Gators gash Georgia on ground

photo Florida running back Matt Jones (24) runs for yardage as he gets past Georgia linebacker Reggie Carter (45) and safety Corey Moore (39) during their game in Jacksonville, Fla., on Nov. 1, 2014. Florida won 38-20.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Georgia first-year defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt has not been one for many interviews this football season, but he felt the need Saturday evening.

Pruitt was the first one out of the locker room to address the media following the 38-20 loss to rival Florida. His defense gave up 445 yards, including 418 on the ground.

"We had more in the box than they could block, but sometimes that isn't enough," he said. "Sometimes you have to tear off and make plays, and we didn't do that today. That's on me, because we've got to be able to finish.

"They lined up and gave us a good ol' butt-whipping. They ran the power and they ran the zone, things you see every day in practice."

Kelvin Taylor rushed 25 times for 197 yards and two touchdowns for the Gators, while teammate Matt Jones rushed 25 times for 192 yards and two scores. Taylor had rushed for only 200 yards all season entering Saturday.

The Gators needed freshman quarterback Treon Harris to complete just 3 of 6 passes for 27 yards. Harris had six rushes for 37 yards.

"We knew coming in that they weren't going to trust that quarterback to stand back there and throw it 30 times," Bulldogs senior cornerback Damian Swann said. "We realized that they weren't going to throw the ball before it got to halftime, but we didn't execute up front or rotate well on the back end."

Said senior nose tackle Mike Thornton: "They didn't do anything that surprised us. It was us. It wasn't them."

Pruitt believes the Bulldogs had their four best days of practice this past week. He added that the outcome can serve as a lesson that good practices won't add up if you don't bring "juice" to the games.

The Gators racked up the most rushing yards against Georgia since Auburn's wishbone attack of William Andrews, James Brooks and Joe Cribbs helped the Tigers amass 430 in 1978.

Could anyone have imagined the Bulldogs, who were allowing just 105.1 rushing yards a game, getting bludgeoned so badly on the ground?

"Absolutely not," Swann said. "Not by Florida, anyway."

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.

Upcoming Events