JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Although it may seem odd to find fault with a 34-7 win over a big rival, Georgia’s offensive effort against Florida was undoubtedly not what head coach Kirby Smart was hoping for.
It was an uneven performance at best.
Zamir White’s 42-yard touchdown run with 1:57 left to play made the showing a bit more palatable, but otherwise, it was the team’s most sluggish offensive performance since its 10-3 win over Clemson in the season-opener.
“We didn’t play as well offensively we have been, and that starts with me,” quarterback Stetson Bennett said. “We’ve got to get back to the drawing board. But we still won 34-7. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters; at the end of the day, that’s what we come here for. It felt good to have Zamir score that last one, but we’ve definitely got to get better.”
Three turnovers—a fumble by Kenny McIntosh and two interceptions by Bennett—did not help.
In fact, the Gators outgained the Bulldogs in total yardage 355-354, although much of the damage came in junk time when the outcome was no longer in doubt.
Nevertheless, this was the same Gator defense that struggled two weeks ago against LSU.
Georgia simply was not as consistent as Smart would have liked it to be.
Credit the Bulldog defense for the final score being as wide as it was. Georgia forced three turnovers over the final 2:22 of the second quarter, including a 50-yard pick six by Nakobe Dean.
The other two turnovers were a fumble recovery at the Florida 11 and an interception at the Florida 36.
To the offense’s credit, the Bulldogs made Florida pay each time
“It was a strange game. It was a game of momentum and momentum plays. Obviously, you just described it. The momentum there right before the half was big. Basically, our turnovers were not as costly as their turnovers,” Smart said. “Our turnovers were not very good decisions by the quarterback, and then Kenny had the tough one that came out late. But they were basically like punts. Their turnovers were much more expensive. It was definitely a strange game, a momentum game.”
As expected, Bennett received the start against the Gators. The results were mixed.
Bennett only attempted 19 passes, completing 10 for 161 yards and one touchdown.
However, the three miscues proved key.
The first occurred during Georgia’s opening drive, when Bennett was called for intentional grounding, forcing the Bulldogs back with Jack Podlesny subsequently missing a 46-yard field goal.
Although it appeared the incompletion was caused by an errant route, Bennett was flagged for the grounding due to being in the pocket when he threw the ball.
Bennett later made an ill-advised throw that was intercepted at the Gator goal line. He followed that up with an interception in the fourth quarter to stop another would-be drive.
Bennett made some plays with his legs, rushing six times for 35 yards.
“That first pick, I’ve just got to throw that ball away,” Bennett said. On the second, the nickel made a good play. The wind was blowing, and it kind of hung, but I’ve got to get the ball up faster and throw it a little bit faster.”
