Bowens TD run lifts Bulldogs past Gators

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Running back Chauncey Bowens broke free for a 36-yard touchdown run with 4:36 to play in the fourth quarter to lift the fifth-ranked Georgia football team to a 24-20 win over Florida on Saturday at EverBank Stadium. It was Georgia’s fifth straight win over the Gators and the Bulldogs’ fourth come-from-behind win in SEC play this season.

Georgia trailed 20-17 midway through the final period when its defense got a big stop on fourth-and-1 at the UGA 18-yard line, and the offense responded by driving for the go-ahead score. The Bulldogs (7-1, 5-1 SEC) had to rally in the second half to beat then-No. 15 Tennessee, Auburn and then-No. 5 Ole Miss, and they did it again Saturday.

Florida (3-5, 2-3) took the lead early in the fourth, but the Georgia defense turned the Gators over on downs on their final two possessions. The Bulldogs out-gained the Gators 361-281.

Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton was 20-for-29 passing for 223 yards and two touchdowns, and wide receiver Zachariah Branch had a big day with 10 catches for 112 yards. Georgia rushed for 138 yards on 39 carries, with Bowens leading the way with 70 yards on nine attempts. Linebacker CJ Allen led the defense with 13 tackles.

Due to upcoming major renovations at EverBank Stadium, this was the final game in Jacksonville until 2028. Next season’s game will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, followed by Raymond James Stadium in Tampa in 2027.

Georgia got the ball to start the game and moved the 75 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead. A 12-yard pass from Stockton to wide receiver Dillon Bell on third-and-7 at the UGA 28-yard line kept the drive going, and the two connected again later to end the drive. On second-and-7 at the Florida 8, Stockton hit Bell in the end zone on a quick slant to put the Bulldogs in front early.

Florida tied the game with 6:32 left in the first quarter on a one-play drive, completing a 40-yard touchdown pass from DJ Lagway to Eugene Wilson III. The Gators got the ball back soon after, when a Stockton pass was intercepted by defensive back Devin Moore, giving Florida the ball at the Georgia 38. The Gators took a 10-7 lead on Trey Smack’s 22-yard field goal with 3:02 to go in the quarter.

The Bulldogs tied the game 10-10 with 12 seconds remaining in the first half on Peyton Woodring’s 39-yard field goal. At halftime, Georgia had a 197-127 advantage in total offense, with 12 first downs to Florida’s six.

After Georgia’s defense forced a three-and-out to open the second half, the Bulldog offense went 74 yards in five plays and took a 17-10 lead on Stockton’s 22-yard touchdown pass to Noah Thomas. Earlier in the drive, on third-and-5 at the UGA 31, Stockton hit Branch down the middle for a 42-yard gain.

The Gators tied the game on the ensuing drive, going 79 yards in 12 plays and scoring on a 2-yard Jadan Baugh run with 3:37 to play in the third quarter. Florida took a 20-17 lead with 14:52 left in the game on a 54-yard Smack field goal.

Midway through the fourth, Florida had the ball at the Georgia 18 and went for it on fourth-and-1. The Bulldogs’ Raylen Wilson and Elijah Griffin stopped the run short of the first down, and the offense took the field down three with 7:54 remaining.

Georgia made the most of the stop, regaining the lead, 24-20, on Bowens’ 36-yard touchdown run up the middle. Stockton and Branch did a lot of the work on the drive, connecting for 18 yards on third-and-8 at the UGA 20 and 13 yards later in the drive.

The Bulldog defense stopped the Gators again on fourth down on the next drive, with defensive back Ellis Robinson IV breaking up a pass on fourth-and-4 at the Florida 31 with 3:13 to play. Facing third-and-7 at the Gator 28, Bowens got free on the left side for a 14-yard gain to the 14 with less than three minutes remaining. Georgia was then able to run out the clock and secure the win.

The Bulldogs are back on the road next Saturday when they play at Mississippi State. Georgia leads the all-time series 21-6 and has won the past five meetings.

POST-GAME NOTES

*Hard To Kill: Today marked the fourth time this year that the Bulldogs trailed in the 4th quarter of an SEC game, and they are 3-1 in those contests.

*Georgia (7-1, 5-1 SEC) has trailed early and late in five of its six SEC games with UK the only contest where the Bulldogs led wire-to-wire. Overall this year, Georgia has rallied to beat No. 15 Tennessee in Knoxville, at Auburn, No. 5 Ole Miss in Athens and now UF in Jacksonville.

*Series History: With today’s 24-20 win, Georgia extended its winning streak in the series to five and now hold a 58-44-2 edge in the series history. The Bulldogs are 8-2 against UF under Kirby Smart. The Bulldogs are now 38-3 in their past 41 SEC regular season games.

*Review Of the Offense: Georgia finished with 361 yards of offense (138-rushing, 223 passing) on 68 plays in its latest win over UF, a 24-20 decision. Georgia came in averaging 33.7 points a game while UF allowed just 22.4.

