College Football
Lost Luster?
By: Jeff Doke
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
For almost every year of my five decades on this planet, the end of October has been a time of the year I have enthusiastically anticipated.
As a young boy, it was the sirens call of Halloween, with the annual trip to Gibson’s to select the perfect Ben Cooper costume and the anticipation of how many houses in Northwood Estates would have full-size candy bars this year (we could always count on a couple).
As I grew older, the building anticipation came from when we would be making our annual trip to the Jaycees haunted house.
I think my dad and I had more fun laughing at the other people scared out of their wits than we were ever actually scared by the experience.
At least once he tried to chase down a group that literally ran screaming from the exit just so he could offer to pay to let them go through again. Fifty-two years and I’m not sure I’ve ever laughed harder.
After that, it became a matter of wondering if I was going to get invite to the good Halloween parties in high school. Think post-pubescent Charlie Brown obsessively checking his locker to see if any notes had been slipped in between classes. Spoiler alert: they rarely were.
The one constant through all of those eras – as well as every era since – has been the heady anticipation of the one UGA football rivalry that hasn’t been shuffled and re-dealt by the SEC home offices.
The one game that we could pretty much always count on being on TV, even in the four channel days when our Dawg fix would usually come from WGIG via the global band AM radio in my dad’s workshop.
From the Dooley days to Goff, on through Donnan and Richt, and finally the arrival of King Kirby, the end of October meant one thing and one thing only to the mean machine in Red & Black – the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. The Border War. The Georgia Florida game.
During the lean years, Ga/Fla was our SEC Championship before there was such a thing. It was the Super Bowl, Worl Series, and Daytona 500 all rolled into one. It was the pinnacle of the football year. We could go 0-11 the rest of the year as long as we beat Florida…okay 1-10. Still gotta thump Tech. Priorities, man.
It’s a well-established fact that the Spurrier years were rough for the rivalry. Ole’ Satan in a Sun visor had our number just about every single year, and hope was hard to come by.
I was briefly involved with a Florida fan once, and she said that in those days, Florida fans didn’t care about the game because they knew they were going to win, they were just glad to be able to drink at the tailgate.
Ouch. Not inaccurate, but ouch, nonetheless.
Those days are thankfully a thing of the past, and the tables have turned just about as much as any table could.
Dawg fans are living through the golden years and should appreciate them as such.
Gator nation on the other hand is suffering through one off the worst SEC coaching administrations for someone not named “Dave Shula.”
Billy “Swing blade” Napier is bad. Really bad. Historically so in the annuls of Gainesville programs. Recruiting, coaching, PR, the Gators are stinking up the joint on all points, have been since the end of the Mullen run, and there is no real sense of hope that it will get any better anytime soon.
Considering all of this, has the WLOCP lost some of it’s luster? Does a massively lopsided matchup make this game anything less than “Must See TV?”
What, are you kidding me? Did you not hear me mention Spurrier a few paragraphs back? Remember those years. Remember the mocking, the sneering, the drunken gator chomps you endured walking back to the parking garage from the Gator Bowl/AllTel/EverBank.
Revel in the fact that we’re the ones barking now while the jorts-clad masses are weeping into their Mike’s Hard Lemonade.
And Go Dawgs!
Stars To Align?
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Florida head coach Billy Napier probably didn’t save his job by drubbing Kentucky.
But maybe he did enough in a must-not-lose game to think maybe, just maybe, there’s maybe a path to a fourth season for Billy.
The beatdown provided a dose of optimism that Napier can coach a high caliber team in the future, if not this season.
Injuries to veteran starters Graham Mertz and Montrell Johnson meant Florida had to start true freshmen at quarterback (DJ Lagway) and running back (Jadan Baugh) for the first time in program history. That duo sparked the Gators’ best offensive performance in years.
Beating Kentucky is a baseline expectation at Florida. It used to be, at least; the Gators won 31 in a row before Mark Stoops snapped the streak in 2018.
Stoops won his first two against Napier. No Florida coach has lost three in a row to Kentucky in more than 70 years (Bob Woodruff, 1948-51). Napier, compared to his expectations, merely avoided ignominy with a win Saturday.
