Florida and Georgia have gone in opposite directions following the Gators’ win over the Bulldogs in 2020.
Georgia hasn’t lost since then, and they’ve steamrolled most of their opponents to become the national title favorite this season. Florida, meanwhile, is only slightly above .500 since then.
That trend continued on Saturday at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, as No. 1 Georgia defeated the Gators, 34-7. UGA (8-0, 6-0 SEC) has now won four of the last five meetings in the series.
Here is our instant recap.
How the game was lost
The Gators played the Bulldogs extremely tight for about the first 27 minutes of the game. Then, in a couple of minutes, Georgia blew the game wide open.
UF safety Rashad Torrence intercepted Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett around the Gators’ 3-yard line, but his momentum carried him into the end zone. Torrence thought a safety would’ve been called if he had stayed in the end zone, so he returned it out to the 1.
That mistake ended up creating a domino effect. Two plays later, Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson, making his first career start, ran the ball up the middle. He pushed the pile for about five extra yards and appeared to give his team valuable breathing room.
Instead, linebacker Nolan Smith ripped the ball out of his hands just before he hit the ground.
On the next play, Georgia’s James Cook sprinted through the middle of the defense for an 11-yard touchdown.
On the next possession, Richardson tried to squeeze in a pass to Xzavier Henderson over the middle of the field. Defensive lineman Travon Walker tipped it, and Smith intercepted it.
On the very next snap, Bennett connected with Kearis Jackson for a 36-yard touchdown.
Moments later, as the Gators were approaching Bulldogs’ territory, linebacker Nakobe Dean intercepted Richardson and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown.
Just like that, a 3-0 game turned into a 24-0 blowout at halftime.
Player of the Game
Nolan Smith
It might not be fair to credit one defensive player for a 21-point swing in two minutes, but there’s no denying that Smith played a huge role in turning this game from one that Gators fans had to feel cautiously optimistic about (at least on defense) into a laugher.
He finished the game with four tackles, plus the two forced turnovers.
Play of the Game
Smith’s strip of Richardson not only was an incredible individual play, but it started Florida’s late first half collapse.
If he doesn’t make that play, Florida probably runs out the clock and goes to the locker room only down 3-0. Instead, the game was well out of the Gators’ reach, and Richardson lost whatever confidence he had gained up to that point.
Stat of the Game
3/21
That’s how many turnovers UF committed and the number of points UGA scored off of them.
Georgia turned it over three times as well, but Florida’s turnovers were more costly and prevented them from doing much of anything on offense.
Up next
Florida (4-4, 2-4) will hit the road again next week to take on South Carolina at 7:30. The Gators have won 24 of the last 30 meetings in the series, though UF is just 6-5 in the last 11 meetings.
The Gamecocks (4-4, 1-4) were off this week and will be looking to deliver a signature win for first-year coach Shane Beamer.