Chris Cole turned Georgia’s biggest defensive break into six points, and the Bulldogs kept rolling from there.
Cole turned a fumble recovery into a 66-yard touchdown late in the first half, one of four Florida turnovers in No. 3 Georgia’s 27-8 win over No.
17 Florida on Saturday in Atlanta. It was Cole’s second long fumble return of the season after he scored on an 85-yarder against Oklahoma on Sept.
Georgia (7-1, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) answered its last-second 27-24 loss to Auburn on Oct. 17 with a clean rivalry performance, while Florida (5-3, 3-3) couldn’t follow up its 27-24 upset of No. 7 Texas with another top-10 win.
The Bulldogs controlled the ground game from start to finish, outrushing Florida 217-48 and extending their rivalry winning streak to six straight.
Florida’s quarterback situation never settled. Aaron Philo, back in the lineup after missing the Texas game with a right shoulder injury, was benched after two interceptions.
One came on an underhanded throw while he was under pressure and was picked off by Ellis Robinson IV. The other was a high pass that slipped through Eric Singleton Jr.’s hands before Demello Jones intercepted it.
Jones then had his own problems after replacing Philo. Late in the first half, Tramell Jones Jr., Florida’s second quarterback, was sacked by Quintavius Johnson and lost the ball, with Cole scooping it up and scoring. Later, after leading a long third-quarter drive, Jones had a pass from the Georgia 3 intended for Singleton intercepted in the end zone by Braylon Conley.
Georgia had already built a 24-0 halftime lead behind 1-yard touchdown runs from Bo Walker and Nate Frazier. Florida’s offense, meanwhile, never found much traction, especially with Jadan Baugh bottled up for 38 yards on 17 carries. The Atlanta native entered the day leading the SEC with 13 rushing touchdowns.
The Gators did finally break through in the fourth quarter after Georgia’s first turnover. Talyn Taylor fumbled after a short catch when hit by DJ Coleman, and Myles Graham returned the loose ball 42 yards.
Jones later connected with Luke Harpring on a 23-yard fourth-down play to help set up his 2-yard touchdown run, ending Georgia’s bid for a shutout. Baugh then threw to Dallas Wilson for the 2-point conversion.
With the roof closed at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the game that’s usually played as the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party became an indoor one. The usual neutral-site setting in Jacksonville, Florida, wasn’t available because of renovations at EverBank Stadium. Next year’s meeting is set for Tampa Bay before the rivalry returns to Jacksonville.
There was a 50-50 ticket split in Atlanta, though Georgia seemed to have the edge in the crowd, with scattered red shirts showing up in Florida seating sections.
Florida also had five penalties for 60 yards in the first half, another layer of self-inflicted damage that made the comeback path even steeper. The Gators were without wide receiver Vernell Brown III for the fourth straight game because of a sprained right knee.
For Georgia, coach Kirby Smart came out aggressive from the jump, keeping the offense on the field on a fourth-and-1 from the Georgia 34 on the opening drive. Frazier picked up 3 yards, but the series ended with Peyton Woodring missing a 43-yard field goal.
Gunner Stockton completed 13 of 23 passes for 101 yards and even outrushed Florida in the first half, running for 40 yards while the Gators managed 39. Georgia also played without running back Chauncy Bowens, who has a foot injury, and wide receiver Thomas Blackshear, who is dealing with a collarbone injury.
Florida will host Oklahoma on Saturday. Georgia’s next test comes against another ranked opponent, a trip to No. 12 Mississippi, which beat Auburn 45-15.
In Other News...
Tim Tebow Calls Out What Had Florida Falling Apart Vs Georgia
Floridas trip to Jacksonville got away from it fast, and by halftime the problems were plain enough for Tim Tebow and Roman Harper to pick apart on the broadcast. The Gators were staring at a 24-0 deficit, and the story of the first half was less about one bad break than a steady unraveling built on turnovers, penalties and Georgia controlling the clock.
Two interceptions and a fumble returned for a touchdown by Chris Cole left Florida with little margin for error and even less momentum. Tebow and Harper pointed to the need for cleaner execution and suggested the offense might need more quarterback runs to change the rhythm in the second half, a reminder that the Gators were searching for answers as much as points. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Blew Another Georgia Shot Before The Game Even Started
Floridas latest meeting with Georgia brought another round of questions about the quarterback plan, and this time the answer came before the game had really settled in. Jon Sumrall opened with Aaron Philo under center, a choice that carried obvious risk given the concerns around his readiness, and the early offense never found much footing as the Gators struggled to protect the ball and get into any kind of rhythm.
After Philos second interception, Sumrall turned to Tramell Jones in an attempt to steady things, but by then Florida was already digging out of a hole it could not climb out of. The turnovers fed directly into a 31-8 loss, leaving the Gators to sort through not just another defeat to Georgia, but a decision at quarterback that shaped the game long before the final score did. [Read more 🡒]
Floridas Georgia Upset Hopes Suddenly Hinge On One Late Question
Florida heads to Atlanta with a familiar kind of pressure hanging over this rivalry game, and the latest wrinkle is the status of wide receiver Vernell Brown III. After being downgraded to questionable on the injury report, Brown has become one of the key variables in a matchup where Florida already needs things to break right on both sides of the ball. The Gators are trying to solve a Georgia defense that can make life difficult for any offense, and Browns availability matters because Florida will need as much reliable production as it can get.
On the other side, Floridas upset path also depends on whether its blitz-heavy approach can bother Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton enough to tilt the game. The Gators have spent plenty of time looking for ways to create disruption, but the margin for error against Georgia is thin, especially if Florida is shorthanded at receiver. With so much of the preview tied to one late injury question and one defensive gamble, the buildup to Atlanta has a very specific kind of tension to it. [Read more 🡒]