Florida vs. Georgia: Georgia Wins 27-8 in Atlanta Behind a 24-0 First Half Built on Turnovers
Georgia scored in each of the first two quarters, turned three Florida turnovers into a 24-0 halftime lead, and beat the Gators 27-8 on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium — the rivalry's first meeting in Atlanta, moved from Jacksonville by stadium construction.
Georgia turned the first half of the country's most famous rivalry into a turnover clinic, and the game was effectively over by halftime. The Bulldogs beat Florida 27-8 on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, building a 24-0 lead before the Gators scored a point.
Florida's mistakes did the damage. Three first-half turnovers accounted for 17 Georgia points, and the half ended on the biggest of them: defensive lineman Quinavious Johnson strip-sacked the quarterback and Chris Cole returned the fumble 66 yards for a touchdown with 29 seconds left before the break. Bo Walker's 1-yard touchdown run on a direct snap, at the end of a 10-play, 81-yard drive, had already made it 17-0. Tim Tebow, on ABC's halftime show, summed up the Gators' half: 'When you talk about the fundamentals of the game, there are the basics: turnovers, penalties and time of possession. Florida's getting killed in all three of them.'
Florida's only score kept a piece of history alive. Tramell Jones Jr. ran two yards for a touchdown with 6:59 left in the fourth quarter, and Jadan Baugh's two-point conversion pass to Dallas Wilson made it 24-8 — extending Florida's streak of games without being shut out to 481, dating back to 1988. Peyton Woodring's 21-yard field goal with 3:34 remaining, his second of the game, closed the scoring.
The game was the rivalry's first in Atlanta, relocated from its Jacksonville home because of stadium construction there. Georgia improves to 7-1 with the win; Florida falls to 5-3.
