Florida Gators

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – In the SEC East, some wins just mean more.

There was no denying that following Florida's 44-28 throttling of Georgia on Saturday here at TIAA Bank Field. The No. 8-ranked Gators (4-1) hung out on the field to soak in the moment well after the fifth-ranked Bulldogs (4-2) headed for cover. Meanwhile, UF coach Dan Mullen celebrated with fans along the Gators' sideline by climbing up on the railing for a few backslaps and selfies.

For the first time since 2016, the Gators' chomp was stronger than the Bulldogs' bite.

"It felt very sweet that this time I walked off the field, we won this game,'' said fourth-year junior tight end Kemore Gamble, who chipped in with three catches, one for a touchdown. "'Bout time, 'bout time. It means a lot."

Mullen has enjoyed some notable wins among his 25 victories as Florida's head coach, but none matched the one over the Bulldogs for what it means to the program. The Gators, staring a potential four-game losing streak to Georgia in the face – amplified in the early going when the Bulldogs took a 14-0 lead – moved into the driver's seat for the SEC East title behind a career-high 474 yards passing by quarterback Kyle Trask.

Florida moved into sole possession of first place in the division and controls its own destiny. If the Gators win out, they advance to Atlanta for their first appearance in the SEC Championship Game since 2016, which is the last time Georgia did not represent the East.

"It feels great, obviously, winning this big-time game,'' Mullen said. "It puts us in a good and decent position. I told them before the game I was really excited to watch them play tonight because they've worked their tail off to be in this situation. It's a great celebration. I'm going to celebrate tonight, too, and then we'll come in early tomorrow morning and get on to Arkansas."



While the outcome was the one the Gators had dreamed about, the start was more like a nightmare.

On the game's first play from scrimmage, Georgia tailback Zamir White raced 75 yards untouched for a touchdown. Following a three-and-out by the Gators on their opening drive, Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett connected with Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint on a 32-yard scoring strike for a 14-0 Bulldogs lead less than four minutes into the game. The touchdown proved a bad omen for the Bulldogs as Rosemy-Jacksaint suffered a gruesome lower-leg injury as he was tackled by Brad Stewart Jr. Following a delay of several minutes, he had to be carted off the field.

Trask and Co. heated up from there. He connected with wideout Justin Shorter for a 14-yard touchdown pass to trim the lead to 14-7 and Dameon Pierce scored on a 2-yard run as Florida tied the game 14-all by the end of the first quarter. Georgia regained the lead on a 37-yard interception return for a touchdown by Eric Stokes early in the second quarter, but that was one of the final highlights for the Bulldogs.

Trask, who completed 30 of 43 passes and threw four touchdowns, directed the Gators to 27 consecutive points over the next 15 minutes of game time. Trask threw touchdowns passes to Kyle Pitts (25 yards), Gamble (24 yards) and Trevon Grimes (14 yards) in the second quarter, and combined with a 50-yard field goal by Evan McPherson, the Gators took a 38-21 lead into halftime. McPherson added a 51-yard field goal early in the third quarter to put Florida up by 20.

The game got sluggish for much of the second half, but by that time, the damage was done thanks to Trask and the offense. Trask became the first SEC quarterback in history to throw for four of more touchdowns in five consecutive games and only Tim Tebow in a 482-yard performance against Cincinnati in the 2010 Sugar Bowl – his final game in a Gators uniform – has ever thrown for more yards in a single game in school history. Trask's performance is the best ever by a Gators quarterback against Georgia, eclipsing a 408-yard passing day for Kerwin Bell against the Bulldogs 35 years ago.

In his customary fashion, Trask downplayed his record-setting performance and whether he solidified his place in the race for the Heisman Trophy.

"I mean, it's cool and all, but at the same time, that's just a reflection of how this offense is working,'' he said. "The O-Line is playing great. They are communicating very well. They're picking up all sorts of blitzes and the receivers are doing a great job of being on the same page with me and finding the holes in the defense. That just represents how well this offense is working right now."

The Georgia game has been front and center for the Gators and their fan base since Mullen arrived to resurrect the program. The road for Mullen's return to UF was paved soon after Florida lost to the Bulldogs 42-7 in 2017, the final game for former coach Jim McElwain.

Mullen led the Gators to a 10-win season in 2018 and 11 wins a season ago, claiming a Peach Bowl title and Orange Bowl title along the way.

However, the Gators lost to Georgia both years and the next step toward the program's evolution was a victory over the Bulldogs.

In a matchup that pitted the SEC's top-ranked defense (300.6 yards per game) against the league's third-ranked offense (476.5 ypg), it was no contest. Florida accumulated 571 yards on offense, the most surrendered by the Bulldogs under head coach Kirby Smart.

"I was pleased with our efficiency,'' Mullen said. "I thought we made a lot of big plays, too. One thing in the second half, I think we did a good job managing the game. We really wish we would have made another play or two there in the second half to open it up."

On a night to celebrate, the Gators boarded their buses for the trip home with injury concerns. Starting tight end Kyle Pitts left the game and did not return after a helmet-to-helmet hit from Bulldogs safety Lewis Cine, who was ejected for targeting. Starting offensive linemen Stewart Reese and Jean Delance left the game due to injury, though Delance did return clearly not at 100 percent. Linebacker Jeremiah Moon was injured in the first half and watched the second half from the sideline.

Still, the Gators relished the victory and what it could mean later in the season. They were in no hurry to exit the field as Mullen enjoyed his biggest win as their coach.

"I mean, that's our goal from the very beginning of the season is to get that national championship,'' Trask said. "This is all part of the plan, you know. We've got to get this big-time win in Jacksonville and we did that, so we're just getting started now. We've just got to take it one game at a time. We have the power in our hands and we've just got to execute and do our job and we'll be alright."

Gators defensive lineman Brenton Cox Jr., a member of the Bulldogs in 2018 when Mullen lost his first Florida-Georgia game as UF's head coach, understood the magnitude of the victory.

"The celebration was overdue,'' he said. "We obviously really wanted this win."