With 8:26 left in the fourth quarter and a 20-17 lead, the Gators collapsed.
Florida was within the red zone when it called a quarterback keeper on third down. In the following play, running back Jadan Baugh was stuffed short, turning over the ball to Georgia and allowing them to score the game-deciding touchdown seven plays later.
The Gators (3-5, 2-3 SEC) eventually lost when the Bulldogs (7-1, 5-1 SEC) ran out the clock in the final Florida defensive stand.
“Our staff is hurting, I’m hurting,” head coach Billy Gonzales said. “We came here to win, and we fell short.”
Florida’s third-down play calling was just the tip of the iceberg in its fourth-quarter misfortunes. After running back Chauncey Bowens scored a 36-yard touchdown to put the Bulldogs up 24-20 with just over three minutes remaining, Lagway launched a deep pass to J. Michael Sturdivant.
The redshirt senior stopped on a dime and attempted to come back for the underthrown ball, but his diving attempt at a catch was ruled incomplete and left Florida vying for a fourth-down miracle.
That hope didn’t come to fruition, and when Florida’s defense had an opportunity to stop the Bulldogs the following drive, a Gators defender jumped offsides, pushing a third-and-5 attempt to third-and-inches. Gunner Stockton easily jogged for the first down.
“It stings,” redshirt senior edge rusher Tyreak Sapp said. “It hurts bad knowing this is my last time I'll ever get to play in this game in this stadium with my brothers.”
It marked another game where Florida’s defense looked elite but was let down by the Gators’ lack of success on offense. On both the Lagway run and Sturdivant dropped catch, the Gators failed to convert the third down in crucial moments. Florida finished the game two of 11 on third down.
Lagway couldn’t find a groove in the pocket. He consistently elected to move outside the pocket and carried the ball 10 times for 24 rushing yards in the loss. He finished the first half with 101 passing yards and a touchdown, but added just 65 more yards in the second half.
“We got to continue to work and get better,” Lagway said. “It's us against the world. It's all about us. We got to keep the team together.”
The main bright spot in Florida’s offense was Eugene Wilson III. Despite seeing limited targets most of the season, the redshirt sophomore nabbed four catches for 80 yards and a touchdown in the first quarter alone.
He ended the first half with five catches for 87 yards and a touchdown. The only other wide receiver to catch a pass in the first half was freshman Dallas Wilson, who caught one pass for seven yards.
Eugene continued to light up the box score in the second half, finishing the game with nine receptions, 121 receiving yards and a touchdown.
“He’s going to be rewarded based on how hard you work,” Gonzales said. “We had Aidan down, VB down, and Dallas was down here in the middle of the game. He stepped up … He’s got big playmaking ability.”
Baugh also stepped up and handled much of the workload on the ground. He had just 15 yards midway through the second quarter, but broke free before halftime for a 22-yard gain and continued to bulldoze forward in the final quarters. When it was all said and done, the sophomore had 72 rushing yards and a touchdown in the loss.
“I’m extremely proud of them, but I know they’re hurting,” Gonzales said. “They’re a gritty team. Again, like I said, I’m just super proud of how they have bonded together.”
Next, the Gators will look to get back on track when they head to Lexington, Kentucky, to face the Wildcats at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 8.
Contact Curan Ahern at cahern@alligator.org. Follow him on X at @CuranAhern.
Curan is a third-year journalism-sports & media major who currently serves as the football beat reporter for The Alligator, now in his third semester with the paper. When not at his computer screen writing, Curan enjoys spending time outdoors, hanging with friends, family and pets, and watching the Patriots lose (no, he doesn't miss Brady).
