Georgia Football: 5 best victories over Gators since 2000

Georgia football and Florida have had some incredible games over the years, but there have only been eight wins since 2000.

Mark Richt only beat the Gators five times, and current head coach Kirby Smart has three wins under his belt.

Despite single-digit wins in the last 21 seasons, the Dawgs still lead the Gators overall at 53-44-2. Smart seems to be changing the trend, but only time will tell.

Georgia’s wins came in 2004, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Richt beat the Gators for the first time in 2004 when the Dawgs beat the Gators 31-24. It would be another three seasons before beating them again in 2007. Then he got Aaron Murray and company, who went 3-1 against the Gators, giving the Georgia fans a bit to brag about over their arch-nemesis.

Smart beat the Gators for the first time in 2017 and then won three straight before falling short last year, but we don’t have to talk about that.

Even though there aren’t many wins to pick and choose from, all eight of these victories were huge for those seasons. The victories gave Georgia fans hope that the tide was beginning to turn after so many heartbreaking losses since the 1990s.

However, the losses made the victories that much sweeter as when the Dawgs beat the Gators — there are usually good things happening in Athens.

After looking at each of the eight victories, we ranked them one through five, taking into account what it meant for that season, win margin, and memorable moments.

5. Georgia football beat Florida 23-20 in 2013

The No. 5 game on this list is the 2013 matchup between Florida and Georgia when the Dawgs defeated the Gators 23-20.

This matchup was Richt’s final win over the Gators in his tenure at Georgia, but it was the Dawgs’ third straight victory.

Between Aaron Murray and sophomore running back Todd Gurley, they led the way to ensure the Dawgs beat the Gators.

Gurley led the team with 187 total yards against the Gators as he finished with 100 rushing and had 87 receiving yards.

Murray had a stellar performance going 16-of-25 for 258 yards and one touchdown.

The Dawgs jumped on that Gators that year as they quickly went up 23-3 before allowing Florida to get right back into the game. Georgia scored 17 first-quarter points and two field goals in the second quarter while holding the Gators to one field goal.

Being able to hold Florida to three first-half points was a big reason this game made the list. Without being able to hold them, this matchup could have gotten turned on its head and quickly.

However, the Gators weren’t about to lay down. They came out hot in the second half, scoring a touchdown and then getting a safety against the Dawgs in the third quarter.

Florida scored once more in fourth, but the Dawgs held them off and beat them by three points.

The Dawgs defense did their job down the stretch and got it done when they needed to. They stepped up to help out an offense that went stagnant in the second half.

Despite the Dawgs collecting 414 total yards of offense, they scored all their points in the first half, and usually, that isn’t a good thing.

However, the defense held tough and gave Florida another loss as 2013 was the same year they lost to Georgia Southern late in the season and finished 4-8 overall.

The Gators didn’t win another game after beating Arkansas 30-10 on Oct. 5 that year.

This game is No. 5 on the list because the Dawgs battled to get the job done, and it was their third straight win over Florida. Gurley and Murray made sure to keep the streak alive because they both knew how important winning this game was.

4. Georgia football man handles Florida in 2018 36-17

Georgia gave head coach Kirby Smart his second-straight victory over the Gators in 2018 as they beat up on Florida 36-17.

Sophomore quarterback Jake Fromm also got his second-straight victory as he went 17-of-24 for 240 yards and three touchdowns in this game.

Not to mention running back duo D’Andre Swift and Elijah Holyfield did damage as well. Swift finished the game with 104 yards on the ground, and Holyfield had 71.

The Dawgs jumped out to a 13-7 lead at halftime and didn’t let off the throttle as they would collect 23 more points in the second half.

Florida fought hard in this game and even took the lead in the third quarter, but it wasn’t long until Fromm, and the offense handled their business and pulled away from the Gators.

The Dawgs converted 8-of-14 third downs while holding Florida to 4-of-12 third-down conversions. This stat would end up being a big one because Georgia’s defense got them off the field and allowed the Dawgs to have the ball 31 minutes of the game.

Georgia’s defense had three tackles for loss, one sack, but they forced three fumbles, recovering two of them, and had one interception on the game.

They were able to prevent the Gators from gaining much traction in the second half, and it ultimately gave the Dawgs their second straight win over the bad guys.

This 2018 game comes in at No.4 on this list because the Dawgs beat Florida by 19 points, the run game was solid, and there were very few mistakes out of this team.

It was Smart’s second win over the Gators with a sophomore quarterback, and it was a good year as the Dawgs went 11-3 overall.

3. Georgia football forces six turnovers in 2012 win

Georgia football forced six turnovers in the 17-9 win over the Florida Gators in 2012. With Jarvis Jones leading the way, the No. 10 Dawgs were able to get their second win in a row and upset the No.2 ranked Gators.

That reason alone of upsetting the No. 2 team is why 2012 is the No.3 game on this list, and the turnovers help too.

Neither team was perfect, as the Gators tallied three interceptions too, but the Dawgs forced more and did just enough on offense to get it done.

