Takeaways from Georgia's 24-20 win over Florida

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The No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs (7-1) were fresh off of their second bye week, looking to show better form throughout games. Many of their games had come down to the wire, even against SEC pushovers. Going against the Florida Gators (3-5), the Bulldogs needed to take this matchup seriously and avoid an upset. The Gators had an interim head coach after firing Billy Napier, so if Florida won this matchup of the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, then Georgia fans would never hear the end of it.

Once again, it was uglier than it should’ve been, but the Bulldogs eventually claimed victory against Florida, winning 24-20. Gunner Stockton and the offense staggered in the first three quarters, only mustering up two touchdowns and a field goal. Stockton even threw an interception, only the second of his season.

Georgia was down 20-17 in the middle of the fourth quarter, but Chauncey Bowens came through in the clutch, bursting through for a 36-yard touchdown to give Georgia a 24-20 lead. Florida went four-and-out, and Gunner Stockton could’ve scored on one of the game’s final plays, but instead, he kneeled down on the one-yard line, sealing the victory.

Georgia did the bare-minimum to defeat Florida. The Bulldogs had just three plays of 20+ yards, and no one on the defense sacked Florida quarterback DJ Lagway or forced a Florida turnover. It speaks to how Georgia plays and how rough Florida has been that Georgia barely had to lift a finger to win.

Four takeaways from Georgia’s 24-20 win over Florida

Gunner Stockton looks like another great Georgia quarterback

It’s almost comical to think that there were doubts on who the starting quarterback would be entering 2025. Georgia has seamlessly transitioned from Carson Beck to Gunner Stockton. Stockton has been everything the Bulldogs could hope for; a steady quarterback. So far, he has 1,776 yards and 19 total touchdowns to two interceptions. His quarterback rating of 89.0 is fourth in the nation.

Even against Florida, who forced Stockton to his worst QBR (72.0) since Austin Peay (36.7), Stockton did just enough to win the Bulldogs the game. At his worst, Stockton is a dependable starter who thrives off scrambling and can flash the deep ball. The interceptions was not entirely his fault either.

Chauncey Bowens shows out

Chauncey Bowens is taking over as the lead back in the Georgia backfield. Through eight games, Bowens is leading the Bulldogs in rushing yards (446). He has five games with over five yards per carry and five games with over 10 carries. Against Florida, he ran for 70 yards on nine attempts including the game-winning touchdown.

This week, Bowens was rushing with a little more fury. When he was a high school recruit, he had originally committed to Florida, but on June 10, 2023, he flipped from Florida to Georgia. The game-winning touchdown he scored against Florida probably felt like a full-circle moment for him.

Georgia still can’t generate pressure

Georgia’s pass-rush issues have been noted several times this season. The Bulldogs can’t generate pressure like they used to, and they still haven’t recovered from losing the majority of their sack production from last season. Georgia only returned eight of the 37 sacks they earned in 2024.

Against Florida, it was no different. The Bulldogs generated zero sacks and just nine pressures. Florida’s offense was very one-dimensional, with sophomore Eugene Wilson III being the only reliable passing option, but when Georgia faces a team with a better offensive game plan, like Mississippi State or Texas, the pass rush will have to step up.

Georgia is hard to kill

Despite the issues, Georgia is still getting by with being imperfect on either side of the ball. Even with the hot-and-cold offense and the terrible pass rush, Georgia is still winning games.

This marks the fifth game that Georgia has either been behind or tied with their opponent at halftime. Georgia is 4-1 in those games (all vs. SEC opponents).

The SEC race is tight, with Georgia currently behind Texas A&M and Alabama, who won vs. the Bulldogs. Georgia is in an uphill battle for a championship spot, but they’re not going to go down without a fight, even if it means taking every SEC game down to the wire.

This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: Four major takeaways from Georgia’s 24-20 win over Florida

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