There’s no defense for this one.
Georgia Southern, a Football Championship Subdivision team that was missing 19 scholarship players due to injury and had lost to the likes of Wofford, Samford, Appalachian State and Furman, dominated Florida on its own turf without completing a pass.
Georgia Southern (7-4, 4-4 Southern Conference) gained 429 rushing yards using the triple option to pull off a historic 26-20 upset on Saturday in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium that snapped a 22-year bowl appearance streak for Florida (4-7, 3-5 Southeastern Conference) and marked the first defeat against a current FCS team since 1946.
“Very disappointed for our program,” coach Will Muschamp said. “An embarrassment in this situation.”
Florida managed just 279 yards of offense and allowed the fourth most rushing yards in school history. Eight Georgia Southern players had a rush attempt of 10 or more yards.
Georgia Southern earned a reported $550,000 just to share the same field with Florida. The numbers did not add up. Florida entered the game as 27.5-point favorites. Its football expenses of $67 million are more than seven times Georgia Southern’s entire athletic budget. This never should have been close.
“They came out here and played their tails off. This was their ballgame,” right guard Jon Halapio said. “They had nothing to lose. We took them lightly.”
At the start, it looked as if Florida could ride its talent to a victory. Redshirt freshman Skyler Mornhinweg, starting his second game in place of injured quarterback Tyler Murphy, led a 13-play, 63-yard opening drive that ended in a 27-yard field goal by Francisco Velez. Freshman Kelvin Taylor had eight carries on the drive for 54 yards.
Georgia Southern punter Luke Cherry fumbled the snap on a punt to end the subsequent series. On the next Eagles possession, safety Jabari Gorman stripped the ball from GSU running back Johnathan Bryant. Linebacker Michael Taylor recovered the ball at the Georgia Southern 14-yard line.
Mornhinweg, scrambling right, found Solomon Patton in the endzone from 3 yards out for the first touchdown of his career. Despite a blocked field goal, Florida held a commanding 10-point lead with 13:31 left in the second quarter.
“We did not play a perfect game. We put ourselves in bad situations, but nobody panicked,” Georgia Southern coach Jeff Monken said. “There was never any doubt in their minds.”
The doubt escalated for Florida once it became clear that it would not generate a passing offense, and Georgia Southern buckled down against the run.
Taylor gained 11 yards during the remainder of the first half following his 54-yard opening drive. Georgia Southern, led by senior Jerick McKinnon, gashed Florida in the run game.
The Eagles scored 20 points on rushing touchdowns by Kevin Ellison and William Banks. The Gators did not have any margin for error on defense with an offense that punted five consecutive drives from 9:06 remaining in the second quarter to the end of the third.
Muschamp publicly admitted that frustration directed towards the offense has manifested itself in a once-vaunted defense.
“It becomes infectious. It’s hard when you give up 17 points (and) you hope you score 17,” Muschamp said.
“That’s hard right now.”
The triple option, by design, eliminated the talent disparity and slowed down a Florida defensive line that had trouble dealing with a Georgia Southern offensive line that cut blocked at the knees.
Defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin said before the game that the team had been preparing for the triple option since the summer, but the Gators did not look the part. Instead, they played like a team that had only four days to prepare. Georgia Southern torched Florida for 7.9 yards per rush.
“They get to the perimeter really fast. It’s sometimes hard to use your athletic ability,” safety Cody Riggs said.
“You have got to use your eyes and play everything.”
Despite a defense that surrendered 429 rushing yards and an offense that could not move the football, Florida had a chance to win after Younghoe Koo shanked his second extra point on Saturday afternoon.
Five completions moved the Gators from their own 36 to the Eagles’ 24 with fewer than 30 seconds remaining. Down 26-20, Mornhinweg needed a touchdown. Florida had four plays to get it.
Three plays later, Georgia Southern deflected his fourth-down pass to Patton in double coverage to end the game. The Eagles’ sideline rushed the field. The Gators couldn’t leave The Swamp fast enough. The Gator Marching Band, cheerleaders and mascots sang the alma mater alone.
The longest bowl-appearance streak in the nation ended. Florida, now guaranteed its worst season in 35 years, has to get over the shock of arguably the worst loss in program history.
Players such as Riggs, who arrived at Florida while Urban Meyer was still the coach, will have January off for the first time in their careers.
“I’m not going to lie. I never would have seen that coming to Florida,” Riggs said. “That’s very upsetting.”
Dominique Easley witnessed his first game on the sidelines since suffering a season-ending torn right ACL on Sept. 24. Jeff Driskel watched with a walking boot on his right leg. Driskel and Easley conjured up thoughts of what Florida was, what it failed to become and what it could have been in 2013.
It does not get any easier for the Gators.
Next up is No. 2 Florida State. Muschamp expects Murphy to miss his third straight start. Michael Taylor will not play due to a right MCL injury he sustained in the first half.
“The morale on this team is at an all-time low. We have a lack of leadership,” Halapio said.
“We just really need to tighten up as a team.”
Follow Adam Pincus on Twitter @adamDpincus.
Georgia Southern quarterback Jerick McKinnon stiff arms Vernon Hargreaves III during Florida’s 26-20 loss to the Eagles on Saturday in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The Eagles ran for 429 yards against the Gators.
