It felt like a pivotal moment because it was.

After it appeared that Georgia delivered a first-round knockout by racing out to a 25-point lead, Florida responded by scoring 17 consecutive points to make it a 1-score game in the middle of the 3rd quarter. Mind you, this was the Georgia team who had been somewhat underwhelming for the previous month, despite what the No. 1 ranking suggested. Florida had capitalized on a flurry of UGA mistakes to crawl back into the rivalry showdown in Jacksonville.

It was fair to wonder if this UGA team, which has had an inconsistent passing game and lacked that killer instinct at times, was back to its old ways.

But as the final 20 minutes told us on Saturday in Jacksonville, the only thing that was “back” was Georgia’s swag.

And no, don’t tell me UGA got its swag back by blowing out Vanderbilt. One doesn’t regain swag against the Dores.

A 42-20 Georgia victory against Florida was exactly what the doctor ordered, and not simply because the Dawgs finished with a lopsided victory against the Gators for the 2nd consecutive year. It was how it happened.

Maybe it was seeing Kirby Smart joyfully celebrate a 4th down conversion late on a free play in which Brock Bowers did a Brock Bowers thing in single coverage. Or perhaps it was watching Stetson Bennett flash an Eddie Haskell-like grin to the Georgia sideline after, well, Brock Bowers did a Brock Bowers thing in single coverage.

I mean, this is just silly.

You could make the case that Bowers was a microcosm of sorts for this Georgia offense. Since he had an All-American showing against South Carolina, Bowers was held without a 70-yard receiving day AND a receiving touchdown for 4 consecutive games (he did have the 2 rushing scores against Kent State).

Watching Bowers go off for 154 yards and a score had to bring a little extra juice to the Georgia offense. Even Bowers, who normally keeps his emotions in check after a big play, was noticeably fired up after hauling in that aforementioned free play on 4th down with the Dawgs up 2 scores.

That set up the touchdown run from Kenny McIntosh, which was really more of a team touchdown with the way the Georgia offensive line provided the extra push past the goal line. That dagger touchdown prompted a NSFW reaction from Smart.

Can you blame Smart for taking some extra satisfaction in the way that played out? That wouldn’t have been the case had Florida thrown in the towel down 28-3.

But that’s not what happened. Unlike last year’s team in the final days of the Dan Mullen era, the Gators showed fight. Amari Burney forced McIntosh into a fumble and he picked off a late throw from Bennett. We saw Xzavier Henderson waltz into the end zone for a 78-yard touchdown after true freshman Malaki Starks gambled as the last line of defense.

Regardless of how that game played out in the 4th quarter, a Florida team without much to play for besides pride and a trip to the Birmingham Bowl should be encouraged by hanging tough against the likes of Tennessee and Georgia. Better days are ahead for the Gators, who are off to their worst 5-game start in SEC play since the Jimmy Carter administration.

Consider that all the more reason why Georgia needed to respond like that. And by “that,” I mean this is how a heavyweight champ responds with its back against the rooms:

  • 6 plays, 78 yards, TD (2:50)
  • 8 plays, 49 yards, TD (2:14)
  • 11 plays, 51 yards, Downs (7:27)

And yes, a scoreless drive in which they held the ball for half of a quarter was indeed a victory for the Dawgs.

There were bounce-backs all over the place. Whether it was Ladd McConkey shaking off an early drop after his frustrating start to 2022 by diving into the end zone or McIntosh running like a man possessed after Burney stripped him earlier to fuel the Florida comeback, UGA punched back. Even Starks forcing the pass breakup (and nearly coming down with the interception) on Florida’s last-ditch heave into the end zone was an encouraging sight to see.

Georgia isn’t going to be a mistake-free team, despite what Oregon and South Carolina told us. It’ll have these moments where it’ll need to show it can bounce back from quarter to quarter or even play to play. It’s one thing to do that against Mizzou. It’s another to do that when your most bitter rival rips off 17 consecutive points to nearly erase a 4-score deficit.

This 4-game stretch will tell us a lot about who Georgia really is. With games against Tennessee, at MSU and at Kentucky, the Dawgs are about to experience a stretch unlike anything they’ve had during these last 2 seasons. Of course, Smart is now 22-1 since the start of 2021 having won 19 of those games by at least 3 scores. By the way, 7 of those 8 wins in 2022 were by at least 3 scores.

But that’s the new standard for Georgia. Show any signs of potential mortality and suddenly, we find ourselves asking what it’ll take to get Georgia back on track. Saturday felt like the true get-right game that the Dawgs have been waiting for.

Ahead of the first Playoff ranking of 2022, Georgia will undoubtedly be in the top 4. It’s just a question of where. That first ranking will tell us a lot about what the selection committee thought about the Oregon win, which, much like Bowers, has seemingly aged like a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

It was also roughly 2 months ago. We questioned coming into the 2022 rendition of the Cocktail Party if Georgia was capable of getting back to that level of dominance.

It might not have been on that level from start to finish, but it’s safe to say there’s some swagger back in the red and black.