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Jacksonville, FL

No. 3 UGA uses strong first half to beat Florida 42-7

2157 days ago
Associated Press
Photo: AP Images

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Sony Michel put third-ranked Georgia up big early and put Florida away late, scoring on two long runs in a 42-7 win Saturday.

Michel finished with 137 yards rushing on just six carries and helped the Bulldogs remain unbeaten and in control in the Southeastern Conference's Eastern Division.

Nick Chubb also scored for the Bulldogs (8-0, 5-0 SEC), who started 8-0 for the first time since 2002 and ended a three-game losing streak in "The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party."

"This meant a lot to get a win," linebacker Lorenzo Carter said. "It's one of the reasons I came back for my senior year. We hadn't beaten them and I wanted to go out with a win. We had to finish out the right way, and we did."

The Bulldogs scored on their first three possessions and led 21-0 before the Gators picked up a first down. Georgia used three huge plays to build a three-touchdown lead.

Jake Fromm -- the guy Florida safety Chauncey Gardner openly questioned early in the week -- found D'Andre Swift in the flat for a 39-yard gain that set up Chubbs' 6-yard touchdown run. Dominick Sanders intercepted Feleipe Franks' pass on the ensuing possession, and Fromm threw a perfect, 17-yard pass to Javon Wims in the corner of the end zone. Michel added his first of two scores, a 74-yarder midway through the second quarter.

"It was a shock," Gardner said."

Michel added 45-yarder in the third, and the rout was on.

The only question that remained was whether Georgia would end Florida's NCAA scoring record. The Gators haven't been shut out since a 16-0 loss to Auburn in 1988. They scored with 2:42 remaining to extend the streak to 368 games.

"We're not going to point fingers or complain," Franks said. "You don't live in the past or the future. You have to live in the now. ... We're definitely not going to fold. We're not going to bow our heads down."

UP NEXT

Georgia: Hosts South Carolina next Saturday. The Bulldogs could clinch the East next week, but only if Kentucky has loses to Tennessee later this Saturday.

Florida: Begins a two-game road stretch at Missouri. They play at South Carolina the following week.