JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The undefeated and number one ranked Georgia Bulldogs battled bitter rival Florida Saturday under cloudy skies at TIAA Bank Stadium, taking the win 42-20.
The first quarter was all Bulldogs as Georgia got on the board early with a Daijun Edwards TD run. Georgia later went up 14-0 after Kenny McIntosh ran one in. The Gators went three and out on their first four possessions.
Early in the second quarter Gators Jadarrius Perkins picked off Stetson Bennett, but the Gators went three and out following the interception. On the play of the first half, Bennett threw it up for tight end Brock Bowers but the pass was tipped by Gators linebacker Amari Burney. However, Bowers ended up catching the ball and taking it to the house for the 73-yard touchdown to make it 21-0 Georgia. Both teams went three and out on their next possessions before the Gators got on the board thanks to a Adam Mihalek 52-yard field goal to make it 21-3 Georgia. Bennett threw a touchdown pass to Ladd McConkey just before the half and the Bulldogs took a 28-3 lead into halftime.
Florida came out of halftime swinging. On the Gators opening drive of the third quarter, they went 13 plays for 75 yards capped off by a Trevor Etienne touchdown run to make it 28-10 Georgia. Amari Burney ripped the ball out of Kenny McIntosh’s hands on the Bulldogs next drive and the Gators recovered the fumble. Adam Mihalek knocked a 26-yard field goal through and made it 28-13 Georgia. Burney made another big play, picking off Georgia’s Stetson Bennett and giving the ball back to Florida with all the momentum. The Gators capitalized on the turnover as Anthony Richardson threw a 78-yard touchdown pass to Xzavier Henderson to make it 28-20 Georgia. But the Bulldogs would respond on their next drive, moving the ball down the field and Daijun Edwards ran it in for his second touchdown of the game to make it 35-20 Georgia.
After stopping the Gators on fourth down, Georgia drove down the field and a big Stetson Bennett pass to Brock Bowers set the Bulldogs up with first and goal. Kenny McIntosh would run it in soon after to make it 42-20 Georgia. Florida moved the ball down the field on its’ next possession but Anthony Richardson’s pass fell incomplete on fourth down and Georgia got the ball back up 42-20.
The Bulldogs would hold on to win 42-20 over the Gators. Georgia picks up its' 55th win in the Georgia-Florida series and improves to 8-0 on the season. They’ll host Tennessee in Athens next Saturday at 3:30pm ET on CBS. The Gators fall to 4-4 with the loss and travel to play Texas A&M next Saturday at 12:00pm ET on ESPN.