Besides, the real tests are still ahead. The 4-3 Gators were off last week before the daunting, season-ending stretch fans have been dreading for months: No. 2 Georgia in Jacksonville, at No. 5 Texas, home against No. 8 LSU and No. 18 Ole Miss and at rival FSU.
In Austin, TX, in front of a stadium-record 105,215 fans, Kirby Smart’s Dawgs (6-1, 4-1 SEC) unleashed the most havoc-wreaking defensive performance of the season in a 30-15 win.
It got so bad, so fast for Texas (6-1, 2-1 SEC), trailing 20-0 in the second quarter, that Steve Sarkisian briefly benched starting QB Quinn Ewers for, only to go back to Ewers after two series.
Neither QB had a chance, given the Horns offensive line had no answers for Georgia pass rushers Jason Walker (three sacks, four QB hurries), Mykel Williams(two sacks) and Damon Wilson (one strip-sack).
Georgia may well turn around and lay an egg against Florida, but they can afford it. Kirby Smart will not allow the Dawgs to be flat in Jacksonville.
The Dawgs open up as a 17 1/2 point Favorite against the Gators.
Florida hasn’t played a team as talented on the roster as Georgia. The Gators will need the stars to align to have a chance at the cocktail party.
If Billy Napier can pull off a miraculous victory over the heavily favored Dawgs, he may be able to save his job for one more season.
Georgia just has way way way too much talent for this game to even be close. Also, this game is personal for Kirby and Georgia starting quarterback Carson Beck.
To quote Clubber Lane from Rocky III my prediction is PAIN!
Georgia 47
Florida 20
Hope
By: Jeff Doke
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Hope springs eternal in the human breast.” “An Essay On Man”, Alexander Pope, 1732.
There’s a fun little recurring character in the “SEC Shorts” video series named Hope. She premiered before the 2021 Georgia championship season and spent most of the season hyping up the Dawgs’ national championship aspirations.
While it eventually turned out that those hopes were well-founded, Hope left at the end of the season for Texas A&M. While that seemed like the most likely fanbase in need of some hopefulness, there were several other destinations she could have landed – Tennessee, Kentucky, or Missouri for example.
Florida, however, was firmly not on that list.
Hope hasn’t dared to set foot in Gainesville for a while now. The Gators have not had bonafied National Championship aspirations since Urban Meyer’s alleged “cardiac incident.”
While Muschamp, McElwain, and Mullen managed to have more wins than losses in their alliterative runs in the swamp, Florida now finds Billy Napier at the helm.
O Hope, where art thou?
Not in Gainesville, that’s for sure. Although the 2024 Gators go into the WLOCP with a surprising 4-2 record (3 more wins at this point than I predicted in the preseason), the high point of the season may have already passed them by.
Consecutive matchups against UGA, Texas, LSU, and Ole Miss await the Gators in the month of November.
Granted their regular season wraps up against the even-bigger-dumpster-fire that is the 2024 FSU Seminoles, but it looks like once again the 2024 Florida gators Bowl Game t-shirts are gonna be plain white Fruit Of The Looms, straight out of the cellophane wrapper.
The future isn’t looking much brighter. The 2025 Gators recruiting class sits at 33rd in the nation, 15th in the SEC.
The 2026 class is better, clocking in at 11th nationally and 7th in the conference, but if Billy Napier somehow manages to avoid the axe this postseason, expect some of those commits to bail and those rankings to take a tumble.
For the moment, let’s look at the here and now. In this, the greatest of all border war matchup in CFB, it is well known that the records do not matter.
Upsets aplenty when these two teams mix it up on the banks of the St. John’s; Florida costing the Dawgs a shot at the National Championship in 2002, UGA knocking off #1 Florida in 1985, and the “unsportsmanlike conduct on the entire team” game all come to mind…but what about 2024?
Let’s be honest. This is a weird season. Army & Navy are both undefeated. Alabama has two losses. Vanderbilt made an appearance in the Top 25, for crying out loud. Would a Napier defeat of Kirby be too far out of the question?
To be blunt, yes.
The Dawgs are on the hunt after the Alabama loss. The defeat of top-ranked Texas shows that they are still an elite program. Above everything else, Kirby Smart’s hatred of all things blue & orange is well documented. I’m not a betting man, but if I were, I’d be selling off a few semi-vital organs on the black market just to put more down on the Dawgs to walk away from EverBank Stadium with the W.
