Game Six: 2008 Florida Gators (13-1) vs 2002 Georgia Bulldogs (13-1)
Tale of the tape:
'08 Florida Gators:
Points Per Game: 44
Points Allowed Per Game: 13
Avg. Margin of Victory: 33
Key wins: #6 Alabama, #5 Oklahoma, #21 Florida St, #13 Georgia
Losses: #16 Ole Miss
'02 Georgia Bulldogs:
Points Per Game: 30
Points Allowed Per Game: 16
Avg. Margin of Victory: 18
Key wins: #11 Alabama, #14 Auburn, #21 Florida State
Losses: UR Florida
Argument for Florida:
We'll spare you the Tebow love-fest. But you know he's a key to a potential Gator victory. With speed to burn on the ground and through the air, guys like Demps, Rainey, and Harvin are always going to put pressure on a defense. Defensively, the '08 Florida squad was stacked as well. Brandon Spikes will make SportsCenter, but Joe Haden, Major Wright, and Ryan Stamper will bring it. Dunlap and Cunningham will put pressure on David Greene and the Dawgs. Look for Florida to make it a vertical game on offense and try to take Georgia out of their balanced attack early. If Harvin gets going, it could be a long day for UGA.
Argument for Georgia:
Make no mistake, Pat Dye had it all wrong. This Georgia squad was man enough for anybody. Tough as nails is another way to put it. They brought a lunch pail mentality to the field and guys like David Pollack, Thomas Davis, and Sean Jones would flat out put you on your ass. David Greene was more than efficient, at times he was downright electric. He had plenty of targets. Edwards and Gibson, however, gobbled up the majority of the passes. Georgia needs to utilize their size at WR and their talent on the offensive line to get it going in the passing game. Musa Smith didn't find the end zone that much, but his 1389 yards in '02 proves he can tote it.
How it Plays Out:
Early on, you can tell this game has all the makings of a knock-down, drag-out, bruiser. Both these teams came to play. They may have even come with the sole purpose of hurting their foe across the ball from them. Georgia gets it going early on. Musa Smith and Tony Milton have some success running up the middle. Greene finds Gibson and Edwards on back-to-back first downs. Just as it looks like Georgia is headed for paydirt, Brandon Spikes flat out levels David Greene. So hard, in fact, Greene forgot to hang on to the ball. Ryan Stamper falls on it, and the Gators go to work. More concerning to UGA fans, David Greene limps off the field quite gingerly, and DJ Shockley starts warming up.
Florida comes out guns blazing. Reverse to Demps. Screen to Harvin. Sweep from shotgun to Rainey. The Gator offense slices through the Georgia D like they aren't even there. A quick flick from Tebow to Murphy, and the Gators are on the board, 7-0 Florida. All eyes turn to the Georgia sideline, as the QB to emerge isn't David Greene. DJ Shockley leads his warriors to the field, seemingly unphased by his surprise insertion. First play is a designed QB draw. He picks up 8. Next two plays are short passes to get him acclimated. Later in a drive, DJ finds Fred Gibson on a huge 3rd down conversion. Scrambling right, he hit Fred in the numbers for an 18 yard gain. Two plays later, Tony Milton breaks off a 33 yarder for a score.
Following the Georgia drive, Florida and Georgia trade punches in the form of 14 points each. Not for lack of defensive effort, but for sheer execution and will on both sides of the ball. Harvin scored on a sweep from the 11 and a short screen from the 9. For Georgia, Shockley found Michael Johnson for a 44 yard bomb and Musa Smith toted one in from the 15 yard line.
The 2nd half found Georgia's Shockley struggling a bit. He threw back to back interceptions, BOTH of which were snagged by Major Wright. Fortunately for Georgia, only 3 points for Florida was the result. The remainder of the 3rd belonged to the defense. Tebow was blindsided by David Pollack and subsequently fumbled. Haden blasted Gibson and forced a fumble of his own. Neither team scored for the remainder of the period.
Up 24-21 in the 4th, Florida began a lengthy drive that resulted in a 13 yard TD to Murphy. With the game slipping away, David Greene limps from the sideline, a determined, fierce leader. Going to work from his own 29, he zips a quick hitter to Gibson and a 22 yarder to Brown on a wheel route out of the backfield. After misfiring on 3 in a row, he then finds Reggie Brown streaking down the left sideline on what seemed to be busted coverage by the Gator D.
After a stiff effort from the Georgia defense, the final offensive drive fell short on a 4th and 16 pass that never found a receiver. The '08 Gators advance, leaving the Bulldog fans to wonder what would have happened if they had a healthy Greene for the entire game.
Final Score: Florida 31 Georgia 28
Link to Bracket (possible spoiler)
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