Georgia (4-3) at (3) Florida (7-0)

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  • Game info: 3:30 pm EDT Sat Oct 31, 2009
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Neither Florida nor Georgia has forgotten the controversies from their last two meetings that have further flamed the rivalry.

The top-ranked Gators, though, have more important things to focus on as they prepare to take on the Bulldogs in Jacksonville, Fla. on Saturday.

In what has been a one-sided rivalry in recent years with Florida (7-0, 5-0 SEC) winning 16 of the last 19 matchups, the last two meetings have been memorable for reasons other than the result of the games.

In 2007, urged on by coach Mark Richt, the entire Georgia team stormed the field to celebrate its opening touchdown en route to a rare Bulldogs victory. Last year, in what many viewed as retaliation, Florida coach Urban Meyer called two timeouts in the final 44 seconds of the Gators’ 49-10 pounding of the Bulldogs.

Meyer denied calling the timeouts was about revenge, but Georgia players have a different take. A photo of Meyer with his hands raised in a T hangs all over the team’s training facility, providing a bitter reminder of what happened.

“Of course, that’s going to be a very big motivating factor for us,” Georgia safety Bryan Evans said. “Every time we see his hands in the timeout position, it reminds us of what happened last year.”

While Georgia players are using last season’s tense finish as extra motivation for the latest installment of the rivalry, Florida needs little incentive as it chases a second straight national championship.

The Gators, who also hold the top spot in the BCS poll, are coming off a 29-19 win at Mississippi State last Saturday. Mississippi State tied the game in the third quarter, but Florida ran off 16 straight points, capped by an interception returned for a touchdown. Replays show it may have been fumbled before crossing the goal line, but an officials review upheld the score.

The Gators weren’t interested this week in debating that call, however, as they have bigger concerns given the recent inconsistency of Tim Tebow, who was 12 for 22 for 127 yards Saturday and failed to throw a touchdown for the second time this season. He threw a season-high two interceptions, giving him four for the season.

After throwing six touchdowns and one interception in the first four games, Tebow has passed for two scores and three picks in the last three contests.

“I don’t think it’s getting to me,” Tebow said. “Do I put pressure on me? Yeah. I put a lot more pressure than y’all could possibly put on me, so I don’t think that’s getting to me. I think just wanting to excel, wanting everything to be right.”

Not all of Tebow’s problems are solely in his control, however. He’s been sacked 15 times this season, equaling his total from 14 games last season.

“Tim’s not trying to be a hero,” Meyer said. “But we might be asking him to do too much.”

Tebow has six rushing touchdowns this season and 49 for his career, one shy of breaking former Georgia standout Herschel Walker’s SEC record.

While Tebow breaking Walker’s record may be inevitable, Georgia (4-3, 3-2) will try its best to prevent him from doing it this weekend.

The Bulldogs are hoping that an upset of the Gators could push them back into the SEC East race. They rebounded from back-to-back losses against LSU and Tennessee with a 34-10 victory at Vanderbilt on Oct. 17 and are coming off a bye.

Georgia had one of its best games of the season the last time out. Joe Cox threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns while the team rushed for a season-high 173 yards. The Bulldogs are last in the SEC in rushing yards per game at 108.0.

“(The running game) didn’t do a lot at first but if you keep driving the ball, it opens up play-action and then you’ll start getting big runs and that’s how you put teams away,” said Cox, who is third in the conference with 1,581 passing yards this season. “It wasn’t our best day running the ball, but it was effective when we needed it to be.”

The much-maligned defense also came up big. Ranked 100th nationally in scoring defense entering the game, Georgia came up with three sacks and had an interception that set up a touchdown.

This is the fourth time the Bulldogs are playing the nation’s No. 1 team. Two of the previous three were against Florida - in 1985 and 1996.

“The hatred is already there with the fans, the coaches, everyone,” Georgia linebacker Rennie Curran said of the rivalry. “There’s no other way to put it: We just don’t like each other.”

