Everything was going so well, and then suddenly it wasn’t.
The Florida Gators must have done something to anger the football gods, or perhaps Kirby Smart made a deal with the devil. The Orange and Blue took a 13-6 lead into the half, but all Gator Nation could feel was angst as third-string quarterback Aidan Warner took over for an injured [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag].
Things went exactly as expected without half the starting lineup on the field in the second half. Florida struggled to create any offense outside of one touchdown drive led by running back Ja’Kobi Jackson, and the defense tired after getting minimal time to breathe.
Florida went three-and-out four times with Warner at the helm, and a two-play drive ended with an interception to secure a Georgia victory. Injuries turned that seven-point lead at the half into a 34-20 loss for the Gators.
Save for some impressive work from the defense, there’s very little to be happy about for those in Gator Nation. The only other silver lining would be finding out that Lagway isn’t done for the season. Napier called his hamstring injury significant at the half, though.
Too many injuries
Losing Lagway would have made the injuries a hot topic following this game regardless of what happened after, but the third quarter was riddled with stoppages as players struggled to get up from the field.
Florida lost its top corner Devin Moore as well and saw three other defensive backs — Jordan Castell, Sharif Denson and Dijon Johnson — deal with injuries on a single drive. It wasn’t just the Gators who got hurt. Georgia dealt with a handful of injuries as well, including Trevor Etienne, who didn’t play after halftime.
The Orange and Blue also came into this game down its starter at quarterback (Graham Mertz), running back (Montrell Johnson Jr.), wide receiver (Eugene Wilson III) and cornerback (Jason Marshall Jr.). Oh, what could have been.
Botched field goal erases all hope of a win
Maybe there was some hope that Florida could pull off the win after taking a 7-point lead into halftime, but Georgia’s defense played with a different energy after the break.
They attacked Aidan Warner, knowing that he was ill-prepared to lead an SEC offense, and then disaster struck. With a chance to go back up by three points, Florida long snapper Rocco Underwood botched the snap on a 51-yard field goal, sending the ball bouncing past hold Jeremy Crawshaw and kicker Trey Smack.
After a brief scramble for the ball, Georgia recovered nearly 30 yards closer to the end zone than a missed field goal would have put them. The mishap could not have come at a worse time.
Georgia scored immediately after the turnover, putting the game firmly in the hands of the Bulldogs. Yes, Florida tied it up briefly, but Georgia piled on after that.
The defense is real
Holding Georgia to six points in the first half was everything Florida’s defense needed to do, but the momentum shift in the second half was too much to overcome.
Still, there’s no longer a question of whether Florida’s defense is legit or not. The pass rush and secondary forced three interceptions in the first half and had Carson Beck looking uncomfortable all night.
Even Nate Frazier was limited to 70 yards on 17 carries once Etienne went down with his injury. Allowing 440-plus yards to a rival isn’t usually the sign of good defense, but it’s hard not to be impressed with Florida’s D keeping them in the game for all four quarters.
Shout out to true freshman Myles Graham for a third-down sack late in the game to keep it a one-score game.
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