Florida’s upset bid against No. 5 Georgia comes up short

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Florida proved it could compete against the nation’s best with a new head coach, but the Gators will have to wait to find the right man to beat Georgia.

Interim coach Billy Gonzales stepped in for Billy Napier and nearly led Florida past its longtime SEC rival. But the No. 5 Bulldogs prevailed, 24-20, Saturday in Jacksonville.

The Gators (3-5, 2-3 SEC) had their chances to pick up their first win against Georgia since 2020, back when Gonzales coached receivers for Dan Mullen.

As a reported crowd of 76,131 at EverBank Stadium looked on, a near-fumble by quarterback DJ Lagway left UF facing fourth-and-1 from the Bulldogs’ 18 while clinging to a 20-17 lead. Georgia then stuffed tailback Jadan Baugh for no gain to get the ball with 7:54 to go, setting the stage for the Bulldogs’ fourth come-from-behind victory in six league games.

An 18-yard completion from Gunner Stockton to Zachariah Branch on third-and-8 then kept alive a seven-play, 82-yard drive, capped by a 36-yard run by Chauncey Bowens with 4:36 to go.

Consecutive incompletions by Lagway from the Florida 31 allowed Georgia (7-1, 5-1) to close out the game.

The Gators entered the day having lost four straight by an average of 21.5 points and amid a coaching search on the heels of Napier’s Oct. 19 ouster after four seasons.

The game pitted two programs going in opposite directions, with Florida looking to avoid a fourth losing season in five years and Georgia pushing for its fourth CFP berth in the same span.

But whoever replaces Napier got a chance to see Florida’s talent and fight. Gonzales’ resumé also improved.

Billy Ball, a moniker for the Gators’ plodding style under Napier, took on a whole new meaning against the Bulldogs.

Two weeks after after Napier’s firing, Gonzales reassigned play-calling duties held by Napier to quarterbacks analyst Ryan O’Hara, hoping to energize an attack averaging an SEC-low 17 points against FBS foes.

Receiver Tre Wilson was the primary benefactor. With leading receiver Vernell Brown III out and fellow true freshman Dallas Wilson injured to end the first half Saturday, Wilson finished with nine catches for 121 yards, including a 40-yard touchdown to make it 7-7. He entered the day with 118 receiving yards.

The teams entered halftime tied 10-10 and traded third-quarter touchdowns to enter the fourth quarter knotted at 17-17, with the Gators with the ball at the Georgia 36.

After a Lagway pass bounced off the hands of TJ Abrams, kicker Trey Smack connected on a 54-yarder to give him the school record with nine 50-yard field goals.

A Georgia three-and-out followed, but the Gators could not contain Stockton and the Bulldogs when it mattered most.

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