Yes, hope springs eternal, but if you’re looking for Hope in Florida this weekend, I’d try Mons Venus in Tampa, maybe the pickleball courts in The Villages.
Not Jacksonville, though. Hope doesn’t live there for the Gators.
Tail-Gate Time
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The annual Georgia-Florida game in Jacksonville is widely regarded as the ultimate tailgating event in the country, surpassing even the most celebrated sporting events.
Once known as “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” this pre-game celebration transcends traditional tailgating, turning into a multi-day festival of food, drinks, and camaraderie between two of college football’s most passionate fanbases: the Georgia Bulldogs and Florida Gators.
Tailgating for the Georgia-Florida game begins almost a full week before kickoff. Fans start arriving in RVs, buses, and other vehicles days before kickoff, setting up camp in various lots around Jacksonville’s EverBank Field.
By Wednesday, the first official RV lots open, and the party kicks into high gear, lasting through Saturday’s game.
Fans drive golf carts decked out in team colors, move between lots to socialize, and stock up on supplies like champagne for gameday mimosas.
Police officers and city officials embrace the event, recognizing its massive economic impact on Jacksonville, while tolerating the raucous behavior of nearly 100,000 attendees.
The scale of the event is mind-boggling. RV lots cater to every type of tailgater, from the all-out party enthusiasts to families seeking a quieter experience.
Tailgating setups are often elaborate, with some fans renting train cars or docking yachts along the nearby St. Johns River for a “boatgating” experience.
The floating tailgates offer a more refined experience, often featuring gourmet options like pickled-okra deviled eggs and oyster tacos, accompanied by drinks such as grapefruit-rosemary mimosas.
The river itself plays a key role in the event, with slips at the Metropolitan Park Marina booking up within seconds once they’re available in early September.
While the game takes place on Halloween weekend, the tailgating scene also embraces the holiday spirit, with lots decorated in spooky themes and children trick-or-treating among the RVs on Friday night.
Families and friends gather year after year, creating traditions that are passed down through generations. For some fans that have attended the tailgating festivities for decades, the event is almost like a family reunion where memories are constantly made and new experiences are discovered.
One of the most impressive aspects of the tailgating event is the mostly peaceful coexistence between two bitter football rivals. Despite the intensity of the Georgia-Florida rivalry, fans from both sides share food, drinks, and good-natured banter, with little to no hostility.
The atmosphere remains one of mutual respect, making the tailgate an enjoyable experience for everyone involved, regardless of which team wins.
The Georgia-Florida game, held at a ‘neutral site’ in Jacksonville since 1933, has evolved into a hallmark of college football culture, representing the best aspects of tailgating.
As kickoff approaches on Saturday, the energy builds to a fever pitch. Marching bands begin to play, fans fill the stadium, and the food and drink continue to flow.
The aroma of Southern staples like Brunswick stew and turkey fryers wafts through the air, while fans sip on signature drinks like “Gator Punch” or a Bloody Mary to prepare for the game. The tailgate atmosphere follows fans into the stadium, where half the tickets are allocated to Georgia fans and the other half to Florida fans, creating an electrifying environment inside EverBank Field.
This event, while ostensibly about football, has become so much more. It’s about the experience, the friendships, and the memories that are forged in a multi-day celebration that brings thousands of people together.
Jacksonville’s unique role as the host city enhances the grandeur of the event, and for anyone who loves college football or tailgating, the Georgia-Florida game is a must-see spectacle that should be on every sports fan’s bucket list.Top of FormBottom of Form
15 Yellow Hankies
By: Charlie Moon
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Every time she sees Mark Richt on TV, my mom says, “Ain’t he so cute.” My dad would have no choice but to just laugh it off.
One of the greatest shots of Richt’s famous dimpled smile, was in 2007 against Florida. Knowshon Moreno had just opened the scoring in the 1st quarter. Then, came one of the most iconic rivalry moments.
CBS’s Verne Lundquist: “Moreno. Did he break the plane? Yes…Touchdown! The entire team is coming out! We may have 15 yellow hankies!”
