago.
Philo was injured in Florida's 38-19 loss to South Carolina on Oct. 10 and was available only in an emergency role against Texas. Tramell Jones Jr., who made his first career start against the Longhorns, completed 22 of 35 passes for 155 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Both quarterbacks were listed as questionable on the SEC's player availability report Thursday, and coach Jon Sumrall said there would be no formal announcement on a starter before the game.
The matchup serves as a homecoming for Philo, who led Prince Avenue Christian near Athens to consecutive state titles and broke Georgia's all-time high school passing record, previously held by Trevor Lawrence. Philo transferred from Georgia Tech to Florida following offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner and won the starting job over Jones in preseason competition. Through six starts this season, Philo has completed 70.5% of his passes for 1,341 yards, nine touchdowns, and three interceptions.
Florida (5-2, 3-2 SEC) climbed to No. 8 in the polls after a 4-0 start highlighted by a 52-28 win over then-No. 4 Ole Miss, but lost back-to-back games in October to Missouri (45-17) and South Carolina (38-19). The CBS Sports CFP Forecaster gives the Gators a 9.5% chance to reach the College Football Playoff, which would rise to 29% with an upset of Georgia.
Georgia (6-1, 4-1 SEC) enters the game after a 27-24 home loss to Auburn on a last-second field goal, followed by a bye week. The Bulldogs lead the SEC in scoring defense at 15.9 points per game and are one of two SEC teams with only one conference loss. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC. This is the first time the rivalry will be played in Atlanta, as the traditional venue, EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, undergoes renovations.
