Georgia coach Kirby Smart has spent a decade building the Bulldogs’ defense into a monster, but the Gators have an inside agent: offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner.
For the first time since 2020, No. 17 Florida (5-2, 3-2 SEC) and No. 3 Georgia (6-1, 4-1 SEC) will meet in their annual rivalry game both ranked, with SEC and College Football Playoff implications on the line Saturday in Atlanta.
In Monday’s press conference, Smart said Faulkner is “one of the best offensive minds in the country” and called his schemes “really hard to defend.”
Faulkner is not just a crafty offensive mind. He was on Georgia’s coaching staff from 2020 to 2022. During those years he sat in film rooms as an offensive analyst, serving as the bridge between offensive coordinators and quarterbacks. Because his schemes were run against the Georgia defense, he became familiar with how to attack it.
Faulkner then coached at Georgia Tech from 2023 to 2025. In the three games where he called plays against the Bulldogs, the Yellow Jackets had just two three-and-outs.
In the 2024 game between the two teams, Faulkner’s offense racked up 563 total yards against a Georgia roster that included 17 players now on NFL rosters. It was the most yards Georgia has given up in a game with Smart as head coach.
Faulkner’s playcalling is not typical for an offensive coordinator. He doesn’t run a standard, static offense. He uses a high-motion framework that keeps defenses guessing and forces linebackers to think before the snap rather than just attack. That approach has helped the Gators’ offense jump from 21.6 points per game in 2025 to 39.6 this season.
One part of Florida’s offense that isn’t often highlighted is ball control. The Gators average 33:10 in time of possession, 10th in FBS. That keeps opposing offenses cold on the sideline while the clock runs.
For Saturday’s game plan, running back Jadan Baugh will be the cornerstone of the offense. The nation’s leader in rushing touchdowns fits Faulkner’s physical run scheme, which is built to test Georgia’s gap discipline.
When the running game is strong, it opens up everything else. Florida’s passing game has a 70.6% completion rate, 10th in FBS. The offense also ranks 13th in the country in red-zone efficiency, scoring on 93.9% of its trips.
For Florida to walk out of Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday with a massive rivalry win, it won’t require a miracle. It will require Faulkner to unleash his blueprint against a defense he knows all too well.
