QB Carson Beck had a rough game but threw a go-ahead TD with 4:01 to go as No. 2 Georgia defeated Florida 34-20.
Beck threw three interceptions on Saturday when the Bulldogs trailed for much of the first half and even tied the score midway through the fourth quarter. But after Florida tied the game at 20-20 with 7:29 to go, Georgia responded with a 75-yard drive that played just seven plays and ended when Beck found Dominic Lovett for a 10-yard TD pass.
Florida still had plenty of time to make one more play, but a brief foul eventually ran out of gas. Aidan Warner was picked off by CJ Allen on the first play of the drive and Georgia put the game away with just over three minutes left on a Dwight Phillips Jr. touchdown.
Warner played for the injured DJ Laway. The five-star freshman suffered a “pretty serious” hamstring injury, according to coach Billy Napier. Lagoway went down in the first half and immediately grabbed the back of his left thigh. He was even carried to a waiting cart after trainers tended to him on the ground.
Florida also played without starting RB Montrell Johnson and receiver Eugene Wilson III. But the Gators stayed with the Bulldogs thanks to a strong performance by the defense.
However, in the third quarter the chances of a setback were high. The Gators lined up for a 51-yard field goal with the game tied at 13, but a low snap went past the kicker and holder. Georgia eventually recovered at the Florida 36-yard line, needing just three plays to go up 20-13 on a pass from Beck to Cash Jones.