*Georgia trailed 20-17 with 7:54 left today and responded with a go-ahead TD. The drive featured an 18-yard completion to Branch on 3rd-and-8 at the UGA 20 and a 36-yard TD by Chauncey Bowens to cap an 82-yard drive on seven plays in 3:18 for a 24-20 lead with 4:36 left.

*With a 24-20 lead at 3:10 left in the contest, Georgia took over at the UF 31. On a 3rd-and-8, Bowens gained 14 to the UF 14.

*Tied at 10, Georgia’s first drive of the second half resulted in a five play, 74-yard TD drive. It featured a 42-yard catch by Zachariah Branch on a 3rd-and-5 from the 31 and a 22-yard TD catch by senior Noah Thomas, his first as a Bulldog and 16th of his career.

*Georgia and UF were tied at 10 at the half. The Bulldogs tallied 197 yards of offense on 42 plays with 20:03 time of possession.*The Bulldogs got the football to start the game and drove 75 yards in eight plays for a TD in 4:07. The drive featured a 3rd-and-7 conversion (12-yard completion to Dillon Bell). Also on the drive, Stockton was 4-for-4 for 54 yards including an 8-yard TD to Bell, his first this season and 11th TD pass for Stockton. It marked the first opening drive TD against UF in five years (Zamir White went 75 yards on the first play from scrimmage).

*On the third possession with the game tied at 7, UF intercepted a tipped pass at the UGA 38. It led to a FG and a 10-7 UF lead with 3:02 left in the first.

*Down 10-7 with 1:06 left in the first half, UGA’s final drive began at its 37, and it ended with a game-tying 39-yard field goal by Peyton Woodring.

*Redshirt junior QB Gunner Stockton finished 20-for-29 for 223 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT plus 11 yards rushing. In the first half, he was 14-of-21 for 119 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT with 20 yards rushing on eight attempts).

*Junior Zachariah Branch had a career-high 10 catches for 112 yards. It was his first 100-yard game as a Bulldog and second of his career. His 10 catches were the second most by a Bulldog in the UF rivalry, trailing only 15-for-140 by Shannon Mitchell in 1993. Branch’s first catch of the 2nd half was a 42-yarder. Senior Dillon Bell had four receptions for 43 yards including one TD.

*In the running game, the Bulldogs has 138 yards and were led by redshirt-freshman Chauncey Bowens (70 yards on nine carries, 1 TD) while sophomore Nate Frazier had 45 yards on 12 attempts.

*A Look At The Defense: UF finished with 281 yards on 56 plays with 115 rushing and 166 passing . Coming in today, Georgia was allowing just 19.6 points a game while the Gators were averaging 22.4. UF managed 20 points.

*Down 24-20, UF attempted a 4th-and-4 from its own 31, and the pass was incomplete as Robinson IV was credited with a pass breakup.

*In a tie game, UF got the ball to start the second half and Georgia forced a three-and-out for five yards. Then, UF went 79 yards in 12 plays to tie it at 17.

*With UF leading 20-17, UF attempted a 4th-and-1 at the UGA 18, and the Bulldogs stopped Jadan Baugh with Raylen Wilson and Elijah Griffin.

*UF hit a 54-yard field goal to take a 20-17 lead with 14:52 left in the contest to finish a five play, 26-yard drive.

*In the first half, the Gators posted 10 points, gaining 127 yards of offense on 22 plays. UF was 0-for-5 on 3rd Down.

*Georgia’s leading tackler today was junior CJ Allen with a career-high 13 while Raylen Wilson was next with eight.

*UF’s first TD was a one play, 40-yard pass from DJ Lagway to Eugene Wilson that tied the game in the first quarter.

*Junior DL and Jacksonville native Jordan Hall, who started and was a game captain, injured his left leg on the first possession and did not return.

*Sophomore DB KJ Bolden was flagged for targeting with 1:36 left in the first half and was disqualified for the remainder of the game.

*Special Teams Update: Senior Brett Thorson had six punts for a 43.0 average including a season-high 66-yarder and three placed inside the 20. His first punt went for 24 yards. UF responded with a 40-yard TD to tie the game. His next two punts were pooch efforts and fair caught at the UF11. In a 17-17 game in the 3rd quarter, Thorson had a 49-yard punt with no return. He had a 56-yarder with a six-yard return in the 4th quarter.

*Junior PK Peyton Woodring tallied six points on three PATs and a game-tying 39-yard field goal at the end of the first half plus he handled the kickoffs.

*Captains, Coin Toss And For Starters: Georgia’s captains were Dillon Bell, Gunner Stockton, Jordan Hall and Raylen Wilson.

*Florida won the toss and elected to defer the ball until the second half.

*Georgia started the same offensive line for the second straight game. This front four first made its debut in week three in a road win over No. 15 Tennessee, and due to various injures, that unit only returned against No. 5 Ole Miss and now Florida. The line featured Monroe Freeling (LT), Micah Morris (LG), Drew Bobo (C), Dontrell Glover (RG) and Earnest Greene III (RT). The Bulldogs have started six different OL units this season.