Updated Oct 27, 11:54 pm EDT
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432 Comments

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    Edna Mon Nov 02, 2009 12:20 pm PST Report Abuse
    That is sick
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    Nikki Mon Nov 02, 2009 11:31 am PST Report Abuse
    gyeah thats right us gators wooped @$$ and took names yah $#%&*
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    steven c Mon Nov 02, 2009 06:52 am PST Report Abuse
    u people use stats like a kindergartner uses a chain saw. anyone can post stats but they mean nothing unless u know how to use them. all it takes is a keen sense of football and athleticism to understand/see that Tebow is just plain good. no one in the FBS can do as much as he (proper english, ogres) at the caliber that he can. thats why mcCoy is not a household name and tebow is an int'l phenom. the gators r simply outrageous. when they click on only a couple phase they r difficult to beat. when they click on every phase...impossible! Pac-10 will bowl out just like every year...with more losses than wins. big 10 will swallow the same leaving only the SEC and Big 12 with winning bowl pcts. ACC will suck as usual. and the only reason any other conf. can brag is b/c they rape the southeast 4 their star player even though, admittedly, UF has a couple stars from Tx. UF has no stars from Pa, Ca., or Oh or In b/c those states suck...and their confs. aaron hernandex is from CT; but he's not native to Conn. all UF Fla stars r native floridians...just like TEBOW!
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    steven c Mon Nov 02, 2009 06:49 am PST Report Abuse
    u people use stats like a kindergartner uses a chain saw. anyone can post stats but they mean nothing unless u know how to use them. all it takes is a keen sense of football and athleticism to understand/see that Tebow is just plain good. no one in the FBS can do as much as he (proper english, ogres) at the caliber that he can. thats why mcCoy is not a household name and tebow is an int'l phenom. the gators r simply outrageous. when they click on only a couple phase they r difficult to beat. when they click on every phase...impossible! Pac-10 will bowl out just like every year...with more losses than wins. big 10 will swallow the same leaving only the SEC and Big 12 with winning bowl pcts. ACC will suck as usual. and the only reason any other conf. can brag is b/c they rape the southeast 4 their star player even though, admittedly, UF has a couple stars from Tx. UF has no stars from Pa, Ca., or Oh or In b/c those states suck...and their confs.
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    Willie C Mon Nov 02, 2009 04:41 am PST Report Abuse
    I have said this before that Georgia is a train wreck waiting to happen. The reason is because Georgia has been on a steady decline for a few years. I have previously put most of the blame on Mark Richt and his coaching staff. After watching Georgia play Florida yesterday it confirmed my initial belief that Georgia is mediocre because of the coaching staff. According to rival.com, "the Bulldogs ranked 90th in the nation in offense and 70th in defense before the game with Florida." This is a clear indication that Georgia had serious problems on both sides of the ball before the game with Florida. The offense couldn't run the ball and the defense couldn't stop the run. Another clear indicator that Georgia's coaching staff is to blame for the team's inefficiencies is the decision to start Joe Cox. Every fan, booster, and trustee who follows the game could tell 3 or 4 games ago that Cox was not the QB to lead Georgia out of its 2nd tier ranking in the SEC. Cox should have been benched 3 or 4 games ago. Now we hear Mark Richt talk about the possibility of changing QB.

    Mark Richt as head coach has failed in his efforts to hire the best candidates for the OC and DC positions. Bobo and Martinez should not come back next season. If Mark Richt continues in his quest to be Mr. Cool instead of an assertive head coach on the sideline then we need to say good bye to him and wish him well. I know Joe Cox was trying to rally the troops when he got the whole team together to celebrate a touchdown. The problem I have with this celebration is that it wasn't coach initiated. I didn't think the team had much to celebrate about or deserved to celebrate after the touchdown because of their poor performance throughout the game. Besides they were still trailing in the game. If I was Mark Richt I would have told Cox and the team that this is not the time for team celebration while still trailing in the game. This is another subtled sign that Richt and his staff is not mentally in control of the team. I believe that he and his staff have disconnected with the players in the locker room.
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    Thugs Sun Nov 01, 2009 09:22 pm PST Report Abuse
    Indeed Bradford did win the Heisman as a Sophomore, but he was a redshirt and Tebow was a true Sophomore. Plus I forget about Bradford and the highest scoring offense ever, because Florida showed them what a real team was last year. Go Gator Nation!!! Everyone else can suck it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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    Joshgator Sun Nov 01, 2009 06:45 pm PST Report Abuse
    270. Posted by herbert e Sun Nov 1 9:41am EST Report Abuse
    lawton do you mean their will not be another fullback playing qb in college cause that is what tblow is. real good fullback average qb or maybee less than average qb completes 14 passes a game runs 20 to 25 times a game. throws 1 or two interceptions a game to weak ass team. miss state cmon miss state. you know he could not start on any other team in the sec or big 12 team at qb. he is not a qb just a fullback playin qb with a great defense to save his above average qb ass. great kid great role model below average qb