Then, a perfect example of why I always say TV production crews for college football run circles around NFL.
Perfection. Video went to a high overhead shot, a perfect storm of red, white and silver, storming the end zone.
Some demean color analyst Gary Danielson. I say they’re crazy. Perfect example? Danielson follows during this overhead shot; “This was all absolutely planned. Mark Richt has decided he is tired of the Florida Gators having the psychological advantage over UGA.”
As Danielson was saying that, video went to UGA senior defensive end Marcus Howard. He was banging his chest with both fists. His 27 2-foot-long dreads were bouncing. Dude looked like a crazed madman! The Dawgs had psychologically released.
Then, the video got Tim Tebow and two teammates on the Gator sideline. Everybody remembers how animated Tebow was.
Not this time. You’d think Tebow would be gathering his guys in their own sideline huddled mass and doing that thing where he looked in their eyes and pointed to the heavens.
But this time, he just stood there, with his eyes and mouth wide open. Kind of like Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning looked like against Georgia.
Tebow was stunned. The Gators were stunned. This was the moment the rivalry turned.
That’s right. The majority of the Dawgs team had stormed the end zone and was dancing like it was 1999. At first, I was like “What in the world are we doing!”
Then my brother Chad started getting jacked up! “This is a message! We’re not taking it anymore! Let’s go. Go Dawgs!”
The cameras panned to the normally reverent and serene Mark Richt on the sideline. He was clapping and had this sly grin on his face.
There wasn’t a single UGA coach scurrying out to pull players back. Normally, you’d see that in a situation like this, right? Not this time!
Danielson was right. It was planned. UGA initially denied it, but everyone knew. And I don’t care what Richt said after the game, we all knew.
In the following off-season, Richt pretty much admitted, players pitched it during the annual pre-Florida game off week. Richt initially said no way. But he eventually ruled in favor of the players, with a few restrictions.
It had to be with the Dawgs in an early lead or tying situation. No celebrations, down 21 in the 4th quarter. No direct taunting of Florida players in the end zone, or toward their sidelines.
To their credit, players did follow these guidelines. But the funniest shot was of 320-pound OL Trinton Sturdivant breaking out in what can only be described as his own “Big Boy” version of River Dance.
The Dawgs went on to win 42-30, but it really wasn’t that close.
Under Spurrier and Meyer, the Gators dominated the series, 15-2. So often, though, it wasn’t because of dominating rosters. The Gators simply were in the Dawgs’ head.
Annually, tight games would turn on a dime with one UGA mistake. Then the wheels would come off.
But the Dawgs have gone 10-6 against the Gators since then. This was the day the series turned.
Greatest Game Ever?
By: Joe Delaney
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
In 1980 the Georgia Bulldogs had a very good football team. They also had an emerging superstar in Hershel Walker.
Who can forget the Georgia Tennessee game to open the 1980 season. Georgia trailed 15-0 when Vince Dooley decided it was time to see what the big freshman running back could do. The rest is history.
“My God, a freshman!” was the legendary Larry Munsons’ call on Walkers first touchdown run in which he ran completely over Bill Bates the Vols safety and scored.
The Dawgs would go on the win 16-15 and a legend was born. Vince had said a few weeks before that he felt Herschel was just a big stiff back. Never was he so wrong.
Fast forward two months and the Dawgs sat at 8-0 with scintillating wins over Clemson and South Carolina. They also held the #2 ranking in the nation. Next up were the hated Gators. The Gators were 6-1 and nationally ranked.
Georgia had run the table with a ground-oriented attack featuring Walker. They did however have a very good offense with Buck Belue, Norris Brown, Nat Hudson, Lindsay Scott and others.
Defensively they were stout with Tim Parks, Eddie “Meat Cleaver” Weaver, Jeff Hipp, Scott “Woerner the returner”, and others.
The kicking game boasted probably the best kicker in the country in Rex Robinson. All the parts were there.
On a sun-drenched Autumn Day in Jacksonville the Dawgs struck first with Walker taking a pitch and blasting 72 yards for the score. He would go on to rush for 238 yards on 37 carries for the day.
