WATCH: Georgia Bulldog Fans Light up Jacksonville
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JACKSONVILLE - Fans of Kirby Smart and the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs are facing their old rivals the Florida Gators, and UGA fans have taken over another stadium away from home.
Halftime Notes...
Defensive Highlights In The First Half: Top-ranked Georgia came in ranked second nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 9.1 points a game. Florida was held to three points.
*The Gators finished with just 88 yards of total offense on 28 plays. They were 1-for-8 on third downs. UF had 13 rushing yards and only two first downs. A big chunk of yards came on a 41-yard completion, and it led to a 52-yard field goal to make it 21-3.
*In the first quarter, UF was held scoreless and had 16 yards of offense (3-rush and 13 pass). The Gators got their first first down with 11:25 left in the half.
*The leading tacklers were sophomore linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson and sophomore star Javon Bullard with five apiece.
Offensive Highlights In The First Half: Georgia posted a 28-3 halftime advantage with 346 yards of total offense. The final TD of the half came after a 45-second drive that covered 54 yards in seven plays.
*Junior Daijun Edwards got his team-leading sixth rushing TD and 10th of his career to make it 7-0 with 7:15 left in the first. It capped an eight play, 66-yard drive in 3:06. He had a team-high 46 yards on seven carries.
*Senior Kenny McIntosh collected his fifth rushing TD and 11th for his career to make it 14-0 with 1:30 remaining in the first. It capped an eight play, 80-yard drive in 3:28.
*The tight ends were the top targets with sophomore Brock Bowers (4 for 125 yards, 1 TD) and junior Darnell Washington (3 for 47 yards) who combined for seven catches and 172 yards. Bowers had his third receiving TD and 16th of his career today on a tipped pass that covered 73 yards. It was his fourth TD catch of 70+ yards in his career. Also, he has six games with at least 100+ yards receiving including two this year.
In the first quarter, Georgia built a 14-0 lead on 186 yards of total offense (65-rush, 121-pass).
*Georgia came in averaging 41.7 points a game, In their last game, the Bulldogs jumped out to a 28-0 halftime lead, and won 55-0 with 579 yards of total offense (192 rushing, 387 passing) on 70 plays The points and total offense were both season highs.
*Senior QB Stetson Bennett completed 16-of-29 passes for 262 yards and 2 TDs. In the first quarter, he was 8-10 for 121 yards. In the 2nd quarter, he connected with Brock Bowers for a 73-yard TD pass for a 21-0 lead with 12:36 left in the half. He completed a 7-yard TD pass to sophomore Ladd McConkey to make it 28-3. For McConkey, it was his second of the year and seventh of his career.
*Georgia is now 7-for-7 on 4th down this year after converting a 4th-and-1 at the UGA 34.
Red Zone Review: Georgia went 3-for-3 in the Red Zone with 3 TDs in the first half.
*Georgia is now 45-for-46 in scoring in the Red Zone with 32 TDs and 13 FGs. Coming in today, the Bulldogs ranked 2nd nationally in Red Zone offense. UF did not reach the Red Zone in the first half.
Special Teams: In the first half, freshman P Brett Thorson punted three times for a 39.3 average and placed two inside the 20.
* Senior PK Jack Podlesny tallied four points, all on PATs. He handled the kickoffs too.
Points Off Turnovers: Georgia is +2 in Turnover Margin this season. The Bulldogs have 38 points off nine turnovers.
UF notched an INT (Jadarrius Perkins) on the first play of the 2nd quarter at the UF 39. It led to a punt after three plays and -2 yards.
For Starters, Captains & Coin Toss: Senior Stetson Bennett (QB), senior Nolan Smith (SLB), senior Kenny McIntosh (RB) and sophomore Jamon Dumas-Johnson (LB) were the captains. UF won the toss and elected to defer the ball until the second half. After missing a pair of games due to injury, Smael Mondon (MLB) returned to the starting lineup. He had started the first five this year.
BULLDOGS, GATORS RETURN FOR ANOTHER CLASH
Georgia has matched up with Florida 100 times since 1904 and the Bulldogs hold a 54-44-2 edge. This will mark the second consecutive year that a No. 1 ranked Georgia squad will travel to Jacksonville, Fla., to face an unranked Florida team. The Bulldogs are 47-41-1 in Jacksonville. The annual Georgia-Florida matchup is under contract through the 2023 season to be played in Jacksonville at TIAA Bank Field. Including last year’s 34-7 victory over the Gators, Kir- by Smart’s teams have a 4-2 record against Florida. Other than the 2020 season that was shortened by the pandemic, the Bulldogs have had an off week prior to their SEC Eastern Division matchup with the Gators every year since 2013. Georgia is 9-6 all-time against Florida following a bye week while the Gators, who also were off last weekend, have a record of 18-10 against the Bulldogs after a week off.
* Exclusive Event: UGA DB Kelee Ringo Autograph Signing *
Sunday, November 20, 2022 || @ Red Zone in Athens
2021 FLASHBACK: TOP-RANKED GEORGIA POSTS 34-7 WIN OVER UF
A 24-point outburst in the second quarter along with a Bulldog defense that blanked the Gators until 2:49 left in the contest carried Georgia to a 34-7 win in Jacksonville. After a scoreless first quarter, Georgia converted three turnovers into 21 points in the final two minutes of the first half. Nolan Smith caused and recovered a fumble at the UF 11 that started the flurry of big plays by the Bulldog defense. He added an interception on UF’s next possession that led to a TD and after that, Nakobe Dean followed with a 50-yard pick-six to cap the outburst. The only drama that remained would be if the Gators would extend their NCAA record for consecutive games scoring as Georgia led 27-0 heading to the fourth quarter. Emory Jones directed an 89-yard touchdown drive to save the streak. UF finished with one more yard of total offense (355 to 354), however the Gators ran 22 more plays (74 to 52).
GEORGIA RETURNS TO NO. 1
Georgia transitioned from No. 3 in the preseason poll to No. 2 after week one and then to No. 1 in the Asso- ciated Press (AP) poll prior to the South Carolina game in mid September. After whipping the Gamecocks 48-7, the Bulldogs assumed the top spot in the Coaches poll as well. The Bulldogs were a consensus No. 1 for the next two weeks. Then Georgia fell to No. 2 in both the AP/Coaches polls following its 26-22 road win at Missouri on Oct. 1. After a 42-10 win over Auburn in week six, the Bulldogs reclaimed the top spot in the AP poll. Georgia’s shuffling from No. 1 to 2 and now back to No. 1 over the course of three AP polls hasn’t happened to a school in more than a decade. Florida in 2009 was the last to do it with Alabama as both teams swapped spots in late October. Georgia has been ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in 22 of the past 24 AP polls, with the other two weeks at No. 3.
SETTING THE STANDARD
Despite a record 15 players getting selected in the NFL draft, including five defenders in the first round, Geor- gia’s defense this season ranks as one of the country’s best again. The Bulldogs stand second nationally in Scoring Defense at 9.1 points/game. In 2021, Georgia led the nation in Scoring Defense at 10.2 points/game. This marked the third time in school history that Georgia ranked atop that category.
Georgia, Ohio State and Michigan are the only three schools that rank in the top 10 in Scoring Offense and Scoring Defense.
The Georgia Bulldogs WIN the 2021 NATIONAL TITLE!
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