FINAL: No. 2 Georgia 34, Florida 20

THE QUICK SLIDE
#2 GEORGIA 34, FLORIDA 20

What happened

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – There was so much to encourage for Florida…until DJ Lagway went under.

First, the Gators lost their freshman quarterback. Next, they lost their lead. As time went on, they lost their poise and ultimately forfeited Saturday's game, losing 34-20 to second-seeded Georgia in their annual Southeastern Conference showdown at EverBank Stadium, giving the Bulldogs their fourth straight win in this storied rivalry .

UGA quarterback Carson Beck Shaken off three passing interceptions for 309 yards and two scores in the second half, leading his team to a big win after coming from behind. Things turned around for the Bulldogs after Lagway, the centerpiece of the Gators offense just a year removed from being named the Gatorade Player of the Year, was forced off the field in the second quarter with a serious hamstring injury. Lagway's injury occurred two games after the team lost its sixth-year quarterback Graham Mertz because of a season-ending knee injury, leaving UF quarterback duties to the third team player Aidan Warner, a walk from Yale.

Warner completed seven of 22 yards for 66 yards and an interception, while also getting a crash course on the difference between the Ivy League and the SEC along the way – of course.

When the final numbers were finalized, Georgia had totaled 455 yards of offense to UF's 228 yards. Beck completed 25 of his 40 attempts while in traffic Nate Frazier ran 19 times for 82 yards and a touchdown. Lagway hit only two of his six attempts but fired off a 43-yard touchdown strike Aidan Mizell early in the second quarter to give the Gators a 7-3 lead after Beck's first pick. A 53-yard field goal by Trey Smack UF had a 10-3 lead and that was the state of play when Lagway suffered an injury on a planned first-down run five minutes before halftime.

Over the next eight series with Warner under center, the Gators ran 25 plays for just 53 yards but still led 13-6 after two three-point possessions early in the third quarter.

Georgia then ran back-to-back touchdown attempts. The first was an eight-play, 83-yard march Dillon Bell's 33-yard dash with an end around the big hitter. It set up Frazier's 2-yard scoring run that tied the game at 13 with seven minutes left in the third period.

On Florida's ensuing series, the Gators actually moved the ball, advanced to the UGA 33 and were in position for a 50-yard field goal attempt by Smack for the lead. But the snapshot of Rocco Underwood was low, hot and by the hands of the owner Jeremy Crawshaw. The ball bounced past midfield and was recovered by Georgia at the UF 36, resulting in a devastating loss of 33 yards. Three games later, Beck scored Cash Jones on an intersecting route. Jones broke through the arms of Shemar James He then outran two Gator defenders at the goal line to take a 20-13 lead with 1:30 left in the third.

A warning at that Elijhah badger The 26-yard completion and a personal foul on the UGA defense helped put the Gators in scoring position. Backlog Ja'Kobi Jackson's A 15-yard touchdown run made the game 20-0 and caused a stir on the UF sideline midway through the fourth period.

However, Beck came back. Completions from 34 yards to Arian Smith and 21 to Lawson Luckie brought the Bulldogs to the UF 20, where Beck finished with a 10-yard scoring throw Dominic Lovett on a wideout screen. That gave Georgia a 27-20 lead with four minutes left.

On UF's next snap, Warner rolled to his right and attempted to force a pass downfield that ended up in the Georgia linebacker's basket CJ Allenwho returned the interception to the Florida 14-yard line. Two pieces later, Dwight Phillips Jr. ended the game with a 4-yard scoring run with 3:03 remaining.

What it means

For the Gators, their four-game losing streak in the series is their longest since six straight losses from 1978 to 1983. Go ahead and call attention (once again) to the noise in the system, but the fact that the Gators are within a Losing their second starting quarterback this month is a handicap that cannot be dismissed. The courageous way in which the team persevered, especially on the defensive side of the football, is also unconvincing. There is no stopping on this team.

In the spotlight

Who came up with the phrase “Florida starting quarterback?” Aidan Warner“on their bingo card?

Amazing statistics

The Gators came to Jacksonville knowing they would be without a cornerback Jason Marshall Jr.traffic jam Montreal Johnson Jr. and wide Eugene Wilson IIIthree of the best players on the team. They were losing at halftime Lagway and outstanding corner Devin Moore (after intercepting a pass). Then security Jordan Castell and cornerback Dijon Johnson declined in the third quarter. Throw all of these names onto an injury pile that already includes defensive tackles Jamari LyonsWideouts Kahleil Jackson And Andy Jeanplus traffic jams Treyaun Webb and of course Mertz. That's a lot of manpower on the shelf.

Next

The Gators (4-4, 2-3) have almost no time to lick their wounds (let alone feel sorry for themselves) before they begin preparing for a road trip to No. 5 Texas (7-1 , 3-1). This will be the first meeting between the two programs since 1940. The Longhorns, who were idle Saturday, were soundly beaten at home by the Bulldogs 30-15 last month, but bounced back with a 27-24 win at No. 24 Vanderbilt last weekend.

Email Chris Harry at [email protected]