*Junior CJ Allen owns the longest streak at 11 games dating to 2024.

*Up Next: Georgia (7-1, 5-1 SEC) head to Miss. State next Saturday with kickoff at Noon ET. MSU is at Arkansas today.

POST-GAME QUOTES

Georgia Head Coach Kirby Smart

Opening Statement…
“Opening statement is that this team just won’t go away. First of all, a lot of credit goes to Coach Napier for assembling this roster. He’s got a bunch of big, tough, physical players, and that’s one of the biggest things. Defensive line, offensive line, they match up very well from a physical standpoint, and they were hard to defend. Tough up front, stopping things, and making it tough. Our kids were very resilient. Another night in the SEC. I don’t know what else is going on around the country, but when you play in this league, every game comes down to the last few possessions. I thought we managed that well. Played the game, obviously in the fourth, had fourth downs where we were able to get a stop. That made the difference in the game. We knew they had four downs. Three-point differential, they weren’t going to kick a field goal there. I wouldn’t have either. Defense made a huge stop. Offense had a great drive, and then the defense came out with another big stop. A lot of credit goes to the players. We’ve gotten better throughout the year. We’re a beat-up football team with a lot of injuries, so looking forward to getting ready for next week.”

On Gunner Stockton…
“He’s a gamer. He plays better as the game goes on when he has to. I don’t think he played his best. They did some good things defensively. They ran some tight coverages. Different from Ole Miss, it was just a different kind of defense in the way they attacked. We’d try to run the ball. We didn’t run the ball as efficiently as we have in the past. That’s every quarterback’s best stuff to some explosives for him.”

On RB Chauncey Bowens…
“Great runs. I’ll be honest with you, Nate [Frazier] can probably make those runs, too. Dwight [Phillips] can make those runs. [Josh] McCray can make those runs. I’ve got to give credit where credit is due. Chauncey did an awesome job, and I thought that the check on the run for the touchdown was the second biggest play of the game. Gunner saw something, changed the ‘O- line,’ picked it up. It’s hard to run that and to defend that play when you’re straining the line, which they were doing. A great check by him [Stockton], and our ‘O-line’ ran it beautifully. We’ve worked on that very hard. Chauncey was worth a great run, so I’m really proud of him. That was a good job, and the toss sweep was a nice play, too.”

On the status of Chris Cole, Jordan Hall and Demello Jones…
“We patched together because we had to. We have some depth on the ‘D-line.’ I don’t know Jordan’s injury. It’s something to do with his knee. I don’t know the exact injury. Demello is something with his elbow. I don’t know how severe it is. Chris Cole is something with his knee. I didn’t get a report before I came in here, so I don’t know. That puts us a little bit down at several positions. We’ll have to have guys step up and play. It’s all over our region right now. Florida was that way coming into the game besides the defensive guys they got back for this game.”

#3 ILB CJ Allen

On what he saw on Florida’s fourth-and-one try late in the fourth quarter…
“It was definitely a huge stop. We knew what it was, a short one, and the defensive line did a good job of getting pushback to cut the offensive line down. It was a great job on defense. On playing in this game as a player from Georgia… “It feels great, especially like you’re saying as a Georgia kid. Kind of just watching this game, and as I got older, and finally being able to play in it. It’s just a dream come true.”

#6 DB Daylen Everette

On the two fourth-quarter fourth down stops…
“It was definitely big. That was something that we definitely needed. When the moment came, we just knew what we had to get and did our best job to deny the sticks.”

On winning close games in the SEC…
“That’s how it’s been the last couple of games, but we try to do a better job of starting faster. We know what type of team we are in the second half. We get more energy as the game goes, and that’s been showing the last couple of weeks.”

#1 WR Zachariah Branch

On what helped him be successful on a career-high receiving day…
“We’ve got a great offense. Just getting a chance to trust this team, trust the positions that we get put in. We’ve got a lot of great players into it. None of that happens without people straining around me. It’s a team sports. They’re doing their job for me, so I have to do my job for them.”

On his brother Zion Branch playing an increased role in the second half…
“I was excited. He’s been through a lot in his career at the collegiate level. Just to see him stay hungry and stay humble the whole time, and then when his opportunity came, he seized the moment. I’m very proud of him and how he handled that situation. I wasn’t even surprised.”

#14 QB Gunner Stockton

On the game-sealing drive to end the game…
“The last drive, our defense got a stop, and we needed to run the ball and run the clock out. It was just kind of the mindset of our ‘O-line’ and all our receivers blocking. They did a heck of a drive just running the game out.”

On his check before RB Chauncey Bowens’ touchdown…
“We had a run. It was something we practiced a lot. The run we were running wasn’t good into it because they were sending some pressure. We checked into the other way, everybody blocked it the right way, and Chauncey ran his butt off. It was a great play.”