The Georgia Bulldogs’ season has appeared like a terrific escape act, along the lines of the great Harry Houdini, who could get out of any tight spot. In seemingly every game this season, Georgia has looked destined to lose, yet it has found a way to pull victory out of the jaws of impending defeat. On Saturday, the Bulldogs did it again in a late win thriller over the Florida Gators, 24-20.
Head Coach Kirby Smart has had an exceptional 10-year start to his coaching career. He is 112-20 with three conference championships and two national championships. He has won 11 or more games every season except his first year and the Covid-shortened 2020 campaign. He looks on his way once again this season.
Smart is seen as one of the game’s greatest recruits, if not the best. There’s no question that Georgia is loaded every year with exceptional talent, but the Bulldogs’ greatest attribute has not been their physical skills. Smart looks for resilient players who can deal with adversity and use it as fuel. That is what helped Georgia come back in 2021, after losing the SEC Championship Game, to win a National Championship Game thriller against that same Alabama Crimson Tide team.
Every season, fans can point to several examples where the Bulldogs’ runs looked like they might be short-circuited. Under Smart, Georgia has found a way to rise and play its best when it needed to. This season is providing its most profound example of Bulldog mettle.
Georgia is now 7-1, and most of those wins have needed late-game dramatics. The Bulldogs faced a 21-7 deficit against the Tennessee Volunteers and trailed most of the game. Georgia had one final drive down eight. Quarterback Gunner Stockton went 6 for 7 for 57 yards, throwing for a 28-yard touchdown pass and the two-point conversion. The Bulldogs got some help also on a Volunteers’ missed field goal at the end of the fourth quarter. Georgia pulled out the heart-stopping overtime victory, 44-41.
Against the Auburn Tigers on the road, the Bulldogs didn’t show up until late in the second half, with the Tigers threatening to go up 17. A dramatic fumble recovery by Georgia at the goalline and Stockton’s dramatics flipped the game on its head. The Bulldogs pulled away late in a critical 20-10 road win.
The slow start routine didn’t change the following week against the Mississippi Rebels. Georgia failed to slow down the Rebels‘ attack as Mississippi scored touchdowns on each of its first five drives. The Bulldogs trailed at halftime, and the deficit expanded as the third quarter closed with the Rebels up 35-26. The fourth quarter has become Georgia’s haven, and the Bulldogs dominated Mississippi 17-0 in the final frame. Stockton played his best collegiate game, going 26 for 31 with four touchdowns and 289 yards.
The games unquestionably are hard on the hearts of Georgia fans. Finding their team down early and struggling through slow starts, needing captivating comebacks each week, is a lot to take. It didn’t change on Saturday.
The Gators, fresh off firing head coach Billy Napier, had little to lose in the matchup with the Bulldogs. Few picked Florida to win, especially playing under an interim coach, so the Gators could play loose and easy. They played one of their best games against Georgia in years.
Early on, it looked like Georgia might finally get off to a strong start and maybe have a reasonably smooth contest. The Bulldogs marched down the field on their opening possession in a crisp eight-play, 75-yard drive. Stockton completed every pass and finished with an eight-yard strike to Dillion Bell.
Unfortunately, not much has gone easily for Georgia this season. Florida refused to change the year’s trend. The Gators caught a break on a shanked punt that provided excellent field possession. They immediately cashed in with a 40-yard bomb from quarterback DJ Lagway to Eugene Wilson III. Smart has often discussed the issues the Bulldogs have had in allowing big plays. It struck them again, aided by the punting mistake.
Florida had momentum, and they added to it with an interception and a field goal to take the lead. Georgia often seems like it won’t sharpen its play unless its back is against the wall. Once again, it found itself in this spot, and they responded by keeping the Gators scoreless for the rest of the second quarter. Stockton led the Bulldogs to a game-tying field goal right before the half.
Like with the start of the game, Georgia looked sharp on its first possession of the second half. Stockton led the Bulldogs on a five-play, 74-yard drive and capped it off with a 22-yard dart to Noah Thomas. Once again, Georgia looked like it was about to grab command of the game. Alas, though, nothing ever comes easy, and it didn’t in “the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.”
Florida, to its credit, immediately responded with an impressive, time-consuming drive to kill seven minutes off the clock. Running back Jadan Baugh punched in from the two to tie the game. The Bulldogs’ offense looked like a mess on its next drive. The Gators countered with a field goal to take a lead, and then were the beneficiaries of a quick Georgia three-and-out.
Florida had a chance to take over the game. They marched down the Bulldogs’ red zone and seemed certain to take a two-score lead. When all seems to be going wrong for the Georgia defense and little way out, they have responded with exceptional play. The defensive corps did it against Mississippi after failing for three quarters to stifle the Rebels in the fourth. The Bulldogs rose again against the Gators, bogging the drive down and then stopping Florida on a huge fourth down and one play.
What looked like certain defeat flipped once more for Georgia. It seemed like that was where the Bulldogs wanted it all along, as cool-as-ice Stockton led his team down the field in a magnificent seven-play, 82-yard drive. Running back Chauncey Bowens provided the highlight reel with an electric 36-yard run to the endzone.
Florida’s offense could do little on its final drive, going out on downs, and miraculously, Georgia had another win that looked like certain defeat only moments before. Georgia/Florida is one of the game’s most storied rivalries, and it more than lived up to its legacy with a thrilling affair on Saturday!
Enthusiasts hoping for easier Bulldogs games likely are going to be disappointed. Mississippi State on the road, then at home against desperate Texas and Georgia Tech, who played Georgia to an eight-overtime affair last year, figure to be battles. No doubt, the contests will have many twists and turns, and the Bulldogs will appear destined for defeat at times.
Can a Smart-coached team ever be counted out, though? He is considered one of the greatest coaches in the game, if not the best, and for good reason. It’s not a coincidence that Georgia keeps pulling out all these thrillers. He coaches his players for these moments and builds them up to success in the storms.
When in doubt, bet on these Bulldogs. They are going to keep fighting. Stockton exemplifies the determination. He has been counted out throughout his life, and he will not quit. As long as he leads this team, they will be there in the end. Bank on it!
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