Feleipe Franks laid face down on the 3-yard line of EverBank Field, his body dejectedly limp as Georgia’s players celebrated scoring another touchdown.
Just moments prior, Franks had been chased out of the pocket by Bulldogs defensive backs Tyrique McGhee and J.R. Reed when Reed stripped the ball away from him and carried it into the end zone for an easy score.
It was that kind of outing for Florida’s football team on Saturday afternoon in Jacksonville.
Facing Georgia in the midst of a two-game losing streak, the Gators (3-4, 3-3 SEC) were pulverized by the Bulldogs in a 42-7 blowout, surrendering a season-worst 292 rushing yards on defense.
Sony Michel and Nick Chubb led the way for UGA, running rampant for a combined 214 yards and three touchdowns.
The Bulldogs had eight carries that garnered 10 yards or more, including a 74-yard touchdown run from Michel in the first quarter and a 45-yard touchdown run from Michel in the third quarter.
UGA, as a whole, averaged 8.3 yards per carry — the most the Gators have allowed in a game under coach Jim McElwain — and recorded 393 total yards of offense in a win that eliminates Florida from the SEC title race.
“Obviously didn’t turn out the way we wanted it,” McElwain said. “My hat’s off to (Georgia). They played their tails off.”
For the Gators’ offense, Franks recorded a season-low 30 passing yards and completed only 7 of 19 attempts for a 39.6 quarterback rating. He failed to throw a touchdown in the loss and also had two turnovers.
Franks was eventually replaced by backup Malik Zaire with 11:22 remaining in the fourth quarter, marking the third time he’s been benched mid-game in six total starts this season.
“They covered us well,” Franks said. “I thought that’s what it boiled down to.”
The Bulldogs broke the game wide open early on, taking a 21-0 lead at the 7:32 mark of the first quarter.
UGA’s opening three drives resulted in a 6-yard touchdown run from Chubb, a 17-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jake Fromm to receiver Javon Wims and the aforementioned 74-yard touchdown run from Michel.
Georgia reached the end zone three more times in the second half, including the fumble return from Reed inside Florida’s 5-yard line, to score the second-most points ever against Jim McElwain in his three years coaching UF.
Contact Dylan Dixon at ddixon@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @dylanrdixon.
Feleipe Franks completed 7 of 19 passes for a season-low 30 yards against Georgia in a 42-7 loss on Saturday.
