Rapid Reaction: Georgia survives amid controversy… again, knocks off Florida
Published:
Another week, another Georgia controversy.
In a 4-point game with less than 4 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Florida thought it had a first down on a deep completion from DJ Lagway to J. Michael Sturdivant. The internet thought it was a completion.
The SEC officiating crew ruled differently. The pass was ruled incomplete. That ruling was upheld upon video review. Instead of a first down inside Georgia’s 25-yard line, Florida had a fourth down from its 31.
Georgia got the stop — 1 of 2 key fourth-down stuffs in the game for the Bulldogs — got the ball back, and killed off the remaining 3 minutes and 13 seconds of the game for a 24-20 win.
Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton took a knee at the Florida 1 after a third-down conversion to put the game away and the Dawgs secured their fourth comeback victory of the season.
It also secured its fifth consecutive win in the Cocktail Party, while Kirby Smart improved to 8-2 against the Gators.
Up 20-17 with less than 8 minutes remaining, Florida could have tried a field goal from the Georgia 18. Instead, the Gators went for a conversion and got stuffed. Georgia then drove 82 yards in 7 plays to score the go-ahead touchdown. Chauncey Bowens broke a 36-yard run for the score to put the Dawgs on top.
The decision to bypass a field goal try with a kicker who had, minutes earlier, drilled a 54-yarder came back to bite the Gators in the rear. Maybe the ensuing Georgia possession looks different if it begins after a kickoff instead of a momentum-swinging fourth-down hold.
But the non-catch by Sturdivant will stand out above anything else from the game. Georgia, weeks after surviving an extremely controversial game against Auburn that resulted in the SEC banning the lead referee, moved to 7-1 and stayed very firmly in the hunt for a spot in the College Football Playoff.
A loss to the unranked Gators might have sent the Dawgs tumbling in the polls and, with a game against Texas in 2 weeks, would have put Georgia on the brink of CFP elimination.
Instead, Georgia benefitted from another controversial officiating decision and escaped a tight ball game unscathed.
Florida held a 10-7 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Gators and Dawgs were tied at 17-17 going into the fourth. Georgia committed the only turnover of the game, but Florida went 2-for-11 on third down. The loss dropped UF to 3-5 on the season. It will head to Kentucky next weekend.
No. 5 Georgia 24, Florida 20
Here’s the Georgia-Florida box score (use the dropdown menu to select team or player stats), followed by the complete play-by-play:
Gunner Stockton vs DJ Lagway
Did Gunner Stockton improve his Heisman odds in the Cocktail Party? Here’s a statistical breakdown of how the Georgia quarterback performed compared to Florida counterpart DJ Lagway:
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
