Georgia Dominates Florida en Route to 43-20 Victory

Overly Creative Play Calling Cost the Gators Early

After the Gators went up early on Georgia in the first quarter on what was an impressive opening drive and then stopped Georgia in the red zone on defense to force a FG, the Gators had an opportunity to seize and build upon some momentum. Building and seizing momentum has been something that Gators head coach Billy Napier has harped on multiple times this season. 

The Gators came out on their second offensive drive and after RB Trevor Etienne rushed for 14 yards and 10 yards on back-to-back plays, opted to run a double reverse sweep play with WR Ricky Pearsall that was stopped for a loss of two. Etienne rushed again for three yards and then Florida QB Graham Mertz was sacked and fumbled, but it was recovered by RT Damieon George.

That double reverse sweep play derailed not just the offensive drive, but any momentum that the Gators were building. The Gators punted a few plays later and then a few plays after that Georgia WR Ladd McConkey scored from 41 yards out to give the lead back to the Bulldogs. 

After that, it was all downhill for Florida, which had an absolutely nightmarish second quarter. 

Nightmarish 2nd Quarter Sealed the Fate of the Gators 

The second quarter started with a questionable overturn upon replay review on a called first down catch by Florida WR Kahleil Jackson, forcing a decision to be made by Napier. Napier opted to go for it on 4th and inches from Florida’s own 31-yard line.

The play call was a direct snap between the legs of Mertz to Etienne who was then going to throw the ball to Pearsall. The play failed, though, as Etienne was pressured by a Georgia defender and was tackled for a loss.

The Bulldogs then scored on a Daijun Edwards TD from 20 yards out to make the score 17-7 shortly after that failed fourth down conversion. 

On the ensuing offensive drive for Florida, Mertz was sacked for a loss of nine yards on first down and was sacked again on second down, fumbled, and Georgia recovered on Florida’s 11-yard line. The Gators’ defense stuffed Georgia on three plays, but the Bulldogs went for it on 4th and goal and scored on an Edwards rush, making the game 24-7. 

Florida responded to that scoring drive with a three-and-out which included a rush of no gain from RB Montrell Johnson, a throw away by Mertz, and Mertz being sacked for a loss of six yards. Florida opted to punt and it was blocked by Georgia and it rolled through the back of the end zone for a safety, making the score 26-7 Bulldogs. 

Napier commented on the mistakes made in the first half in his postgame press conference Saturday.

“We made too many critical mistakes. I think, in particular, the two huge mistakes in the first half allowed the game to kind of get out of control to some degree,” Napier said.

That sequence of plays in the second quarter essentially put the game out of reach for the Gators given how the game was going. 

No Brock Bowers, No Problem for Georgia’s Offense 

Georgia lost one of the best players in college football in TE Brock Bowers to an ankle injury and it did not matter against the Gators. Georgia passed for 315 yards and rushed for 173 yards en route to scoring 43 points (41 technically if you don’t count the safety). 

Georgia being that efficient on offense without Bowers is a scary sight for the rest of the college football landscape as the Bulldogs look to three-peat as national champions. 

Gators Were Dominated On the Line of Scrimmage on Both Sides of the Ball

One of the biggest keys to this game for Florida getting an upset win was going to be winning the line of scrimmage battle. The Bulldogs simply dominated both sides of the line of scrimmage all game long.

Georgia QB Carson Beck wasn’t sacked all game long and had clean pockets to work from, allowing him to throw for 315 yards and two touchdowns. 

Georgia also ran the ball very well, rushing for 173 total yards and three touchdowns. Edwards torched the Gators once again, rushing the ball 18 times for 95 yards and two touchdowns, coming up 11 yards short of his total against the Gators a season ago. 

On the opposite side of the ball for the Gators, Mertz could not stay upright nor had a clean pocket to throw from throughout the majority of the game. The Gators saw the veteran of their offensive line, Kingsley Eguakun, return to the starting lineup after missing the past two games with his nagging ankle injury. However, Eguakun’s return didn’t do much for the Gators.

Mertz was sacked 4 times, one of which was a strip sack fumble recovered by the Bulldogs. 

The Gators were outmatched and pushed around by a much more talented and physical team.

The Talent Gap between Florida and Georgia is Still Wide 

This isn’t a complete shock to anyone in Gainesville, but the talent gap between both the Gators and Bulldogs is still quite wide. The final score of last year’s game was 42-20 and this year was nearly identical at 43-20, showing the large talent disparity between the two teams. The win also secured a new school record for Georgia, beating the Gators by 20 or more points for three consecutive years.

The Gators are actively trying to close that talent gap, who currently have a top-five recruiting class in the 2024 recruiting cycle (in some cases top-three depending on the recruiting service you reference), but Georgia is and was simply better in every facet of the game than Florida. 

Napier commented on catching up to Georgia when asked about the big picture revolving around this game and the standard upon which Georgia has built itself.

“I think this is the eighth year for Kirby. And, look, we’ve got work to do to chase them down. There’s no denying that. And we’re in the middle of that process, in the middle of that journey,” Napier said.

Florida WR Eugene Wilson III Breaks Florida Freshman Record for Receptions

One player that stood out on offense for Florida was true freshman WR Eugene Wilson III, who broke the Florida school record for receptions in a game with 11 catches for 75 yards and a TD.

After the opening drive that saw Wilson III catch a pass for 27 yards to start the drive, another pass for nine yards a few plays later, and a 25-yard TD to end the drive, it appeared the Gators would be firing on all cylinders on offense. Even though that wasn’t the case last the game went on, players like Wilson III are who the Gators need on their roster to close the talent gap on Georgia.

Gators LB Shemar James Re-Aggravates Injury from High School

Before the game even began, Florida’s leading tackler on defense, LB Shemar James, injured his knee in pregame warm-ups after slipping on the TIAA Bank turf that had just been re-sodded.

James played through the injury with a brace on. An update on his status for Arkansas and beyond will be provided next week according to Napier.

What’s Next: Arkansas Razorbacks

Next Saturday, the Gators return to the Swamp and will be welcoming the Arkansas Razorbacks to town. This game is the definition of a must-win for the Gators if they want to secure bowl eligibility, as the remaining slate afterward is arguably one of the toughest of any team in the nation.

For More Gators Content

Florida vs. 1 Georgia: Battle for the Top Spot in the SEC East