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Friday, May 03, 2024

Let the countdown to Jacksonville begin.

After a 63-5 flattening of Kentucky on Saturday afternoon, No. 5 UF has its sights set firmly on its game with No. 8 Georgia this weekend.

The Wildcats (5-3, 1-3 Southeastern Conference) offered little resistance as the Gators (6-1, 4-1 SEC) put up 28 points in the first quarter and never looked back.

In the post-game press conference, questions focused more on the Georgia contest than the one UF had just completed.

It was clear players had been instructed not to talk about the Georgia game, specifically about the now-infamous touchdown celebration the Bulldogs performed after their first score in last year's game, which they went on to win 42-30.

After a 1-yard touchdown by running back Knowshon Moreno, the Georgia sideline emptied, and the players stomped on the field in front of the Gators.

Linebacker Brandon Spikes, for example, responded with four "no comments" when asked about the celebration.

Wide receiver Percy Harvin was the only player who came close to talking about it.

"That's not been our style," Harvin said. "When teams do that, they expect not to score. We plan on putting points on the board, so we don't need that."

During Sunday's teleconference, UF coach Urban Meyer clearly wanted to move on from last year's celebration.

"It's old news," Meyer said. "It has no bearing whatsoever on this year's game."

This year's contest will likely decide the winner of the SEC East, and that is where Meyer wants all his team's attention.

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"This game will be a big deal," Meyer said. "The stomp, let's move on."

The Gators' offense is on track right now to compete with any team in the conference, scoring 135 points in its last nine quarters going back to the fourth quarter of the Arkansas game.

The Gators' 63 points against Kentucky were their most since they defeated Florida A&M on Sept. 13, 2003, and Saturday's game was the first time a Meyer-coached team had put up 28 in the first quarter.

Two blocked punts - one each from freshmen William Green and Jeff Demps - on Kentucky's first two drives set up UF inside the 5-yard line. The Gators scored on the first plays of the ensuing drives, and the 14 points they earned would be 8 more than they needed for victory.

Quarterback Tim Tebow scored two rushing touchdowns, the 35th and 36th of his career, tying former Gator running back Emmitt Smith for the most in team history.

By game's end, backups were playing at almost every position, and Meyer had even switched to his backup punter.

The momentum UF gained from the two blocked punts kept the players going through the game and should keep them going heading into the Georgia game.

"We're going into that game on all cylinders," Harvin said. "We're looking to get to Atlanta. Georgia's in the way, so, like I said, we remember the loss from last year. So we're going to prepare for them real good this year."

UF cornerback Joe Haden admitted the team is glad the Georgia contest has finally arrived, but players would not say much more than that. Haden did say the team would not be running on the field after scoring against Georgia.

"I just want to win the rest of our games," Haden said.

While Meyer said his strength coaches had not yet determined what motivational tools would be used for this game, he knows his players won't need much.

"A certain inscription on a video wall or a board is not going to be really necessary in a game like this," Meyer said. "Because the implications are, it's for the SEC East, which is our goal."

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