A scuffling Florida team traveled to Jacksonville for the big Florida-Georgia game (or whatever they're calling it these days) on a three game losing streak and in danger of falling to .500 with a loss to the Bulldogs. The Gators needed a win over a .4-4 Georgia team
Florida kicked off to open the game, but quickly got the ball back when Jenoris Jenkins picked off Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray on his first pass of the game. The ensuing Gator drive broke down, though, and Chas Henry missed a 42-yard field goal.
The teams traded punts for the rest of the first quarter, though at the end of the frame, the Gators were driving. After John Brantley hit Trey Burton to pull Florida down to the Georgia 20, Chris Rainey broke off a 20-yard run for a touchdown to give Florida a 7-0 lead.
The Bulldogs responded quickly, though, as Murray hit Tavarres King for a 63-yard score on the ensuing drive to tie things up.
After Florida's next drive stalled, the Gators got the ball back on a Georgia fumble. Taking advantage of a short field, the Gators drove to the Bulldogs' 2 before Jeff Demps punched into the endzone to give Florida the lead again. The Gators took advantage of another Murray interception before the half on a one yard run by Trey Burton to take a 21-7 lead into the locker room.
The only scoring of the third quarter came on a 28-yard field goal by Georgia's Blair Walsh to make the score 21-10. Then things got interesting in the fourth.
The Bulldogs opened the scoring with a 4-yard touchdown by Washaun Ealey on first and goal. The Gators answered on their next drive with a 34-yard field goal by Chas Henry, but Georgia came right back once again, as Murray found Orson Charles for a 29-yard touchdown. After pulling through on a two-point conversion attempt, the 'dawgs were even at 24.
After the Gators got the ball back, Chris Rainey snapped off a 51-yard score to regain the lead, but that was short lived as Murray found A.J. Green twice on the ensuing drive, including a 15-yard touchdown to cap off the drive.The score was tied at 31.
In all, the teams scored five times in the first nine minutes of the quarter. The offenses went silent after that, though, and the two teams headed to overtime.
In the extra session, Murray was intercepted by Will Hill on a 3rd-and-9 play, setting Florida up to try and win the game, which the Gators did when Henry drilled a 37-yarder for the win. The losing streak was over, and Florida had a win over one of its biggest rivals.
Trey Burton led Florida with 110 rushing yards on 17 carries and Chris Rainey chipped in a healthy 84 on 16 carries. Brantley was 16-25 for 193 yards and a pick. Omarius Hines had four catches for 50 yards.
Quotable
- "This is the biggest win we've had. We've had some great wins around here and maybe some people would say more important. I'd probably argue that one. This is the biggest one that I can remember, and I've coached a long time."-Urban Meyer
- "Redemption was spelled H-I-L-L and R-A-I-N-E-Y. Neither guy played a perfect game, but each made plays that were necessary for the Gators to win."-Alligator Army