Florida Gators vs Georgia Bulldogs Match Player Stats On Oct 31, 2015

The Sports Xchange
Oct 31, 2015

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - There weren't a lot of preseason prognosticators who penciled in Florida to win the SEC Eastern Division crown.

But after Saturday's 27-3 win over arch-rival Georgia, the No. 11 Gators are on the verge of doing just that. With two conference games remaining, Florida just needs to beat Vanderbilt or South Carolina to advance to the SEC Championship for the first time since 2011.

While it may not have been a brilliant display, there's no doubt first-year Gators coach Jim McElwain was complaining about the result as Florida (7-1, 5-1) made a 20-0 halftime lead hold up without a fight from the Bulldogs, who as expected, started Faton Bauta at quarterback in place of Greyson Lambert.

Lambert started the first seven games for the Bulldogs (5-3, 3-3) before rumors started circulating midweek that Richt was going to replace the Virginia transfer with the fourth-year junior who had yet to attempt a pass all year.

The results weren't good at all.

Bauta only completed 15 of 23 passes for 154 yards and tossed four interceptions as Georgia failed to score a touchdown for the second straight game.

Florida, meanwhile, wasn't exactly an offensive juggernaut but it didn't have to be. The Gators turned a trio of Georgia turnovers into 14 points, one on a fumbled punt recovery and another on a 3-yard touchdown run by Kelvin Taylor, who led all rushers with 25 carries for 121 yards and two scores.

Georgia, which has now failed to score a touchdown since the fourth quarter of its game at Tennessee - a span of eight quarters - managed just a 27-yard field goal in the third quarter by Marshall Morgan.

For Florida, the first half could not have gone any better. For Georgia, well, not so much.

Not that the Gators needed any help, but the Bulldogs were in an obliging mood when punt returner Reggie Davis muffed a punt at the 5-yard line, with the ball being recovered in the end zone with Nick Washington recovering in the end zone for the game's first score.

The extra point was blocked, with Johnathan Abrams scooping up the ball and returning to the 30-yard line before being pushed out of bounds.

But the Gators weren't done.

Florida's offense finally got on track late in the second when Treon Harris - who completed 8 of 19 passes for 155 yards - connected on a 66-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Callaway, who beat fellow freshman Juwuan Briscoe to push the margin to 13-0.

Another mistake would soon cost Georgia again, as Vernon Hargreaves intercepted Bauta and followed with a 20-yard return to the 5. Two plays later, Taylor rolled in from the 3 to give Florida a 20-0 halftime lead.

NOTES: Backup quarterback Brice Ramsey took over as the punter for Georgia and his first attempt was a 50-yarder. ... Florida held Georgia to measly 94 total yards in the first half, including just 15 on the ground. ... Saturday's crowd at EverBank Field, home of the Jacksonville Jaguars, was 84,628.