It marked our ninth victory in the last 10 meetings in this series and -- more importantly -- gave the Gators (7-1, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) control of the SEC East.   If the Gators beat Vanderbilt next Saturday and South Carolina the following week, they'll go back to the SEC title game for the first time since 1996.  This year's version was a watered-down affair, a game bogged down by steady rain in the first half, sputtering offense in the second, and silly penalties and a number of stalled drives the whole way through.

It was entertaining nonetheless, with a pair of defenses being pushed to their limits time and again and Florida's coming out ahead.  Twice in the second half, Georgia (6-2, 4-2) took over inside the Florida 40 trailing 16-14. Both times, the Gators refused to budge. On the second drive, Keith Kelsey forced a fumble on a run up the middle by Jasper Sanks at the Florida 10 and Bennie Alexander recovered.  They did, and Bulldogs coach Jim Donnan left the field feeling like he may have hand-delivered them the opportunity.

After the turnover, Florida gained the field-position advantage. One possession later, the Gators struck when Bo Carroll burst through the right side for a 30-yard touchdown and a 23-14 lead.  In Georgia's next drive, Alex Brown forced another turnover at the Georgia 2. Doug Johnson ran for a touchdown on the next play and a game that had been much closer was suddenly out of hand.  Brown also had an interception on Georgia's final drive, adding to the reputation he built with a five-sack performance in a 23-21 victory over Tennessee earlier this season.

The Gators shut down Georgia quarterback Quincy Carter, holding him to 6-for-23 passing for just 76 yards. He had more success running, especially in the first half, when he sliced through the Florida defense on a pair of option plays for two scores and a 14-10 lead.  Florida regained the lead on a 10-play, 72-yard march for a 16-14 lead late in the first half. From there, the defense took over, as Florida allowed only 14 first downs and 231 yards in offense, just 53 in the second half.