Gators Out-Bite the Bulldogs

The following is a live journal composed during the Georgia/Florida game. All times listed are Pacific Standard Time.

PREGAME

12:30 – Considering the events of the past two meetings between these teams, this game feels like the final chapter of an epic trilogy. There was the Bulldog rush in ’07 and then the Gator timeout fiasco in ’08; what kind of Hollywood finish do these teams have in store for the country this year?

12:32 – It’s a quasi-blackout from Georgia! That’s the best they can do as the road team.

FIRST QUARTER

12:38 – Well, Verne Lundquist isn’t celebrating Halloween by being someone else; one minute into the game and he already fails to finish a thought: “David Nelson becomes the third member…”. One down, two to go (wrong name and belly laugh at something unfunny).

12:41 – That was too easy for Florida; instead of everyone running onto the field, the entire Georgia defense should be run out of town after their performance on that drive.

7-0 Florida.

12:44 – There’s the belly laugh by Verne; he’s wasting no time today. Everyone get their depth charts ready because the trifecta is virtually inevitable at this point.

12:54 – It was obvious that emotions would be running high for this game, but it’s Georgia who is letting those emotions get the better of them in the early going. The Bulldogs don’t have players like Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno to fall back on anymore; they have to play near-perfect football to stand a chance.

12:58 – Verne just referred to an international airport as a regional airport; it wasn’t a player’s name, but it’s enough of a stretch to count. The Lundquist Trifecta is complete for today!

12:59 – Brandon James must be going as a circus performer for Halloween because he kept juggling the ball on that dropped pass from Tim Tebow.

1:03 – That ball from Tebow could not have been thrown any better; Riley Cooper, to his credit, made an incredible one-handed catch that should be on Sportscenter tonight as long as the call holds up to review (which it should).

14-0 Florida.

1:05 – Florida is finding success in both the running and the passing game and chewing up minutes on the clock so far; Georgia could not have gotten off to a ghastlier start.

1:14 – The Bulldog receivers are finding space down the field and Joe Cox is hitting them. This bodes well for Georgia if they have to keep playing from behind; it won’t be a bad thing if they’re forced to pass a little more.

1:15 – END FIRST QUARTER. FLORIDA LEADS 14-0.

SECOND QUARTER

1:22 – Another penalty forces the Bulldogs to settle for a field goal; this is not a winning formula for Georgia—they have to score touchdowns to keep up.

14-3 Florida

1:32 – The officials missed a holding call on that long pass play; Vince Vance had his man by the shoulder pad on the right side. Some calls are starting to go Georgia’s way, so they’d better finish this drive.

1:34 – The passing game is what’s going to keep Georgia in this contest; A.J. Green attracts enough attention from the Florida secondary that Cox can hit other receivers like he did on that touchdown to his tight end, Aron White. Better yet, the team celebration took place on the sideline.

14-10 Florida

1:42 – Great effort by tight end Aaron Hernandez to fight for that first down, but why did Georgia bring the house on 3rd and 16? Set up in downfield coverage, get off the field, and stop letting Florida control the clock.

1:48 – Caleb Sturgis hits a 56-yard field goal that would’ve been good from 66; Florida doesn’t require his services that often, but he’s been clutch when he’s had to be.

17-10 Florida

2:03 – Congratulations to Tim Tebow for breaking Herschel Walker’s SEC record for rushing touchdowns; how ironic that it comes against the Georgia Bulldogs. Note, though, that stats in bowl games were not recognized until 2002; Walker scored 5 touchdowns in the postseason and he also only took three years to set the mark. That’s not a knock on what Tebow has accomplished (he’ll end up passing the mark Walker would have set had his bowl game TD’s been counted anyway), but another illustration of how much the game has changed in the interim.

24-10 Florida

2:10 – There’s Urban Meyer utilizing all of his timeouts again; it’s justifiable in this instance though because a fourteen point lead isn’t very safe considering the success of Georgia’s passing attack so far.

2:13 – After the pick-six in a similar situation last week against Mississippi State, Coach Meyer opts for a kneel down. Florida might have been able to get in position for another long field goal from Sturgis, but if they’re comfortable with a fourteen point advantage, then there’s no sense in risking it again.

2:14 – HALFTIME. FLORIDA LEADS 24-10.

2:16 – That score by Tebow at the end of the half was deflating for another reason besides the record; until then, Georgia had fought back from a fourteen point deficit and had been outplaying Florida since giving up those two quick touchdowns. Now, the Bulldogs are down fourteen again and the Gators have the momentum. For Georgia to get back in the game they have to keep attacking with the pass since it’s what brought them the most success in the first half; subsequently, the defense has to find a way to contain Tebow and force other players to beat them.

THIRD QUARTER

2:38 – That was the absolute worst thing that could’ve happened to Georgia; as long as Coach Meyer learns from his previous mistake, Tebow could be close to taking the rest of the day off.

2:40 – Tebow extends the record and reduces Georgia’s comeback chances.

31-10 Florida

2:55 – Despite a number of Cox’s passes being tipped, Georgia got their receivers involved again, converted a crucial fourth down, and kept hope alive with that touchdown to Michael Moore. Now, the Bulldog defense has to find a way to get a stop because the offense can no longer afford to bail them out.

31-17 Florida

3:03 – That’s the one notable flaw in Tebow’s game—the combination of a huge wind-up and a low delivery; he’s lucky his own side fell on that fumble or else Georgia could’ve made things very interesting. Instead, the Bulldogs have the whole field in front of them.

3:11 – That was a horrible decision by Cox; the first pick wasn’t entirely his fault, but that was a case where he should’ve taken the sack. It’s frustrating how Georgia keeps blowing chances to get back in the game because their offense has been more than capable of moving the ball against this tough Florida defense.

3:15 – END THIRD QUARTER. FLORIDA LEADS 31-17.

FOURTH QUARTER

3:21 – That is one of the unheralded reasons why Florida is the top-ranked team in the country; the Gator offense may not score on every possession, but they still put their punter, Chas Henry, in position to pin the opponent deep. Additionally, Florida has not given up a single punt return yard all year.

3:25 – Cox put that ball where it could’ve been caught, but Green took a rough hit; that pick isn’t really anyone’s fault—it was just another ball that bounced Florida’s way.

3:38 – Stop calling runs for Tebow! The game appears well in hand and he already took a blow to the head on the previous possession.

34-17 Florida

3:43 – Logan Gray steps in for Cox, but with the same result and then some; that’s four picks by Florida in the second half.

41-17 Florida

3:47 – Did Verne Lundquist just impersonate Timmy from “South Park”? Well, that would be a fitting Halloween alter ego since he shows an equivalent intelligence level at times.

3:50 – Coach Meyer, give John Brantley some snaps. PLEASE.

3:58 – GAME OVER. FLORIDA WINS 41-17.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Florida really needed a performance like this; make no mistake about it, the Gators will be #1 as long as they keep winning, but many were doubting their legitimacy. Their opponent today may not be considered “top-tier”, but they’re a rival and after the close call against Mississippi State, Tebow and Co. have undoubtedly regained a lot of confidence heading into the home stretch. The only true test remaining is a road game at South Carolina; if they can get past the Gamecocks, then it is highly likely that Coach Meyer’s crew will walk into the SEC Championship Game undefeated.

Georgia has no one to blame but themselves for this loss due to all the self-inflicted wounds they opened up. In the first half, it was penalties; in the second half, it was interceptions. At times, the Bulldogs looked game enough to go toe to toe with their neighbors down south, but they allowed numerous answers and kept giving the ball away.

The Bulldogs may have tried a blackout, but they got whitewashed by the Gators.