Georgia led 20-10 well into the second half when the Gators came back with two scores to take a 21-20 lead with time running out. With little more than a minute to play the Dawgs found themselves 93 yards from the endzone. What happened next was probably the greatest play in Georgia football history and the greatest call by the legendary Larry Munson.
Buck Belue was chased out of the pocket and threw on the run to Lindsay Scott at the 25-yard line. From there Lindsay took it the 75 yards for the touchdown and the lead.
The Gator Bowl went crazy. I can remember Lindsay running down to the corner of the endzone where I was 25 rows up and it was pandemonium. It literally began raining as people threw their cocktails up in the air.
On the Florida sideline there was stunned silence where the Florida players had been dancing the “funky chicken” a minute before.
Munson’s call on the play started with. “Buck back….third down on the eight.” “In trouble, got a block behind him.” “Gonna throw on the run.”
It ended with….“26-21 DAWGS on top!” “We were gone, I gave up, you did too!” “We were out of it and gone……MIRACLE!”
Georgia would go on to win the National Championship taking out Notre Dame 17-10 in the Sugar Bowl.
But the greatest play and call came on that wonderful November day by the St Johns River.
Buying Time
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Billy Napier is in his third season as head coach in Gainesville but he has not proven himself as the right man for the job.
He was hired as Florida’s head coach on December 5, 2021 from Louisiana. He was 40-12 in his four seasons coaching the Ragin’ Cajuns. In his last three years he was 11-3, 10-1 and 12-1.
He replaced Dan Mullen who coached the Gators from 2018-21. Under Mullen UF went 10-3, 11-2, 8-4 and 6-7. Having a losing record got him immediately fired despite having earlier success.
In the case of Napier, he has not had success yet. They were 6-7 in his first year and 5-7 last season. That 2022 team did advance to the Las Vegas Bowl where they were beaten 30-3 by Oregon State.
This season Florida had a brutal schedule. They started the season with a loss at home to #19 Miami, 41-17. The other losses were to Texas A&M, who is currently ranked #14 and #8 Tennessee. They did play a close game with the Vols and lost in overtime, 23-17.
The Gators are currently 4-3 and had their best win of the season. They beat Kentucky 48-20, snapping their three-game losing streak to the Wildcats. Five-star freshman quarterback DJ Lagway completed seven of his fourteen passes but five of them went for 40-plus yards. He passed for 259 yards and rushed for 46 yards.
Freshman running back Jadan Baugh rushed for 106 yards and 5 touchdowns. The 5 touchdowns in a game tie the school record held by Tim Tebow and Trey Burton.
“That’s pretty good company there,” Napier said.
“For Billy Napier, Florida’s beleaguered head coach, the win kept the lions at bay for another week,” Saturday Down South’s Neil Blackmon wrote. “Napier’s buyout was assembled by Florida’s boosters in September, per multiple media reports. After Saturday night’s blowout win, there’s enough hope swirling around the Florida program to provide a path forward under Napier, albeit a narrow one.”
I want to point out that Georgia struggled against Kentucky, winning 13-12.
UF is going into their bye week before they face #2 UGA in Jacksonville. Georgia has won six of the last seven meetings. They’re currently on a three-game winning streak.
Beating the Bulldogs does not seem likely. The remaining schedule after that game is at #5 Texas, #8 LSU, #18 Ole Miss and at Florida State.
As you know, the Seminoles are historically bad this season. FSU is 1-6 and this will be an easy win for Florida. That will only put them at five wins though. In the other games, where will they find a win?
The most likely scenario is UF loses to those ranked teams and finishes 5-7. If they can upset one of them they will finish 6-6. Beating any of those teams will be impressive but is 6-6 good enough at Florida?
Another aspect to consider is Lane Kiffin has been rumored to be the top candidate to replace Napier if he is fired. Once these teams play November 23rd it is going to be talked about more, especially if Ole Miss wins.
I think Napier’s tenure at Florida is done after this season. The only thing that could save his job are two wins against ranked teams and I think one of those wins would have to be against Georgia.
Hall Of Fame
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The city of Jacksonville announced on Tuesday that Bill Goldberg, the former University of Georgia defensive tackle who helped the Bulldogs win three of four games against the Gators, will be among the 2024 inductees into the game’s Hall of Fame.
