JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) ---The Georgia Bulldogs celebrated in the end zone early and on the sideline late.
They probably should have hoisted Knowshon Moreno and Matthew Stafford on their shoulders for both.
Moreno ran for a career-high 188 yards and three scores, Stafford
threw three touchdown passes and No. 20 Georgia upset ninth-ranked
Florida 42-30 on Saturday in a game filled with big plays and momentum
shifts.
The Bulldogs (6-2, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) sacked Tim Tebow six
times and contained the Gators' high-scoring offense most of the game.
The result was a rare Bulldogs victory in one of the South's most
heated rivalries.
Florida (5-3, 3-3) had dominated the series known as the World's
Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party since 1990, winning 15 of the last 17
meetings and eight of nine. Georgia turned it around Saturday, taking
advantage of Tebow's bruised non-throwing shoulder and Florida's porous
defense.
Bulldogs coach Mark Richt set the tone for before the game. Richt,
who had been 1-5 against the Gators, uncharacteristically orchestrated
an on-field celebration following his team's first touchdown.
"I told them if they didn't get a penalty for celebrating after the
first score I would be mad at them,'' Richt told CBS Sports as he
headed to the locker room.
The Bulldogs came through for their coach in a big way, when the
entire team ran on the field and into the end zone to celebrate
Moreno's first TD run. The Bulldogs bounced around and drew two
unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.
Georgia was forced to kickoff from the 8-yard line and the brazen show of emotion drew the ire of Florida coach Urban Meyer.
Just two weeks ago, Richt chastised his players for jumping on Vanderbilt's midfield logo following a 20-17 victory.
Meyer huddled his players on the sideline and had them jumping up
and down. The Gators may have felt dissed but that wasn't enough to
make up for defense that's struggled all season.
The defending national champions were exposed in losses to LSU and
Auburn, and Kentucky's Andre Woodson picked them apart in a close game
last week.
Georgia was even better, gouging every aspect of Florida's defense.
Stafford was 11-of-18 for 217 yards with an interception by that was returned for a touchdown early.
Moreno did most of the damage on 33 carries, picking up yards inside
and out, breaking tackles and outrunning defenders all over the field.
Stafford took advantage, using play-action passes to make Florida's
secondary look silly. The Gators' pass rush rarely got close to
Stafford.
The Bulldogs sealed the victory when Tebow fumbled a snap with 2:23
remaining. The turnover started a raucous celebration on the Georgia
sideline, then at midfield and again in the same end zone.
Georgia finished with its most points in the series since a 44-0 win in 1982.
Florida simply wasn't as effective as it had been on offense. Tebow
injured his shoulder last week against the Wildcats and was clearly
favoring it Saturday. He ran very little in the first half, and the
Gators just weren't the same.
Tebow finished 14-of-22 for 236 yards, with a touchdown and an interception.
Percy Harvin picked up the slack, running for 97 yards and catching
two passes for 41 yards. A fumble by Kestahn Moore and another fumbled
snap by Moore helped Georgia build an early lead.
Stafford never let the Bulldogs relinquish it.
He connected with Mohamed Massaquoi for an 84-yard score that made
it 14-7. He flipped a 1-yarder in the flat to Brannan Southerland to
make it 28-17 early in the second half. Stafford's 53-yarder to Mikey
Henderson was the topper, making it 35-24 with about 11 minutes
remaining.
Florida also dropped to 7-1 in rivalry games under Meyer, losing its first game against Tennessee, Georgia or Florida State.
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