Georgia pounds Florida
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Sony Michel slipped through the line untouched, sprinted past several defenders and then spun into the end zone.
The rout was on, and the losing streak was essentially over.
Michel put third-ranked Georgia up big early and put Florida away late, scoring on two long runs in a 42-7 drubbing Saturday that might have been the final game for Gators coach Jim McElwain. It was Florida's most lopsided loss in the series since a 44-0 shutout in 1982.
Michel finished with 137 yards rushing on just six carries and helped the Bulldogs remain unbeaten and in control in the Southeastern Conference's Eastern Division.
Nick Chubb also scored for Georgia (8-0, 5-0 SEC), which started 8-0 for the first time since 2002 and ended a three-game losing streak in
"This meant a lot to get a win," linebacker Lorenzo Carter said. "It's one of the reasons I came back for my senior year. We hadn't beaten them and I wanted to go out with a win. We had to finish out the right way, and we did." So lift a glass to Georgia.
And pour one out for McElwain.
"I haven't been told anything," said McElwain, who is now 22-12 in three seasons. "There have been no conversations about that . ... Nothing in this world surprises me. I know what I was brought here to do. Look, we haven't been good on offense. I get it. We've won a few games, but we haven't won enough; haven't won a championship. That's real. That's life. And I take full responsibility for all of it, no doubt."
The performance of Florida (3-4, 3-3) against Georgia surely doesn't bode well for McElwain's job security.
The Bulldogs scored on their first three possessions and led 21-0 before the Gators picked up a first down. Georgia used three huge plays to build a three-touchdown lead.
"It was a shocker," said Florida safety Chauncey Gardner, who questioned Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm early in the week.
Fromm found D'Andre Swift in the flat for a 39-yard gain that set up Chubbs' 6-yard touchdown run. Dominick Sanders intercepted Feleipe Franks' pass on the ensuing possession, and Fromm threw a perfect, 17-yard pass to Javon Wims in the corner of the end zone. Michel added his first of two scores, a 74-yarder midway through the second quarter. He added a 45-yard touchdown scamper in the third.
"We're not going to point fingers or complain," Franks said. "You don't live in the past or the future. You have to live in the now . ... We're definitely not going to fold. We're not going to bow our heads down."