Goldberg will be inducted with Florida cornerback Fred Weary, a Mandarin High graduate, former Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Mike Peterson, and UGA cornerback Mike Fischer of Jacksonville, a Bolles graduate.
Goldberg was a two-time All-SEC player and lettered four years for the Dawgs from 1986-1989. He’s still ninth in Georgia history with 348 tackles.
But when injuries curtailed his NFL career after stops with the Los Angeles Rams and Atlanta Falcons, Goldberg dropped his first name and became one of the dominant professional wrestlers with a career of more than two decades that culminated with his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018.
Using moves such as “The Spear” and “The Jackhammer,” Goldberg was a five-time world champion in World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment and at one point was reputed to have gone on a 173-0 streak.
He wrestled competitively off and on from 1997-2018 and also has dabbled in mixed martial arts and acting. He appeared in Adam Sandler’s remake of “The Longest Yard” and was a contestant on “Celebrity Apprentice.”
Fisher, who began his college career at Furman, transferred to Georgia as a walk-on and earned a scholarship in 1978. He played on three Georgia teams that went 3-0 against the Gators from 1978-1980 and had an interception against the Gators in the 1979 and two in 1980.
Fred Weary played for the Gators from 1994-1997 and was on three winning teams against Georgia, including the two games that were played on the campuses in 1994-1995 when UF won by combined scores of 104-31.
Weary had 15 career interceptions to lead Florida, six in his senior season. He was first-team All-SEC.
Weary played six years in the NFL, for New Orleans, Atlanta and the St. Louis Rams. He had seven interceptions as a pro.
Mike Peterson, a Gainesville native who played high school football at Alachua Santa Fe, stayed home to play for the Gators and was on three teams that beat the Bulldogs in four years from 1995-1998. Peterson had 249 tackles in four seasons and also was first-team All-SEC.
Weary and Peterson both started for the Gators’ first national championship team under Steve Spurrier in 1996.
Peterson played in the NFL for 14 years, with Indianapolis, the Jaguars and Atlanta. He had 883 tackles and 19 interceptions. He is currently on the Florida coaching staff.
The History
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Georgia-Florida rivalry is one of the oldest and most exciting matchups in all of college football.
Every year, when the University of Georgia Bulldogs are scheduled to face off against the University of Florida Gators, it’s a game both fanbases circle on their calendars.
The two teams have been meeting for over a century, and while Georgia claims the rivalry started in 1904, Florida doesn’t count that game.
That’s because the 1904 Florida team wasn’t from the university as we know it today—it was from a predecessor school, Florida Agricultural College. The official start, according to both schools, was in 1915 when Georgia shut out Florida 37-0.
The game has almost always been played in Jacksonville, Florida, since the 1930s, and it’s become a huge part of the River City’s culture.
Jacksonville was originally picked as a neutral site because it’s between the two schools, and before Interstate 95, it was easier to get to with the modes of transportation available at the time.
Now, it’s an annual event that draws thousands of fans to the city, with plenty of tailgating and partying that turns the weekend into a big celebration. The game itself brings in millions of dollars to Jacksonville’s economy, making it a win for the city as well.
What makes this rivalry unique is that there isn’t a traditional trophy like in other famous matchups. Instead, the winning team takes home a staff made from a tree in the Okefenokee Swamp, which is on the Georgia-Florida border. Right now, that staff is in Georgia’s possession.
Over the years, the game has seen some wild moments. It’s even earned the nickname “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” because of how rowdy the tailgates and celebrations can get.
Fans have been known to party hard, and in the past, things got a little too crazy. In the 1980s, after some alcohol-fueled incidents, including fans tearing down goalposts, Jacksonville had to crack down on the party atmosphere to keep things under control.
They even stopped using the “Cocktail Party” nickname officially, but the fun hasn’t really gone away.
On the field, Georgia dominated the early years, winning most of the games up until the 1950s. Florida didn’t start to gain ground until the ’50s, and the rivalry really heated up when Steve Spurrier became Florida’s head coach in 1990.
Under Spurrier and his successors, Florida went on a tear, winning most of the games in the ’90s and early 2000s. In the last 15 years, though Georgia has won the last three years in a row, the two teams have been more evenly matched.
