Georgia was on the right end of another incredibly close call in the No. 5 Bulldogs’ 24-20 win over Florida on Saturday.
As the Gators trailed by four, D.J. Lagway had a wide-open J. Michael Sturdivant on third down with 3:16 to go. Sturdivant got behind the Georgia secondary but had to stop and come back for the ball.
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Did he catch it? Officials said he didn’t. And replay upheld that call. Take a look for yourself.
The replay is so close that there’s no way officials could have overturned it had it been called a catch on the field. Though it might have looked like Sturdivant got both of his arms underneath the ball, there clearly wasn’t enough for SEC replay officials to say that it was a complete pass.
Had it been complete, Florida would have had a first down at the Georgia 22-yard line after a 36-yard completion.
Instead, Lagway’s fourth-down pass on the next play fell incomplete and Georgia’s offense took what drama remained out of the game.
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It was a sequence reminiscent of the end of the first half of Georgia’s win over Auburn. Auburn QB Jackson Arnold dove for the end zone and officials ruled on the field that he fumbled before the ball broke the plane. Replays showed that the play was exceptionally close and the call on the field stood, much to the chagrin of Auburn.
The Tigers would have taken a 17-0 lead had Arnold scored. Instead, Georgia got a field goal before halftime and outscored a hapless Auburn offense 17-0 in the second half on the way to a 20-10 win.
Saturday, the Bulldogs took the lead on the Gators with 4:36 to go when Chauncey Bowens broke off a 36-yard TD run. Florida had scored 10 straight points to take the lead after the Bulldogs made it 17-10 early in the third quarter.
Georgia QB Gunner Stockton finished the game 20-of-29 passing for 223 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Bowens was the Bulldogs’ leading rusher with 71 yards on nine carries.
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Stockton iced the game when he kneeled at the 1-yard line on a third-down QB keeper with less than two minutes to go. Since Florida was out of timeouts, all Georgia had to do was run out the clock to preserve the win.
The Bulldogs now visit Mississippi State ahead of a SEC title game rematch with Texas on Nov. 15. Florida, meanwhile, needs to get three wins against Kentucky, No. 7 Ole Miss, No. 14 Tennessee and Florida State to make a bowl game under interim coach Billy Gonzales. Saturday was the first game for Gonzales in charge after the Gators fired Billy Napier less than two weeks ago.
