While the University of Florida, the better team thus far this season, is favored over Georgia in this weekend’s annual meeting at the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, you can’t count out the Dawgs, who need a win over over their hated rivals to have a chance at salvaging this once-promising season. And as I said in my last column, when two rivals such as Georgia and Florida meet, with so much passion and fervor on each side, you can pretty much throw records out the window. So, we thought we’d take a look at some of the biggest upsets at the WLOCP during Mark Richt’s tenure as UGA head coach.
2002: Florida upsets No. 5 UGA 20-13
Georgia came into this game riding high at 8-0. Steve Spurrier and his 11-1 record over the Bulldogs had finally left Gainesville, which gave UGA the opening it needed to take a stranglehold on the series. In a game where defense reigned, it was a pick-six thrown by D.J. Shockley that cost Georgia. The worst part: Georgia finished the season 12-1, and it was this loss that cost the Bulldogs a shot at the BCS National Championship. Considering that’s the closest we’ve been to a title since Richt took over, this loss still stings.
2003: No. 23 Florida upsets No. 4 UGA 16-13
Although 2002 will always be the year we ask “What if?”, 2003 was pretty devastating itself. Georgia came into the game 7-1 and a six-point favorite, and was looking for some retribution the year after the Gators played spoiler to our national championship hopes. It was another defensive contest, and this one came down to the wire, with Florida kicker Matt Leach hitting a 33-yard field goal with 33 seconds remaining to give the Gators a win. Georgia did win as favorites in 2004, but Florida reeled off two more in 2005 and 2006.
2007: No. 20 UGA upsets No. 9 Florida 42-30
At last, we reach a Georgia upset, and what an upset it was. After Florida’s doldrums of the Ron Zook era, they brought in Urban Meyer, who gave the program a complete overhaul and turned it back into a winner, taking the BCS National Championship in 2006, his second season in charge. But 2007 was a different story, and it’s known as the “Gator Stomp.”
After scoring UGA’s first touchdown in the first quarter, the entire Georgia roster ran to the end zone for a mass celebration. The Bulldogs received two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, but that didn’t matter. A fire was lit under their asses. Knowshon Moreno ran for 188 yards, and the Bulldogs won one of the highest-scoring games in the history of the WLOCP.
2012: No. 10 UGA upsets No. 2 Florida 17-9
The 2012 game was Georgia’s response to the 2002 game a decade earlier, but this time the scripts were flipped. As the No. 2 team in the country and a six-point favorite, Florida was staring down another shot at the BCS National Championship. Both teams gave strong defensive performances and sloppy offensive ones, with nine turnovers between the teams. But Georgia got the edge thanks to two players: Todd Gurley and Jarvis Jones. Gurley rushed for 119 yards and a touchdown. Jones had the play of the game when he caused Florida receiver Jordan Reed to fumble near the goal line as Florida was threatening to score late in the fourth quarter to secure a Georgia victory.
2014: Florida upsets No. 11 UGA 38-20
Now we return to some bad memories, and fresh ones at that. Florida coach Will Muschamp entered the game as pretty much a lame duck. Although the win alleviated some pressure, he was still ultimately fired. But he looked like a genius in Jacksonville last season, if only for one game. And Georgia’s defense looked downright pathetic, allowing the Gators to rush for 418 yards, with 197 yards from Kelvin Taylor and 192 yards from Matt Jones. The loss cost the Bulldogs the SEC East title, as it gave them two losses to Missouri’s one, even though UGA beat Missouri 34-0 earlier in the year.
As you can see from this list, redemption plays a big role in who wins and loses the WLOCP. Luckily for UGA, we have a lot to redeem after the debacle last year.
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