Aaron Murray went 12-of-24 for 150 yards, one touchdown and three picks. Freshman running back Todd Gurley had 27 carries for 118 yards and one score, and it was Malcolm Mitchell led the way receiving-wise with five catches for 74 yards and the lone touchdown catch.

These low-scoring ball games make Georgia fans sweat more than the high-scoring ones because, in this rivalry game, anything can happen, and well, the heartbreak is real.

However, 2012 wasn’t going to end in heartbreak. Instead, it ended in Georgia moving to 7-1 on the season and eventually a chance to play in the SEC Championship game, even though that ended terribly too.

Jeez, it’s been a roller coaster of a ride as Georgia fans the last 20 years.

Anyway, Jones and the defense forced four fumbles and two interceptions on the day, though Florida scored more off turnovers than the Dawgs did.

Murray’s touchdown to Mitchell came at a pivotal time. There were seven minutes to go in the game, and the Dawgs led by one. Murray threw a gorgeous pass to Mitchell for a 45 touchdown pass that would go down in Dawg history, and thankfully the defense held strong to avoid a disaster.

This game is one to remember because of Jones and the defense, but also because of that Mitchell catch because it’s what made all of us realize how good he was, and it helped lead him to a decent NFL career.

Georgia winning two in a row against the Gators is impressive, and when they forced that many turnovers, it’s noteworthy and well lovely to see.

2. Georgia football dances their way to a big 2007 win over the Gators

Georgia football fans remember this game because it included the most extraordinary touchdown celebration ever. It’s when Mark Richt said forget about the referees and penalties, celebrate and do it in a big way.

The Dawgs did just that, and it’s one no one will ever forget. Knowshon Moreno scored a one-yard run as he dove over the Florida defense. Before anyone could blink, the entire Georgia football team was on the field dancing, celebrating, and causing a scene.

That touchdown set the tone, and even though Georgia won 42-30, the Gators were never going to win that ballgame.

Not to mention, no one gave Georgia a shot in the dark to beat this Gator team as they were the No. 9 team in the country, and the Dawgs were No. 20. However, Richt and his team said watch this world, and even 14 years later, people still talk about this game.

I mean, it was the only time Georgia beat Tim Tebow during his time at Florida, so it’s an important game.

Florida was a well-coached football team, and they gave a valiant effort to come back, but Georgia set the tone and found a way to win at all cost.

They even immediately responded when Tim Tebow threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Louis Murphy to even it at 7-7.

Mattew Stafford showed his guns the next drive, chunking it 84-yards to Mohamed Massaquoi, who celebrated with a gator chomp the length of the endzone.

The Dawgs didn’t care at all this game. Whether they were penalized or not, they wanted to make a statement, and they did.

Stafford finished the game 11-of-18 for 217 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, a pick-six.

Moreno led the way with 33 carries for 188 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 8.5 yards a carry.

It was Georgia’s day to shine that October afternoon, and it resulted in one of the most memorable moments in the rivalries’ entire history.

Even though it was probably the most memorable game since 2000, one beat it out because of the way Georgia did it.

1. Georgia football gives Kirby Smart first win over the Gators in 2017

The best victory since 2000 was the 2017 42-7 tail-whupping Georgia delivered to the Gators, giving second-year head coach Kirby Smart his first win over Florida.

After falling to Florida in 2016 24-10 and giving the Gators three straight wins, Smart had a team led by a true freshman quarterback and a veteran defense, which was the perfect recipe for success.

Georgia wouldn’t let the Gators score until the fourth quarter when the Dawgs put in their backups. This game moved No. 3 Georgia to 8-0 on the season and keep the season hopes of an SEC championship alive.

Despite the one blunder against Auburn, Georgia went on to beat the Tigers in Atlanta and win the first SEC title since 2005.

Fromm didn’t have to do it with his arm as he threw just seven passes the entire game, going 4-of-7 for 101 yards, a touchdown and one interception.

Nope, the incredible rush attack led by veterans Sony Michel and Nick Chubb, giving them their first win over Florida.

They came back for a reason, and one of them was to get this victory.

Michel led the way with six carries for 137 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 22.8 yards a touch. Chubb had 13 carries for 77 yards and a touchdown. Elijah Holyfield had four carries for 49 yards and one score.

Georgia truly distributed the wealth among its running backs, and Florida had no answer for them.

Even with the Gators recording 183 rushing yards, they scored once because Georgia’s defense did their thing.

The Gators couldn’t get much down on offense as the Dawgs defense finished with eight tackles for loss, five sacks, a forced fumble and recovery, and 18 quarterback hurries.

Georgia was on a revenge tour in 2017, and they accomplished all their goals outside winning a title.

This game tops all of them because it allowed Georgia to stay perfect on the season and show what football team Smart wanted. They may have been the second-year squad, but this group set the tone for success in the Smart era, and so far, the ones following them are maintaining the expectations.

To beat your biggest rival by 35 points is absolutely incredible, and Georgia made a statement when they needed to.

Georgia has a similar situation on Saturday against the Gators. After losing to them last year, the revenge tour will be complete if they get the big win to stay undefeated and focus on winning it all.