Georgia left Everbank Stadium in Jacksonville with a 34-20 win over rival Florida, but it didn’t come easy.
Midway through the fourth quarter, the game was tied 20-20 before the No. 2 Bulldogs finally pulled away.
Despite being favored, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said he knew going in that this game wasn’t going to be a cakewalk.
“We didn’t play our best game,” Smart said. “I thought the difference in the game was the second half. The difference in the game was that our fans gave us some momentum and energy there, and [we] had some big defensive stops. Obviously, you cannot turn the ball over and beat good teams. And make no mistake about it. Florida’s a much-improved team.”
Georgia got the go-ahead touchdown with 4:05 left. Quarterback Carson Beck tossed a 10-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Dominic Lovett, giving the Bulldogs a 27-20 lead after the extra point.
On the next play from scrimmage, Georgia inside linebacker CJ Allen intercepted a pass and returned it to Florida’s seven-yard line. Freshman running back Dwight Phillips scored on a four-yard rush two plays later, extending the Bulldogs’ lead to 14 points with 3:03 remaining in the game.
Beck tossed two of his three interceptions in the first half, which killed Georgia’s offensive momentum. Those turnovers led to Florida leading the Bulldogs, a 16-point favorite, 13-6 at the half. They held that lead at the intermission after Gators quarterback DJ Lagway left the game with an injury.
“The recipe for winning football is, don’t turn the ball over, run the ball, and play good defense,” Smart said. “For the most part, we’ve done that most of the year. We didn’t do that for a little bit of the half.”
Beck threw his final pick on the third play from scrimmage in the second half. He was dialed in after that.
A pivotal sequence saw Beck complete a 33-yard pass to wide receiver Dillon Bell, followed by freshman running back Nate Frazier scoring on a two-yard rush to tie the game 13-13 after the extra point.
Florida drove down inside Georgia territory on the next possession, but Bulldog linebacker Jalon Walker recovered a fumble by backup Gators’ quarterback Aidan Warner. That turnover led to Georgia taking the lead three plays later, with Beck tossing a 22-yard pass to Cash Jones for six.
Beck finished the game completing 25 of 40 passes for 309 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions.
Smart believed his quarterback did some good things outside of the interceptions.
“There are things that go unnoticed. What he can’t do is throw the ball late over the middle, and we’ve got to do a better job protecting him,” Smart said. “He got hit one time, and the ball went up in the air. But the two plays he would want back were late, scramble, and throw-it-up plays. And to be honest with you, he hasn’t done that much, you know?
“He’s always been smart. He’ll take off, run, throw it away, and live for another day. I thought he pressed on those two plays, but he also made some really good plays, and we’ve got to do a good job helping him with the run game.”
Beck addressed his mistakes after the game and acknowledged he probably was impatient.
“I mean, a lot of it comes down to me, honestly. I feel like I prepare well, but there are just certain situations in games where I may try to make a play that doesn’t need to be made,” he said. “Maybe it’s a throwaway instead of trying to force something and just moving on to the next play. I think it comes down to me at the end of the day.”