JACKSONVILLE — You won’t find a more impressive start to a game than the one Todd Gurley enjoyed Saturday.
Led by the sophomore tailback’s remarkable first quarter, Georgia raced out to a quick lead and held on late to earn a 23-20 victory at EverBank Field.
“We played tremendously in the first half, then gave them some life and got their blood pumping,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said. “It could’ve turned bad, but we got some big stops on defense, and the offense finished with that beautiful drive.”
During the Bulldogs’ opening drive, Gurley showed no effects of the sprained ankle that kept him sidelined the past three games.
On the second play from scrimmage, he caught a pass from quarterback Aaron Murray and gained 14 yards. Four plays later, his first handoff of the game went for a bruising 25 yards.
He capped the drive on the next play, barreling into the end zone for a 5-yard touchdown to give the Bulldogs a lead fewer than three minutes into the game.
As it turned out, he was just getting started.
After a missed field goal by the Gators on their opening drive, the Bulldogs started their second possession from the UGA 23-yard line. Following an incompletion and a 4-yard rush, Georgia faced third and 6.
That’s when Gurley came through again.
With Florida (4-4, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) blitzing, Murray checked down over the middle to his tailback, who suddenly found himself in open space. He sprinted past safety Cody Riggs and outran cornerback Marcus Roberson to go 73 yards for his second touchdown a little more than five minutes into the game.
“He helped a little bit, didn’t he?” Richt joked. “He played so well those first couple of series.”
Antonio Morrison was responsible for covering Gurley on his receiving touchdown but was caught too close to the line and was unable to recover in time to prevent a completion or make a tackle in the open field.
“We got what we wanted and we missed it,” coach Will Muschamp said.
Uncharacteristic mistakes plagued Florida’s defense during the game — especially in the first half.
Georgia (5-3, 4-2 SEC) totaled 335 yards of offense prior to halftime — more yards than the Gators have allowed in six games this season.
“We’ve certainly been inconsistent,” Muschamp said. “That’s the frustrating part for me right now.”
Florida’s defense stabilized after halftime — Georgia gained only 79 yards in the second half — before a deflating final drive ended the game and likely any chance the Gators had of earning a trip to the SEC Championship Game.
After Florida’s offense scored 17 consecutive points to pull within 23-20, Georgia gained possession with 8:17 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs never gave back the football.
Gurley, who returned after being treated for exhaustion in the first half, picked up a pair of third-down conversions as Georgia ran 16 plays to kill the clock. The sophomore tailback finished the game with 100 rushing yards on 17 carries and added 87 receiving yards on three catches.
“It was so good to have him back,” Richt said.
Follow Phillip Heilman on Twitter @phillip_heilman.
Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray (11) hands off the football to running back Todd Gurley (3) during Florida’s 23-20 loss to Georgia on Saturday at EverBank field in Jacksonville. Gurley rushed for 100 yards against UF.
