THE FAST SLANT
No. 2 GEORGIA 34, FLORIDA 20

What happened

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — For Florida, there was so much to be encouraged about…until DJ Laway went down.

First, the Gators lost their freshman quarterback. Then they lost their lead. Over time, they lost their footing and eventually Saturday’s game, falling 34-20 to second-ranked Georgia in their annual Southeastern Conference showdown at EverBank Stadium, giving the Bulldogs a fourth straight win in the legendary rivalry.

UGA quarterback Carson Beck shook off a trio of interceptions while passing for 309 yards and two scores in the second half and led his team to a huge come-from-behind victory. Things turned around for the Bulldogs after Lagway, the centerpiece of the Gators’ offense just a year removed from being named Gatorade Player of the Year, was taken off the field in the second quarter with a serious hamstring injury. Lagway’s injury came two games after the team lost its sixth-year starting QB Graham Mertz due to a season-ending knee injury, leaving UF quarterback duties to the third-teamer Aidan Warner, a walk-on from Yale.

Warner went seven of 22 for 66 yards and an interception along the way – needless to say – and got a crash course in the difference between the Ivy League and SEC.

When the final numbers came in, Georgia had totaled 455 yards of offense to UF’s 228. Beck completed 25 of his 40 attempts as a traffic jam developed. Nate Frazier rushed 19 times for 82 yards and a touchdown. Lagway hit only two of his six attempts, but fired a 43-yard touchdown strike Aidan Mizell early in the second quarter to give the Gators a 7-3 lead on Beck’s first pick. A 53-yard field goal through Trey Smack had UF ahead 10-3, which was where things stood when Lagway suffered his injury during a scheduled first-down run with five minutes left in the half.

Over the next eight series with Warner under center, the Gators ran 25 plays for just 53 yards, yet still led 13-6 after two three-and-out possessions to start the third quarter.

Georgia then mounted consecutive touchdown drives. The first was an eight-play, 83-yard march Dillon Bells A 33 yard sprint from an end around the big hitter. It set up Frazier’s 2-yard scoring run to tie the game at 13 with seven minutes left in the third period.

In the ensuing series in Florida, the Gators actually moved the ball, driving to the UGA 33 and into position for a 50-yard field goal attempt by Smack for the lead. But the snap of Rocco Underwood was low, hot and through the hands of the holder Jeremy Crawshaw. The ball skipped past midfield and was recovered by Georgia at the UF 36 for a crushing loss of 33 yards. Three plays later, Beck hit Cash Jones on a crossing route. Jones broke through the arms of Shemar James then ran two Gator defenders to the goal line for a 20-13 lead with 1:30 to go in the third.

A warning for that Elijah Das completion of 26 yards, plus a personal foul on the UGA defense helped the Gators get into scoring position. Tail Ja’Kobi Jackson’s A 15-yard touchdown run tied the game at 20 and lit up the UF sideline midway through the fourth period.

However, Beck came back. Completions of 34 yards to Arian Smith and 21 to Lawson Luckie got the Bulldogs inside the UF 20, where Beck finished with a 10-yard scoring throw Dominic Lovet on a wide screen. That gave Georgia a 27-20 lead with four minutes left.

On UF’s next snap, Warner rolled to his right and tried to force a downfield pass that ended up in the Georgia linebacker’s check. C.J. Allenwho returned the interception to the Florida 14-yard line. Two plays later, Dwight Phillips Jr. closed the game with a 4-yard scoring run with 3:03 remaining.

What it means

For the Gators, their four-game losing streak in the series is their longest since they dropped six in a row between 1978 and 1983. Go ahead and pay attention to the noise in the system (again), but the fact that the Gators lost their second starting quarterback in a month is a handicap that can’t be ignored. That includes the inspired way the team persevered, especially on the defensive side of the football. No let up in this team.

In the spotlight

Who had the line: “Florida starting quarterback Aidan Warner” on their bingo card?

Staggering statistic

The Gators came to Jacksonville knowing they would be without a cornerback Jason Marshall Jr.file Montrell Johnson Jr. and wide Eugene Wilson IIIthree of the best players on the team. By halftime they had lost Laway and striking angle Devin Moore (after intercepting a pass). Then safety Jordan Castell and cornerback Dijon Johnson went down in the third quarter. Throw all those names into an injury pile that already included defensive tackle Jamari Lyonswide Kahleil Jackson And Andy Jeanplus file Treyaun Webb and of course Mertz. That’s a lot of manpower on the table.

Next

The Gators (4-4, 2-3) have virtually no time to lick their wounds (let alone feel sorry for themselves) before they begin preparing for a road trip to No. 5 Texas (7-1, 3- 1) in what will be the first meeting between the two programs since 1940. The Longhorns, who were inactive Saturday, were defeated 30-15 at home by the Bulldogs last month, but rebounded last weekend with a 27-24 win over No. . 24 Vanderbilt.

Email Chris Harry at [email protected]