Georgia fans, continue to thank the stars that aligned to bring Kirby Smart to Athens.
Since his arrival in 2016, the Bulldogs have won two national titles and appeared in three championship games. He's done everything and so much more to bring this team to the top of the college football mountain.
Meanwhile in Florida, it's a different story with one pivotal example that changed the entire complexion of Georgia's 43-20 win in the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.
Florida scored first and was giving Georgia everything it had in the first half, possessing the ball and only trailing 10-7. Then the Gators faced a fourth-and-inches from their own 34-yard line.
Conventional wisdom says to punt the ball away in this situation. But hey, if you're feeling frisky, the call—and the only one for that matter—is a quarterback sneak. It has the best chance of picking up the needed yard with the lowest risk
Instead, Florida head coach Billy Napier OK'd a trick halfback pass that Georgia's SEC-best defense saw after the ball snapped five yards away from the line to gain. The Bulldogs stopped the play and took over at the 31-yard line.
From there, the rout was on.
That one decision changed the entire complexion of this game. The Bulldogs, which had already scored 10 unanswered points, added 16 more before the half ended. At this level of college football, coaching matters a lot. You can't make dumb decisions and let a team like Georgia smell blood in the water.
And with the program Smart has built, that's exactly what happened in Jacksonville.
What it means
Georgia's second half stretch is underway now with the Bulldogs feeling great about improving to 8-0. While the Gators scored on their opening possession with their scripted plays, the wheels came off after Napier's idiotic decision on fourth down.
The Bulldogs will now turn their attention to some tougher opponents ahead in Missouri, Mississippi, and Tennessee in the next three weeks.
A question that needs answering
Is Napier really that stupid?
OK, typically this is a question regarding Georgia. Quite honesty, there weren't any worrisome questions coming out of this game. We know this team has a tendency to start slow, but it has been great with in-game adjustments.
Instead, let's focus back on Napier's dumb decision. Those types of call aren't usually in a vacuum. He put his team in an awful position and Georgia's players, staff, and fans can all laugh about it now.
So yes, is he really that stupid?
Three important plays
Fourth-down failure: LOL.
Sack fumble: Following Florida's dumb fourth-down call, Georgia scored a quick touchdown to go up 17-7. On the next defensive play, Jamon Dumas-Johnson sacked quarterback Graham Mertz. On second-and-19, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins knocked the ball out of Mertz's hands on a sack fumble, with the Bulldogs recovering. This set up another quick touchdown, giving Georgia a 24-7 lead.
Special score: On a fourth-and-16 from the Georgia 19-yard line, safety Joenel Aguero blocked a Florida punt. The ball landed out of the end zone, giving the Bulldogs a safety and a 26-7 lead, which is what ended up being the halftime score.
Other important games to note
Kansas 38, No. 6 Oklahoma 33: Down goes one of the many remaining unbeatens. And with Oklahoma, some things never change. Once again, the program's lack of a defense does it in against the Jayhawks.
Texas A&M 30, South Carolina 17: After entering the season with a lot of optimism, the Gamecocks are in grave danger of missing a bowl bid now that the team is 2-6 overall.
N.C. State 24, Clemson 17: Anyone remember when Clemson was among college football's elite programs? My goodness.
Grading Georgia
Offense: A-
Florida raced down the field on its first possession, which probably added some nerves to anyone watching the game. Not Carson Beck, and not this offense. While Georgia settled for a field goal on its first possession, it punched in a touchdown on the second. From there, Georgia's offense rolled once again. Beck finished with 315 passing yards and two touchdowns.
Defense: A-
In the early going, the defense experienced some issues on edge contain in the run game and with defending the middle of the field in the pass. When the Gators gave the Bulldogs a giant opening with the failed fourth-down play, Georgia was able to pin its ears back and turn Florida into a one-dimensional team.
Special teams: A-
The blocked punt for a safety was icing on the cake in the first-half run to put Florida in the rearview mirror. While some of the kickoffs were short, there wasn't much to complain about regarding how the special teams performed.
Season grades to date
Offense: B+
Defense: B+
Special teams: B+
