Mike Gillislee #23 of the Florida Gators runs for yardage during the game against the Georgia Bulldogs at EverBank Field on October 27, 2012 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
by MARK LONG, AP Sports Writer
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Georgia's defense was far from soft against rival Florida.
The 12th-ranked Bulldogs stuffed the No. 3 Gators from every angle, forcing six turnovers in a 17-9 victory Saturday that left them on the cusp of making the Southeastern Conference title game.
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Call it the World's Largest Outdoor Turnover Party, and it gave Georgia consecutive wins in the series for the first time since 1989.
The Bulldogs (7-1, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) did little on offense until Aaron Murray found Malcolm Mitchell for a 45-yard touchdown with 7:11 remaining that put them ahead 17-9.
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Georgia sealed its fifth victory in the last 23 games in the rivalry with - what else? - a defensive play. Jarvis Jones knocked the ball out of Jordan Reed's hands near the goal line, and teammate Sanders Commings recovered in the end zone with 2:05 left.
Jones had another huge game against Florida (7-1, 6-1), and the Bulldogs responded as well as possible to safety Shawn Williams' criticism of "playing too soft" earlier in the week.
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10/27/2012 7:35:49 PM (GMT -4:00)
Associated Press