UGA Football Fights Off Rival Florida Gators In Scary 34-20 Victory
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JACKSONVILLE - The No. 2-ranked Georgia football came up with several big plays late in the game to knock off Florida, 34-20, on Saturday afternoon at EverBank Stadium, earning its fourth win in a row over the Gators.
With the game tied 20-20 with just over four minutes remaining, Georgia quarterback Carson Beck connected with wide receiver Dominic Lovett for a 10-yard touchdown with 4:01 to play in the game. That was followed soon after by an interception by linebacker CJ Allen, and running back Dwight Phillips, Jr. later scored on a 4-yard run to seal the victory for the Bulldogs (7-2, 5-2 SEC).
Georgia now leads the all-time series with Florida 57-44-2, including 50-41-2 in Jacksonville. On Saturday, Georgia, despite three turnovers, out-gained the Gators 455-228, with Beck passing for 309 yards and two touchdowns and running back Nate Frazier leading the ground attack with 82 yards and a touchdown.
The Bulldogs moved the ball all the way down to the Florida 5-yard line on their second drive of the game before having to settle for a 23-yard Peyton Woodring field goal and a 3-0 lead with 2:10 left in the first quarter.
Florida (4-4, 2-3) produced the first turnover of the game early in the second quarter, intercepting a Beck pass at the Georgia 43. On the next play, Gator quarterback DJ Lagway hit wideout Aidan Mizell for a 43-yard touchdown and a 7-3 Florida lead with 13:42 left in the half.
The Gators picked off another Beck pass on Georgia’s next drive, taking over at the Florida 49. The Gators drove inside the 15 before the Bulldog defense forced them to settle for a 32-yard Trey Smack field goal, pushing Florida’s lead to 10-3 with 7:22 remaining in the second quarter.
With 43 seconds left in the half, Woodring kicked a 53-yard field goal to cut the Florida lead to 10-6. The Gators, playing with backup quarterback Aidan Warner after Lagway left the game earlier in the quarter with an injury, answered with a 53-yarder from Smack to make it 13-6 Florida at halftime. At the break, Georgia had 222 yards to Florida’s 150, but the Gators were able to score 10 points off their two takeaways.
The Gators forced another turnover over on Georgia’s first drive of the third quarter, intercepting Beck, who was hit as he threw the ball, for the third time and taking over at the 50. The Bulldog defense forced a quick three-and-out, with cornerback Daylen Everette tackling Warner for a 3-yard loss on third down, to get the ball back without any damage done.
Georgia put together its best drive of the game on its next possession to tie things up 13-13 with 7:01 left in the third. Beck completed passes of 9 and 17 yards to Dominic Lovett, Dillon Bell ran 33 yards to the Florida 15 and later caught an 11-yard pass to the 2, and Nate Frazier capped the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run.
Florida’s next drive ended with a bad snap on a long field-goal attempt, with the Gators losing 31 yards on the play and Georgia taking over at the Florida 36. The Bulldogs took full advantage, going ahead 20-13 on a 22-yard touchdown catch by Cash Jones out of the backfield. Jones broke a tackle near the 13 and dragged a couple of defenders with him into the end zone.
After being held scoreless in the third quarter, the Gators tied the game on a 15-yard Ja’Kobi Jackson touchdown run, making it 20-20 with 7:29 remaining.
Georgia regained the lead on its next possession, driving 75 yards in seven plays and scoring on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Beck to Lovett with 4:01 to play. Earlier in the drive, facing a third-and-7 at the Bulldog 28, Beck connected with Arian Smith for a 34-yard gain to the Gator 38. That was followed by a 21-yard completion to Lawson Luckie down to the 17.
The Bulldog defense then produced its first takeaway on the first play of the ensuing Florida drive. Linebacker CJ Allen intercepted a Warner pass and returned it 8 yards to the Gator 7-yard line. Two plays later, Dwight Phillips Jr. ran the ball in for a 4-yard touchdown and a 34-20 lead with 3:03 to play.
Allen led the defense with eight tackles and the interception, and linebacker Raylen Wilson added seven. Linebacker Chaz Chambliss had a pair of sacks for two of Georgia’s six tackles for loss.
The Bulldogs hit the road for the final time in the regular season next week when they visit No. 19 Ole Miss. Georgia’s final three games are at Sanford Stadium, starting Nov. 16 against No. 7 Tennessee.