Chauncey Bowens provided a spark for Georgia late in the fourth quarter against Florida last week.
Bowens, who was once committed to play for the Gators but flipped to the Bulldogs, scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 36-yard run to help No. 5 Georgia secure a 24-20 victory at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla.
Bowens switched his commitment to the Bulldogs during his official recruiting visit to Athens in June 2023. Last week, the Florida native told reporters about how glad he was to choose Georgia over the Gators.
“It’s awesome to be able to go home,” Bowens said. “I know the weight this game has, and obviously, I was committed to them at a point in time. But I know what side I picked, and obviously, I love the decision I made.”
Bowens is the team’s leading rusher through eight games, with 446 yards on 49 carries and five touchdowns. The 5-foot-11, 225-pound running back delivered another impressive performance on Saturday.
Bowens led Georgia in rushing against Florida, with 70 yards on nine attempts and scoring a touchdown.
The Gators held a 20-17 lead over the Bulldogs with just under four minutes left when Bowens’ number was called.
Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton saw something in how Florida’s defensive front was lined up, so he changed the play at the line of scrimmage. He then handed the ball off to Bowens, who started running to the right before cutting back left, allowing him to evade several Gators defenders and cross the goal line untouched for six.
“I knew the play call, and I was like, ‘Alright, he’s about to make something happen,’” Georgia wideout Zachariah Branch said of Bowens’ run. “So, I was excited to see him go out there and execute that.”
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said he thought it was among the game’s most pivotal moments.
“I thought that the check on the run for the touchdown was the second biggest play of the game, because Gunner saw something, changed the O-line, picked it up, and it’s really hard to run that,” Smart said. “It’s hard to defend that play with them stunting the line as they were doing it. And it was a great check by him.”
Another huge run by Bowens happened when the Bulldogs faced a 3rd-and-7 at the 2:21 mark of the fourth quarter. Bowens took a toss sweep and rushed 14 yards past the chains for the first down to help seal the game.
As a team, Georgia accumulated just 138 yards on 45 rushing attempts. Bowens delivered the explosive plays, averaging 7.8 yards per carry, whereas Nate Frazier, with 12 carries for 45 yards, gained the hard yards.
“Chauncey is one of the most consistent players on our team,” Smart said. “Chauncey’s number one, a great kid from a great family, from a great school. He loves getting better. He’s happy for his teammates. He’s really talented.”
With the win, Georgia improved to 7-1 overall and 5-1 in the SEC.