Georgia football: Kyle’s three favorite Bulldogs wins
1. 2004 Georgia vs. Florida
You always remember your first. Your first is the always the most special. It holds a permanent place in your heart. And while I do not remember my first Georgia game in Athens since I was only three. I remember very vividly my first trip to Jacksonville to watch Georgia play Florida.
I remember the area where we sat. Right behind the end zone where David Greene threw all three of his touchdown passes. And we were so close in fact, that my dad claims to have saw me, my uncle and grandfather when he watched one of those touchdown passes.
I’ve never watched the game in its entirety since so I do not know if we could be seen on TV. But if so, that would make the game that much better for me.
The game
Georgia was on a six game losing streak against the Gators, including a pair of close, devastating losses in 2002 and 2003. But going into the 2004 game, there was a different feeling. Florida head coach Ron Zook was as good as gone after not living up to Steve Spurrier. They had already lost to Mississippi State earlier that year.
Georgia, was a one-loss team at the time and was sitting in the top-10. David Greene and David Pollack, the senior leaders were looking for a win over a team that had beaten them their whole careers.
This game was different from the start. In Georgia’s 13 losses to Florida from 1990-to-2003, the Bulldogs only scored more than 20 points just three times. In 2014, Georgia led 21-7 at halftime.
Georgia opened with a 27-yard pass to Leonard Pope just a minute and a half into the game. Florida tied the game mid-way through the first quarter, but Greene found Pope again for a 35-yard touchdown in almost the same spot as the first one. Thomas Brown scored from six yards out early in the second quarter and Georgia took the 21-7 lead to halftime.
A field goal in the middle of the third quarter gave Georgia their largest lead over Florida since 1997. But the Gators came back with 14 unanswered points to cut the lead to just 24-21 with just 12 minutes to go.
But Greene was facing my end zone again. He led the offense 85 yards downfield on just six plays and finished with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Fred Gibson to extend the lead to 31-21.
The Gators did get a field goal on their ensuing possession, but they could never complete the comeback. Georgia had finally beaten Florida, and I was there to watch it.
Since then, Georgia’s fortunes have changed somewhat. After going 1-13 against Florida from 1990-to-2003, Georgia is 5-8 against the Gators from 2004-to-the present. Not where we want to be, but better than where we were. I hope that when I travel down to Jacksonville again this year, that’ll I’ll be watching Georgia takeover the rivalry again.