JACKSONVILLE — As the Florida field goal unit huddled, Chas Henry appropriately stood to the side.
In a way, Henry’s season has been a microcosm of what’s plagued Florida in 2010. He entered the year hyped as one of the best punters in the nation. An injury to starting kicker Caleb Sturgis thrust Henry into an unfamiliar, perhaps even unfair role. And after early success, Henry had missed his last three field goal attempts entering Saturday.
When his potential game-tying field goal sailed wide right against Mississippi State on Oct. 16, Henry was the lowest player on a downtrodden squad.
But, with Florida in its first overtime game since 2005, Henry was ready to end what he called “redemption week.” His 37-yard field goal split the goalposts, giving Florida a 34-31 win over Georgia (4-5, 3-4 Southeastern Conference) in front of 84,444 divided fans at EverBank Field.
“That internal family that we have is about as strong as you can get,” Henry said. “We never break. We’re always behind each other. I let them down one time, and I was never going to let that happen again.”
The successful field goal attempt, Florida’s first walk-off since Arden Czyewski made a game-winner in 1989, brought redemption not just to Henry but to the entire team. The offense gained 450 yards, about 120 yards more than its season average. And the defense set up a pair of scores with four turnovers.
The Gators (5-3, 3-3 SEC) ended a three-game losing streak, keeping their hope of an SEC Championship Game appearance alive. If Florida beats Vanderbilt on Saturday and South Carolina on Nov. 13, the team will punch a ticket to Atlanta.
“This is the biggest win I can remember, and I’ve coached here a long time,” said coach Urban Meyer, now in his sixth season with the Gators. “That was an emotional locker room now. These guys have been to hell and back in the last three weeks.”
Recovery emerged as a theme even within the framework of the game. Moments before Henry hit the defining field goal, Florida’s defense bounced back from a rough second half.
Getting a chance to strike first in overtime, Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray overthrew receiver A.J. Green on a post route, and the tipped ball found free safety Will Hill at the Florida 7-yard line.
Hill carried the ball deep into Georgia territory but was pushed out of bounds 4 yards shy of the goal line. Like Hill, most of his teammates and Florida fans thought he scored.
“I was probably cheering more than anybody for him to get in the end zone,” Henry said. “That puts a lot of pressure off me, off of everybody. That’s game over.”
But up until that point, Florida’s defense was reeling. Georgia scored 24 points and gained 254 yards on its first four drives after half time, tying the game on a 15-yard pass to Green with 4:36 left in regulation.
Green was for the most part held in check, gaining 42 yards on four catches. But tight end Orson Charles led all pass catchers with six catches for 108 yards, and Murray finished with three touchdown passes and a career-best 313 yards.
“That young guy’s going to be a really good player,” defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said. “He made some throws, made some plays with his feet and he really jump-started them. Obviously, he has some really good weapons to throw to.”
But Murray struggled to protect the ball in the first half, throwing a pair of interceptions and fumbling once.
And while the offense received a boost from Florida’s opportunistic defense, it also benefited from a heavy dose of freshman Trey Burton and the returns of juniors Jeff Demps (sprained left foot) and Chris Rainey (suspension).
Burton carried the ball a season-high 17 times and led all rushers with 110 yards, including a 51-yard touchdown run to give the Gators a 31-24 lead with less than seven minutes left.
“I’m so proud of our players,” offensive coordinator Steve Addazio said. “They battled. It’s not about anything but pulling together. We talk about being a family, staying together and believing it — that’s what happened with this group of guys.”
