Ten Thoughts From A Gritty, Not Pretty Win

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The venue was different, but the result and feeling was not. For the sixth time in a row, Georgia-Florida went to the Bulldogs. While this game did have a corporate branding attached to it with a logo splashed across midfield and throughout the venue, that br…

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• Georgia Bulldogs 15 Thoughts

The venue was different, but the result and feeling was not. For the sixth time in a row, Georgia-Florida went to the Bulldogs. While this game did have a corporate branding attached to it with a logo splashed across midfield and throughout the venue, that branding mention is not worth repeating here. It’s the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, and on Saturday, the upper hand remained in the hands of Georgia.

Here are ten thoughts from another win over the Gators.

1. Was it glitzy? No. But does it have to be pretty? No. In other words, Georgia’s sixth straight win against Florida was gritty, not pretty. Could the offensive execution have been sharper? Yes, there’s no question about that. But was it an old-school-like game that likely have Vince Dooley and Erk Russell sitting up in ther graves and applauding? No doubt. This was a win of doing what you have to do on offense and letting defense lead the way by winning up front and forcing turnovers. And when it comes against one of your rivals, it should be more than enough to feel good about.

2. Hopefully this does not sound too much like an ‘old man yells at a cloud take,’ but if you did not live through Steve Spurrier taking Georgia to torture city each year in Jacksonville with one exception, its hard to understand what winning this game time after time means. Going into this game each year, Georgia fans had to convince themselves that they had chance, and those false hopes usually fizzled out. Its an absolute script flip of how this rivalry is now. Georgia has the upper hand, and now Florida needs a chiropractor for its neck pain from looking up at the Bulldogs. It’s been said many a time since Kirby Smart came to Athens, but this is the golden era of this program. Oh, and its also a dark era of misery from Florida’s side…

3. Outside pundits may say that Georgia was gifted a bunch of points in this one. That’s fine if they want to carry on with that ill-conceived narrative. But its one thing to get chances, its another to be able to take advantage, and Georgia had a total of 17 points on Saturday either on or on scoring drives originated by turnovers.

4. This is a safe space. You can also admit you felt like Kirby Smart when he collapsed to the ground when a penalty negated a stop that likely would have kept the shutout intact and given the Bulldogs their first shutout in this series since 1982…

5. On the note of that turnover, Braylon Conley was a prime example of being ready to go. Rosters are full of depth-role players that when the time comes have to step up. Georgia was in that exact spot when Ellis Robinson had to exit the game, and the secondary did not appear to miss a beat on that side of the secondary.

6. Is it time to start worrying about Peyton Woodring? Having an automatic placekicker is a blessing. If they teeter toward unpredictability, its a curse.

7. The venue may have been different, but the tradition remained - Florida fans’ annual disappearing act just before the fourth quarter.

8. Say this much for Florida head coach Jon Sumrall. He didn’t cheaply keep the consecutive games without being held scoreless streak intract with a half-clapped field goal try. So at least award the Gators an A for effort.

9. Understandably, the pregame scene was slanted to Florida in terms of enthusiasm. Who can blame them - they likely drove in, stayed in hotels and got their money’s worth. Georgia fans have been to Mercedes-Benz so many times that they know all the different roads around here named “Peachtree.” You’d expect that sentiment to flip to Georgia next year in Tampa.

10. It was fun to see the unique 50/50 fan seating split on Saturday, but otherwise, it felt basically like any other college football game. That’s a problem, because Georgia-Florida is not just a football game. It’s a whole event, whole experience. That is not to dispute how nice MBS is, because its a first-class venue. But in Jacksonville, the game is the centerpiece. On Saturday, the venue was. That’s why fans should start anticipating now for the return to the Banks of the St. Johns River.

Go Dawgs!

• Georgia Bulldogs 15 Thoughts

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