This game often plays a big role in determining who comes out on top in the SEC East.
Both Georgia and Florida have historically been strong contenders in their division of the conference, so the winner has commonly had a better shot at making it to the SEC Championship.
The rivalry isn’t just a big deal for the teams and their fans; it’s huge for Jacksonville.
The city goes all out to make the weekend special, and it’s a major boost to the local economy.
The game has been played at EverBank Field, home of the Jacksonville Jaguars, since the old Gator Bowl stadium was torn down in the ’90s.
EverBank offers a modern, NFL-style experience for the thousands of fans who pack it every year.
Despite occasional talk about moving the game to the teams’ home stadiums, it has remained in Jacksonville.
Both schools seem happy to keep it that way, but planned renovations to EverBank Stadium starting in 2026 will force a relocation for at least a couple of years, before a hopeful return to Jacksonville in 2028.
The city offers a big payout to the teams, and the fans love the neutral site tradition.
In the end, Georgia-Florida isn’t just a football game—it’s a massive event that people from all over look forward to every year.
Whether you’re a diehard fan or just there for the tailgate, it’s a rivalry that holds a special place in college football.
Memorable Cocktail Games
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Georgia-Florida game is one of the best rivalries in college football. Let’s look back over the years at some of the best performances from this rivalry game.
1997 #14 Georgia 37 #6 Florida 17: The defending national champion Gators were on a seven-game win streak against UGA.
The Bulldogs were 20-point underdogs because of this. The Gators had won 52-14, 52-17 and 47-7 the previous three years against the Bulldogs.
Robert Edwards rushed for 124 yards and four touchdowns. He seems to be a forgotten about player but he led Georgia to a major win.
1995 #3 Florida 52 Georgia 17: This was Florida’s only trip to Athens since the game was permanently moved to Jacksonville in 1933. This was the first season for the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars and the city had to make renovations to the Gator Bowl. The series was moved to a home-and-home series in 1994 and 1995.
Quarterback Danny Wuerffel threw for 242 yards and 5 touchdowns in just under three quarters. Backup QB Eric Kresser tossed two more touchdowns in the 4th quarter, with the last one with 1:10 left in the game.
“You could always tell there was a little extra pep in [Spurrier’s] step when it was Georgia week,” wide receiver Chris Doering said. “It was cool being one of the few teams that ever got the chance to play Georgia in Jacksonville, Gainesville and then going up there in ‘95.”
1980 #2 Georgia 26 #20 Florida 21: Freshman tailback Herschel Walker rushed for 238 yards and a touchdown on 37 carries. He’s actually an afterthought when people look back at this game though because of how it ended.
UGA trailed 21-20 when they took over the ball at their 8-yard line with 1:35 left in the game. They lost one yard on first down and threw an incomplete pass on second down.
On third-and-eleven QB Buck Belue completed a pass to flanker Lindsay Scott near the UGA 25-yard line. Scott seemed to be surrounded by Gators but he cut towards the Georgia bench and ran down the sideline for a 93-yard touchdown.
2002 Florida 20 #5 Georgia 13: It’s tough to view a Gator win as an upset during this time period because they had won 11 of the last 12 meetings before this.
UF had first year head coach Ron Zook and they were struggling, coming into this game 5-3. Georgia, on the other hand was 8-0 under Mark Richt in his second season.
The Florida defense did not allow a single third down conversion on the day, the Bulldogs were 0-for-13.
Florida QB Rex Grossman completed 36 of his 46 pass attempts for 339 yards, two scores and two interceptions.
2007 #20 Georgia 42 #9 Florida 30: Florida won the national championship the year before. Head coach Urban Meyer was doing a great job bringing talent to Gainesville, which included quarterback Tim Tebow. He would become the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy in 2007 but he was not the star of this game.
Bulldog running back Knowshon Moreno rushed for 188 yards and 3 TD’s. QB Matt Stafford passed for 217 yards, 3 scores and 1 interception.
The coolest thing about this game was after Moreno scored a 1-yard touchdown in the first quarter. The entire Georgia team ran into the end zone to celebrate.
It would later be known as the ‘Gator Stomp’ and it is one of the best images in college football history.
