JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs had not been properly presented to Saturday afternoon’s “Cocktail Party” upon their 24-20 win over Florida. Georgia running back Chauncey Bowens grabbed the microphone and stated, “Enough of this,” by scoring on a 36-yard rush to give the Bulldogs a 24-20 lead with 4:36 remaining … and the eventual win.
Florida’s next offensive drive defined the dilemmas of the Gators’ season.
Quarterback DJ Lagway underthrew wide receiver J. Michael Sturdivant on a 48-yard pass play. Sturdivant had to dive to make the catch on the Georgia 23-yard line.
The referees ruled it an incompletion, and the ruling was upheld by college football’s excessively interminable replay system. Several different angles showed that Sturdivant made a miraculous catch as his arms were under the football on his reception.
“It’s hard,” said interim head coach Billy Gonzalez, who took over leadership of the program after the firing of Billy Napier, two weeks ago. “We’re going to go back and watch film. Probably going to be more than one of those types of plays. But, yeah, it’s one of those things. Just didn’t work the way we wanted it to work today.”
Lagway noted that Sturdivant came open late in the play and was the fourth option inside of this progression.
“I was out of the pocket,” said Lagway. “Then, right when I kind of popped up and looked up I saw him. I was already on my left foot. I just tried to get it out to him; I should have put a little more on it.”
Before Bowen’s game-clinching run, Florida had the ball on the Bulldogs’ 18-yard line, where they faced a fourth-and-one. Baugh tried to get the first down on the right side, but he was stopped short of the Georgia 17 by Georgia defenders Elijah Griffin and CJ Allen.
“He (Gonzales) wasn’t going to kick a field goal there; I wouldn’t have either,” said Georgia head coach Kirby Smart. “The defense made a huge stop; the offense had a great drive, and then the defense came out with another big stop.”
Gator Grit: Florida outplayed Georgia for most of the afternoon as the Gators tied the game at 17-17 on running back Jaden Baugh’s two-yard run with 3:37 remaining in the third quarter.
Once again, Florida met the challenge with its focus and intensity. After making a stop on a three-and-out, Lagway drove Florida to the Georgia 36-yard line where kicker Trey Smack made a 54-yard field goal for a 20-17 lead with 7:56 to play.
“They have no quit,” said Gonzales about his Gators. “They’re a gritty team. Again, like I said, I’m just super proud of how they have bonded together. I just got done talking to them. Extremely hard. Extremely hard.”
Wilson Steps Up with Receiver Injuries: Florida wide receiver Eugene Wilson, III, caught nine passes for 121 yards and a touchdown. He scored on a 40-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 7-7.
The Gators had a shortened depth chart as they were without two injured receivers – Aidan Mizzell and Vernell Brown. True freshman Dallas Wilson also suffered a foot injury in the first half and could not return.
“It’s always hard not to have those athletes out there with you on the field,” said Lagway. “A lot of guys stepped up tonight. Proud of a lot of guys.”
Creating Offense: Billy Gonzales and his staff added some creativity to the Gators’ passing game.
Lagway had a 26-yard gain on a quarterback draw, and he was able to gain yardage outside of the pocket.
He threw to Baugh out of the backfield inside the Georgia 30-yard line. The counter play was a primary part of play-action passes. These allow setting up the pass play on the opposite side of the play action.
“It’s all dictated – what shot you’re going to be able to take, what is going to be dictated by the defense they’re playing in the back end,” explained Gonzales.