How Florida football's upset bid of rival Georgia was spoiled by fourth-quarter woes

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

JACKSONVILLE − A glassy-eyed Billy Gonzales took the podium following Florida football's 24-20 loss to rival Georgia that exposed familiar fourth-quarter problems.

The 54-year-old Gonzales was in position to pull off a monumental upset when the Florida Gators went up 20-17 on a 54-yard field goal by Trey Smack with 14:52 left.

But the No. 5 Bulldogs (7-1, 5-1 SEC), who have lived dangerously throughout the 2025 season, summoned enough resolve, capping a seven play, 82-yard TD drive with a go-ahead run by running back Chauncey Bowens with 4:36 remaining to go ahead 24-20.

For Florida, it came down to two critical fourth-quarter plays. The first came with 7:54 left, when Florida failed to convert a fourth-and-1 play from its own 18-yard line, with running back Jadan Baugh stuffed for no gain on a straight handoff. Had Florida tried another Smack field goal, it could have gone up 23-17. Gonzales may have been right to go for it, but could have dialed up a more imaginative play call against UGA's stout defensive front.

"We had to go for it," Gonzales said. "If you kick a field goal you're still down. If they go down and score, you're still down a point. We will take a look and see where we went wrong, but no second guessing as far as the play that was called."

The second killer play came with Florida down 24-20 and 3:24 left, when receiver J. Michael Sturdivant sneaked his way behind Georgia's defense for a potential big gain. But quarterback DJ Lagway, off one leg, underthrew the deep pass. Sturdivant tried to adjust but slipped slightly and couldn't control the ball as it barely caromed off the turf. It was called an incompletion on the field and was upheld on replay.

Lagway blamed himself for the under throw.

"He kind of came open late," Lagway said. "He was like the fourth progression on that. I was still going through my progression, I was out of the pocket and then right when I kind of popped up and looked up I've seen him, I was already on my left foot I just tried to get it out to him. I should have put a little more on it."

Florida turned the ball over on downs and Georgia ran out the clock. The Bulldogs could have scored another TD but Georgia quarterback Gunnar Stockton went down on purpose on UF's 1-yard line with 1:52 left to ensure its eighth win in the last nine meetings between the two schools.

"We're not here for moral victories," Gonzales said. "We came up short and we came here to win. So we have to continue to work to get better."

What's left for Florida football to play for?

At 3-5 and 2-3 in SEC, Florida can still reach a bowl by winning three of its last four games. Two ranked teams remain on the schedule: at No. 8 Ole Miss (Nov. 15) and home to No. 14 Tennessee (Nov. 22).

"No matter what goes on in this world, it's not going to stop for us." Florida defensive end Tyreak Sapp said. "Nothing is going to stop. So we can't sit around looking for sympathy from anybody. We just got to go about it, put our head down working and get back to it."

There were some encouraging signs for Florida under Gonzales, including more shots downfield in the passing game and more plays by Lagway with his legs, as he gained 24 yards rushing. When Lagway connected with Eugene Wilson III on a 40-yard TD pass rolling to his right in the first half, he looked like the projected star dual-threat quarterback coming out of Willis High in Willis, Texas.

"They're going to fight for us we got to continue to fight," Gonzales said. "If we play like this, we're going to be OK in the next four games. We have to continue it and keep pressing and keep getting better."

Overall, Florida finished with 166 yards and 115 yards rushing, though third and fourth down conversions (a combined 2 of 13) remain a problem.

"As a staff we got to continue to grind, got to continue to work, got to put our players in the best possible position," Gonzales said. "Again, these guys, I keep giving praise to them. They have not quit and there is no quit in them."

Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1. Read his coverage of the Gators’ national championship basketball season in “CHOMP-IONS!” — a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida football unable to pull off monumental upset in debut of interim coach Billy Gonzles

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos