JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — No. 2 Georgia scored a pair of late touchdowns within a minute of each other to win 34-20 and stave off an upset bid by rival Florida, which lost starting quarterback DJ Lagway to an injury in the second quarter on Saturday.
The Bulldogs (7-1, 5-1 SEC) took a seven-point lead on a Carson Beck touchdown pass to Dominic Lovett with 4:01 left, then intercepted Gators backup quarterback Aidan Warner and swiftly scored another touchdown on a Dwight Phillips Jr. run two plays later to put the game away.
CJ Allen went up and got it.
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— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) November 2, 2024
The Gators (4-4, 2-3) had led 13-6 at halftime thanks in part to two Beck first-half interceptions, and they hung with Georgia most of the game even after Lagway exited with what coach Billy Napier called a “pretty significant” hamstring injury. But mistakes added up in the second half, as Florida also botched a snap on a field goal with the score tied at 13 late in the third quarter, which led to a Beck touchdown pass to Cash Jones three plays later.
Florida is already playing without quarterback Graham Mertz, and thus it turned to Warner, a redshirt freshman who began his college career at Yale.
Georgia is resilient, but will that be enough?
Georgia was heavily favored in this game. Its next two are at Ole Miss, which looked much better on Saturday in a blowout win at Arkansas, and at home against Tennessee. Did the way Georgia played Saturday inspire much confidence? Of course not, especially when its comeback came after Florida had to turn to its third-string quarterback.
We may just need to adjust our expectations for this team. It is not the dominant force of the 2021-22 national championship teams. But there were games last year in which it messed around on the way to an unbeaten regular season. This year, it barely won at Kentucky, didn’t cover the spread against Auburn and Mississippi State and was pushed until late by Florida. But it also won convincingly at Texas, routed Clemson and almost won after trailing at Alabama by 28. What this team lacks in dominance it appears to make up for in resilience, with enough dominance thrown in to remind you it’s still Georgia.
That said, clearly this kind of uneven game — especially from Beck — is unlikely to suffice the next two weeks. — Emerson
What to makes of Beck’s mistakes
Something just isn’t there this year. This was Beck’s third consecutive multi-interception game — and fourth in his past five — after not having any last year, when he threw 24 touchdowns to just six picks.
It can’t be blamed simply on not having Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey as security blankets this year, because Beck didn’t have them for portions of last year either. (Bowers missed four games, McConkey missed five.) And there has been plenty of good happening this season: Georgia came in ranked 11th in the nation and third in the SEC in pass plays of 20 yards or longer. Beck is also on track to throw for more yards (2,302) than last year (3,941). That includes this game, when the go-ahead drive showed he and the receivers can connect on big plays: Arian Smith for 34 yards on third-and-7, then Lawson Luckie for 21 yards, and then Lovett converting another third down, this time for a 10-yard score.
The problem is those critical errors. The first two interceptions were just inexplicable, right at defenders. The third pick, while Beck was being hit on a drop-back early in the third quarter, shouldn’t have been thrown. There was another near-interception and a few misses of open receivers. Beck finished 25-of-40 for 309 yards with two touchdowns and the three picks.
The only good news for Beck and Georgia: As much as he’s struggling, they’re still 7-1. They can only hope this has been an extremely rough patch, they rode through it, and have evidence he can still be a championship-level quarterback.
Florida QB situation looks grim
Any optimism about the Gators’ short-term and long-term future starts with Lagway, a five-star recruit ranked No. 7 in the 247Sports Composite in the Class of 2024. He was Gatorade’s national high school player of the year and Florida’s most important recruit since Tim Tebow. He entered Saturday ranked among the nation’s leaders with 11 completions of at least 40 yards, including a first-half touchdown pass Saturday.
MISSILE TO MIZELL‼️
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— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) November 2, 2024
Lagway’s status is uncertain after the hamstring injury sustained while rushing in the first half. Florida’s Week 1 starter, Mertz, is already out with a torn ACL, which means the Gators are down to Warner, a walk-on transfer from Yale. Warner managed the game well enough to avoid a blowout until a late interception but ultimately completed just 7 of 22 passes for 66 yards. Florida was out-gained 445 to 228.
If Lagway’s injury sidelines him next week and beyond, maybe Napier and his staff can find some magic in Warner, who had FBS scholarship offers from the likes of UConn and Coastal Carolina coming out of high school. But it’s a steep hill, especially given the upcoming schedule of Texas, LSU and Ole Miss before the finale against Florida State.
Florida’s best hopes of salvaging a bowl rest on an improved defense and strong backfield. Both units played well in spurts Saturday before Georgia’s talent finally won out. — Baker
What does this mean for Napier’s future?
If Georgia is Florida’s measuring stick, then Napier’s Gators came up short — again. He joins Will Muschamp as the only Florida coaches in the past 35 years to start 0-3 against the Bulldogs.
Though there are no moral victories at a program like Florida, that doesn’t mean every loss is the same. The Gators were competitive into the fourth quarter against a national championship contender. That was not true in either of Napier’s first two games against Georgia (a pair of three-touchdown defeats), and it’s a sign of progress.
Saturday’s circumstances made the performance more encouraging. Florida’s secondary was down two key players entering the game then watched three more get hurt during it. Standout running back Montrell Johnson Jr. and receiver Eugene Wilson III didn’t play, either. And Florida was still competitive.
The Gators continued to have unacceptable blunders (too many men on the field, a false start on third-and-short, a botched field goal and an illegal formation). Florida did its part to lose the game. But playing the Bulldogs closely was about all the Gators could reasonably hope for. Florida passed that test.
The tougher question to answer is this: How should this affect whether Napier gets another season? Bowl eligibility seemed like a necessity for Napier’s job security, but Lagway’s injury complicates matters. Is it fair to judge a third-year coach’s tenure if he’s stuck with a third-string quarterback? That’s something Florida’s powerbrokers may have to answer in the coming weeks. — Baker
(Photo of Dillon Bell: James Gilbert / Getty Images)
