Gators Fade Fast in Third Consecutive Loss to Bulldogs

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Gators introduced themselves to a national TV audience on CBS and more than 76,000 fans at EverBank Stadium on Saturday in a way that fit much of the pregame script.

This year's Florida-Georgia game here on the banks of the St. Johns River would be a closer affair than the past two. This time, after the Gators took the field against the Bulldogs for the third consecutive season with Georgia ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25, they would walk off able to stand on a much better performance, perhaps even with an upset win according to some of the experts.

So much for memorable first impressions and those optimistic pundits.

The top-ranked Bulldogs continued to clamp down on the Gators in their storied Southeastern Conference rivalry, thumping Florida with 36 unanswered points on the way to a 43-20 victory and third consecutive win in the series.

"We made too many mistakes," Florida coach Billy Napier said after dropping to 0-2 against Georgia. "We knew the margin of error was going to be small. We can coach better in all three parts of our team. Looking the players in the eye after the game, I think they know they can play better.

"And ultimately, Georgia's got a good football team. They've got good personnel. They've got a good coaching staff. They've got veteran players that have been in their system, and they played well."

The Gators played well, too, at least on the opening drive. They marched 66 yards on seven plays. The possession started with quarterback Graham Mertz connecting with freshman receiver Eugene Wilson III for a 27-yard gain and ended with Mertz hitting Wilson for a 25-yard touchdown. Wilson caught four passes for 62 yards on the drive as Florida scored first against Georgia for the first time since Kirby Smart took over the Bulldogs in 2016.

A rare buzz in recent years crackled on the Orange & Blue side of the stadium.

"We were clicking,'' Mertz said. "Anytime you're in a game, you've got to be prepared to give a punch and receive a punch, I think, especially in this sport. It's a fistfight, and it's for four quarters. We've got to be better prepared for that punch and punch back and be able to respond quickly."

The Bulldogs responded with a 22-yard field goal by Peyton Woodring on their opening drive after marching 71 yards on 11 plays. Georgia forced a punt on Florida's following possession, and five plays later, quarterback Carson Beck completed a pass to Ladd McConkey in the middle of the field. McConkey reversed direction and outraced the Gators for a 41-yard score. After trailing 7-0, the Bulldogs led 10-7 with 1:23 remaining in the first quarter.

And they were just getting started, thanks in part to help from the Gators.

Napier decided to go for it on fourth-and-1 from Florida's 34-yard line on the next drive to regain a sliver of momentum. However, a trick play that had the snap go between Mertz's legs to tailback Trevor Etienne, who then prepared to pass the ball, was blown up by Bulldogs linebacker Smael Mondon for a 3-yard loss. Georgia took over at the Gators' 31.

Three plays later, running back Daijun Edwards raced for a 20-yard score. On the ensuing possession, Mertz was strip-sacked by Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, and Marvin Jones Jr. recovered at UF's 11-yard line. Edwards scored on a 2-yard run four plays later, and the rout was on. The Bulldogs took another bite when Joenel Aguero blocked Jeremy Crawshaw's punt for a safety and a 26-7 halftime lead.

Smart improved to 6-2 against Florida and said his team didn't flinch when the Gators struck early.

"Not a lot of panic in that group,'' Smart said. "We certainly need to rectify starting the game better, but the comfortable part is nobody panics. Give them credit. They threw the ball to a really good playmaker. They did a great job utilizing his skill-set. And we didn't do a great job stopping him. But it wasn't like there was a panic mode."

The Gators trailed 36-7 when they found the end zone again, this time early in the fourth quarter when Mertz connected with tight end Hayden Hansen for a 5-yard touchdown pass. The Bulldogs responded with another scoring drive for a 43-13 lead, and Mertz's 1-yard run with 1:20 left in the game capped the scoring.

The Bulldogs have won the last three games against the Gators by 27, 22 and 23 points, and Saturday marked the first time in the rivalry's history they have scored 40 or more in back-to-back games against the Gators.

Georgia outgained the Gators 486 yards to 339, converted 6 of 12 on third down, and controlled time of possession (33 minutes, 29 seconds to 26:31) against a Florida team that entered the game ranked fourth nationally in time of possession (34:01). The Bulldogs scored on all six of their trips into the red zone.

Beck finished 19 of 28 for 315 yards and two scores, Edwards rushed for 95 yards and two scores, and McConkey caught six passes for 135 yards and a touchdown to offset the absence of All-American tight end Brock Bowers, who is out following ankle surgery.

"It was just a lot of mistakes, offense and defense-wise, game changing-wise, and basically, we had to fix those,'' UF junior cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. said. "The mistakes kind of held us back."

The loss once again cast a spotlight on the gap between the two-time reigning national champion Bulldogs and the Gators, the team that dominated this rivalry not so long ago.

In his second season, Napier had the Gators in position to move into first place in the SEC East with an upset Saturday following a dramatic come-from-behind win at South Carolina two weeks ago.

Instead, the story in this fierce rivalry remains the same despite the Gators' promising start Saturday.

"We've got work to do to chase them down," Napier said. "There's no denying that. And we're in the middle of that process, in the middle of that journey. It causes you to respect all parts of building a football team, ultimately.

"I think there's a number of things that can be done better from just game-day, situational football. They do it all well. And today, we gave them a little bit too much."