Georgia Beat Florida 27-8 in Atlanta as Turnovers Sink the Gators

No. 3 Georgia beat Florida 27-8 on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, scoring 24 points in the first half and turning three Florida turnovers into points in the first Atlanta edition of one of college football's oldest rivalries.

Georgia improved to 7-1 overall and 5-1 in the Southeastern Conference. Florida fell to 5-3 and 3-2 in the SEC. The win was Georgia's sixth straight in the series.

A first half built on Florida mistakes

Georgia opened the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run by Nate Frazier on a direct snap, capping a 41-yard drive. Peyton Woodring added a field goal early in the second quarter for a 10-0 lead.

The half then broke open on Florida errors. Georgia went 81 yards in 10 plays and finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run by Bo Walker on another direct snap, making it 17-0 with 1:55 left in the half. Florida quarterback Aaron Philo threw two interceptions in the half, and Georgia linebacker Chris Cole returned a Florida fumble for a touchdown with 29 seconds left before halftime. Georgia led 24-0 at the break and had outgained Florida 194 yards to 94.

Philo was benched for Tramell Jones Jr., who had led Florida to an upset of Texas in his first career start on October 17. Florida threw a third interception in the third quarter, and the Gators finished with four turnovers. Three first-half turnovers turned into 17 Georgia points.

Florida finally scores, too late

Florida stayed scoreless until the fourth quarter. Jones ran 2 yards for a touchdown with 6:59 left, and Jadan Baugh threw to Dallas Wilson on the two-point conversion to cut the lead to 24-8. The score kept Florida's scoring streak alive at 481 straight games, a run that dates to 1988.

Georgia answered with a long ground drive and Woodring's 21-yard field goal with 3:34 left, restoring the three-score margin at 27-8. Florida got no closer.

A rivalry on the road

The game was played in Atlanta because of the 1.4 billion dollar renovation of EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, the rivalry's usual home. It was the first meeting between the schools in Atlanta and the first on Georgia soil since 1995, when Florida won 52-17 in Athens. The series moves to Tampa in 2027 and returns to Jacksonville in 2028.

Both teams had come off a bye week. Georgia's last game before Saturday was a 27-24 home loss to Auburn, and Florida arrived after its 27-24 upset win at Texas.