The annual Florida-Georgia game is known across the country as one of the biggest college games of the year. Many fans and students travel to Jacksonville, Florida to watch the highly anticipated matchup, It has been held in Jacksonville since 1933 as a neutral site to both schools.
Both teams are a part of the Southeastern Conference (SEC East). The rivalry has swayed back and forth for decades, always making it an even match for both sides. Georgia currently leads the all time record 55-44.
Georgia was ranked the #2 team in the country with a 6-1 record. Florida was unranked with a record of 4-3. Many counted them out as the underdog. Georgia was favored by a wide margin of 16.5 points. However, Florida did hold their ground, losing a close battle by 14.
What did Florida need to do to pull off the upset? It started with DJ Lagway, the five star freshmen QB who had a 2-0 record in the two games he has started. He opened up the Florida offense to lots of new possibilities but had yet to face a high caliber program. His test was cut short when he went down in the 2nd quarter with a hamstring injury. When Lagway exited the contest they led 10-3 and had lots of momentum. This tragedy ruined that momentum. Along with Lagway, the Florida defense had to compensate for the loss by having to be on the field so much due to the lack of confidence with Florida’s backup QB leading to a 34-20 loss.
Georgia on the other hand being ranked #2 came away with the win despite not playing to their best. Their defense has been incredible since the beginning of the year and did a great job shutting down Florida’s offense when Lagway went down. The defense really stepped up when Georgia needed them the most. The Georgia offense struggled big time with their highly regarded QB Carson Beck from Jacksonville threw three interceptions. Regardless, their great coaching and talent helped them come home with a win.
Lots of the Bolles students were in attendance and gave thoughts on the event as a whole turning out to be a big success.
Leo Guglielmi ‘27 is a big Florida fan and showed some optimism for the team’s future. “I thought the Gators played very well against a tough Georgia team. We lost Lagway which sucked. Some guy from Yale came in and ruined the game for us but I thought the experience in the Bank was great.”
Gray Mccarthy ‘27 is not a fan of either team. “It was a good game,” he said. “Florida played well in the first half. Their quarterback going down gave them no chance to win. Georgia still won by two touchdowns even though it was one of their worst performances.”
Justin Osbourne ‘27, was positive about the results for the gators. “I thought it was a good game. Florida had a real shot until Lagway went down. After that they didn’t really stand a chance.”
Georgia defeated Florida 34-20 in a very close game. This game made a statement from both sides. From Florida, it proved that with DJ Lagway at QB they can compete with anyone. From Georgia, it showed their will to win and that no matter how poorly they play, you can never count them out.
