Florida leaves this year's Cocktail Party looking to drown its sorrows after a 42-7 loss to Georgia (8-0, 5-0 SEC), the worst of the season and arguably of head coach Jim McElwain's Florida tenure, though last year's SEC Championship Game was more lopsided.
The Bulldogs set the tone early, jumping out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and never looking back. The multi-score deficit led to Florida going for it on fourth down twice, but neither time resulted in a score.
The Gators managed to keep their NCAA-leading 368-game no shutout streak alive with a late touchdown run by senior running back Mark Thompson.
It was over when: Florida had a chance to cut into Georgia’s 21-0 lead in the third quarter. Facing fourth-and-4 on the Georgia 24-yard line, the Gators went for it. Senior tight end DeAndre Goolsby got separation in the end zone, but that was result of offensive pass interference. From there, the Bulldogs cruised to an easy victory.
They stole show: Georgia running back Sony Michel dazzled breaking off touchdown runs of 74 yards and 47 yards. The Bulldogs often didn’t have to put drives together to score, instead using scoring on big plays like Michel’s runs.
The stats don’t lie: Late in the fourth quarter with the game out of hand, Georgia had more than doubled Florida's yards per rush (9.2 to 4.5). It's nearly impossible to slow down any team gaining nine yards every time it runs the ball. First-down rushing numbers were particularly lopsided before Georgia pulled its starters.
What a play: The plays belonged to the Bulldogs on Saturday. Michel dazzled on his breakaway runs. Late in the fourth quarter, Malik Zaire had an impressive 27-yard run.
These match-ups proved key: Florida was dominated in the trenches. Georgia’s defensive line was able to create constant pressure and force Feleipe Franks to scramble or take a sack. The Bulldogs offensive line successfully opened up running lanes for Michel and Nick Chubb.
Up next: Florida makes its first SEC road trip in more than a month, traveling to Missouri to take on the Tigers.
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