JACKSONVILLE – It took a big play to overcome what had been another disjointed effort from the Bulldogs, linebacker C.J. Allen came through with the play of the match to secure Saturday’s 34-20 victory.

After Carson Beck hit Dominic Lovet To break a 20-20 tie, Allen jumped in front of the first pass he saw from Florida quarterback Aiden Warner for a huge interception at the Gator 15.

“CJ Allen made a crazy, unbelievable play by jumping up and getting him,” head coach Kirby Smart said. “That was probably the biggest change in the game.”

Two plays later, freshman year Dwight Phillips drove in the game-clinching score.

However, the touchdown wouldn’t have happened without Allen’s excellent play.

“My back was to it when he made the ball, but when he caught that ball, my jaw dropped,” said the linebacker Jalon Walker said. “That’s what we needed. We needed that momentum swing to finish that game. It was just amazing to see, from the linebacker room.

For Allen, the interception was the first of his career and the first of the game for the Bulldogs, who struggled against the Gators for much of the game.

Even after Florida starting quarterback DJ Lagway was carted off the field in the second quarter with a hamstring injury, Georgia couldn’t put away the Gators.

A 16-yard touchdown run by Ja’Kobi Jackson tied the game with 7:29 to play before the Bulldogs rallied to take the lead.

Trevor Etienne hoped to show his former team what it had missed after transferring to Georgia.

Unfortunately, he didn’t play much of a role.

Etienne shot hard up the middle in the second quarter and could be seen walking into Florida’s locker room.

Smart confirmed after the match that Etienne had suffered a minor rib injury.

He did not return.

“He had a little rib injury. He’s doing well, just a little sore,” Smart said. “He has a lot of friends on the sidelines. He loves and respects those guys, whether you believe it or not. The kid is a great kid. He has a lot of friends there. The game meant a lot to him.”

Smart was happy to see it Nate Frazier scored from 2 yards out in the third quarter to tie the game. He wasn’t happy with what happened next.

After the touchdown, Frazier popped up and threw a “Gator Chomp” at the fans, followed by a throat slash that drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty.

The distance was assessed during the subsequent kick-off.

Slim wasn’t happy about it.

“I just told him, ‘Don’t be stupid, man,’” Smart said. “We are not selfish people in Georgia. I’m not interested in all that shenanigans. We are a meat and potatoes team. We roll up our sleeves every day and get to work. I’m not interested in chewing alligators or slitting their throats; it’s not respectful. I think the best way to attack someone is to play hard and beat him.”

On the sideline, the Georgia coach bumped into his freshman running back and followed the sideline to make his point.

The Bulldogs would avoid giving up points due to the mistake when a bad snap of a 51-yard field goal attempt allowed Georgia to recover at the Gator 36.

The mistake nearly cost the Bulldogs one of the key starters in the secondary.

During kickoff, cornerback Daylen Everette went down on the return and made a tackle. Trainers rushed to his side, but fortunately Everette was able to walk away and re-entered the game shortly afterwards.

It didn’t last Tate Ratledge It’s taking a long time to get back on track after undergoing cord surgery following his ankle injury at Kentucky.

Micah Morris started Saturday’s game but went down with a lower-body injury after Georgia’s first possession. Morris would leave the field under his own steam, with Ratledge taking over at his usual starting position at right guard.

…Smart confirmed that after the game Anthony Evans III is struggling with a hamstring injury. … Defensive tackle Jordaan hall dressed, but did not play despite his name being removed from the availability report prior to the match.

When Dwight Phillips II came in for the game-clinching touchdown, the freshman was mobbed by his teammates.

“He did a great job. I mean, you’re talking about everyone on that team loving that kid, little peanut. His parents are great people,” Smart said. “Both ran track at Kentucky. His father is an Olympic gold medalist. And what a great story. I’ve never met a guy who likes everyone on the team as much as he does. He just works very hard. So I was very happy that he got that role.”

Smart said offensive coaches reached out this week to ensure Phillips would make the trip to Jacksonville.

“They contacted me on Tuesday or Wednesday and said, is Dwight going to travel, because he hasn’t traveled every game, and I said, yes, he is going,” Smart said. “He’s dealing with injuries at running back right now. He will be an emergency running back. And they left a package for him.”

…With Evans out, Malaki Starks handled point return duties with Dillon Bell taking over the role of the team’s kickoff returner. Before the match, Michael Jackson, Sacovie White And Dominic Lovet also warmed up as trap returners; Trevor Etienne, Cash JonesAnd Nate Frazier warmed returning steps.

…Of Then Jackson And Joenel Aguero missing the first half after their goal-setting calls in the second half at Texas, including Georgia’s defensive backfield JaCorey Thomas (star), KJ Bolden (safety), Starks (safety), Julian Humphrey (corner) and Daylen Everette (corner).

Georgia’s 2024 senior class improves to 49-3 overall and 43-1 in the regular season. Georgia leads the series with Florida 57-44-2, including 7-2 in the Kirby Smart era.

…Florida finished with 20 points on 228 yards of total offense. At halftime, UF led 13-6 with 150 yards of total offense on 32 plays

…Georgia’s best tacklers were C.J. Allen with eight, Raylen Wilson had seven, and Chaz Chambliss with six.

…In the third quarter, Walker recovered an awkward break on a field goal attempt and recovered it at the UGA 36. It led to a go-ahead goal.

…Georgia finished with 34 points and 455 yards of offense. At halftime, Georgia trailed 13-6 with 222 yards of offense.

…The Bulldogs had 146 rushing yards on 33 attempts. Frazier had a team-high 82 yards and a touchdown. Etienne had 31 yards, all in the first half. Phillips scored a touchdown on his first career carry as it covered four yards.

…Georgia has now trailed three times at halftime in SEC games this season (6-3 at Kentucky, 30-7 at No. 4 Alabama) and today. The Bulldogs came back to beat Kentucky 13-12 and fell to No. 4 Alabama 41-34 and emerged with a 34-20 win over Florida today.

…Saturday marked the third time this season the Bulldogs were held to field goals in the first half. In the season opener, Georgia led No. 14 Clemson 6-0 in Atlanta and trailed 6-3 at Kentucky. The Bulldogs went on to win those first two games and did so tonight by a score of 34-20.

…Nine Bulldogs had a catch with the leading senior receivers Dominic Lovet (7-for-52 yards, 1 touchdown) and junior Dillon Bell (4-for-50) and. In the third quarter, Bell had a career-long 33-yard rush to the Florida 15 as part of an eventual touchdown drive.

…Sophomore kicker Peyton Woodring scored 10 points on field goals of 23 and 53 yards and four PATs plus fielded kickoffs. Woodring is 14-for-15 on field goals this year, including 2-for-3 from 50+ this season.

…Punter Brett Thorson averaged 42.0 yards on five punts, including a 51-yarder and two inside the 20 with no returns. Georgia has not allowed a positive score on a return this season and the streak entering today is 26 games.