    Gaybert e...you just don't want to give up being a brain-dead pile of garbage, do you? Do some research before you post (remember Abe Lincoln: "'tis better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt".). First, TEBOW (not tblow...I thought I already warned you about your homosexual tendencies) has only 3 pick-6's in his career. Second, he has had more interceptions this year (since the kentucky game) than normal, most likely due to the concussion. He had only 4 interceptions ALL YEAR last year. However, even though he has an uncharacteristic number of interceptions this year (not really that many, but more than his yearly avg), he STILL has fewer interceptions than Colt McCoy of your beloved Wienerhorns/Whinerhorns. You are as bad as Rick Z and the two of you combined don't even have ONE working brain cell. Just STFU for your own good...just remember the Lincoln saying above. Maybe you will read that quote and get the message; however, considering your track record, I HIGHLY DOUBT IT!!!
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    Bama BOI n KUWAIT Sun Nov 01, 2009 05:14 pm PST Report Abuse
    Rick, wow!!!! that's amazing when I return that is my next duty Hawaii I cannot wait I will take(well they are making me take 30 days) leave so I am looking forward to going. What do you think about Lsu and Alabama next week rick?
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    Reggid R Sun Nov 01, 2009 04:52 pm PST Report Abuse
    To recap, Tebow has played like a bum all year, and he had a mediocre game yesterday. He is averaging only 164 yards a game passing, and a mere 68 yards rushing. Those are NOT Heisman numbers, and he has NOT had a Heisman year on the field. Without the help of some horrible refs, the Gators would likely have 2 losses already, too, due mostly to the horrible play of Tebow in those games. The simple truth is that Tebow, however good a player he might have been over the last couple years, is simply not having a good year. If they give him the Heisman this year, it will be a joke, and anyone who votes for him, like these moron Yahoo sportswriters like Deinhart, should be stripped of their press credentials.
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    kasey d Sun Nov 01, 2009 04:18 pm PST Report Abuse
    Mark Richt needs to pull his head out of his A$$ Cox was a back-up until his senior year in HS and the same in college so what makes Richt think Cox has enough playing time in his life to play QB at this level at least Aaron Murray has more experience i'm really beginning to wonder if $$$ ain't involved, Alumni paying for certain players playing time.Yeah i understand he has done his time but if someone is better, sorry about your luck buddy at least you got a free ride to college. And Richt quit being so dang conservative and nice run the score up if you can. We have too many good players to be playing this bad.And please FIRE Martinez and try to find Van Gorder and get him back. Sincerely Dawg Fan in Bowling Green, KY
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    Rick Sun Nov 01, 2009 04:13 pm PST Report Abuse
    BAMA BOI, are you reading my post, no need to define Mustang to me, i was a Certified Military Instructor, i taught at the NCO Academy at Kaneohe Hawaii in the early 70s, and was Command Driver and Body Man for Admiral Wentworth, need i say more, everything else classified, ok, so i am on the same page, and i will stay up with you as long as i can while you pull Duty, but you gotta relax dude, everything is cool, i got ya back, SEMPER FI
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    Bama BOI n KUWAIT Sun Nov 01, 2009 03:53 pm PST Report Abuse
    It's 2:45 in the morning here I hate night shift..lol no hard feelings Rick, just pulling your chain I was bored on watch and thought I pluck u a little.
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    Bama BOI n KUWAIT Sun Nov 01, 2009 03:50 pm PST Report Abuse
    Rick, there is no "if" I will die for my country I am a mustang that is what they call somone who went from enlisted to officer.
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    Bama BOI n KUWAIT Sun Nov 01, 2009 03:48 pm PST Report Abuse
    Sandbar, I work in the intel side off the Navy and I tell it's great when I get out I will have job security with my clearance. I could care less about who know what about football because nobody in this chat is on either team, that's why I love to mess with people because I enjoy watching them get mad over nothing. Each team can win on any given Saturday.
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    Rick Sun Nov 01, 2009 03:46 pm PST Report Abuse
    WELL, BAMA BOI, if everything you said is true, then thats just fine with me, and i hope you continue your job as you took the oath to do without complaining, and with dignity, i salute you and wish the best in your career, SEMPER FI
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    Sandbar Sun Nov 01, 2009 03:43 pm PST Report Abuse
    I think my work is done here.
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    Rick Sun Nov 01, 2009 03:41 pm PST Report Abuse
    SANDBAR, you are a true gentleman, no need for appology, your son is making the right decision,and even more so because its the Navy, which the Marine Corps is under the same command, had i still been serving your son would have come to me for a couple of classes, i am located 20mns. from the Naval Academy and once served there, great facility and great choice by your son, he will make you very proud, and tell him to watch out for the Marines, LOL, anyway, good luck to his career, its very exciting, and great travel. SEMPER FI
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    Bama BOI n KUWAIT Sun Nov 01, 2009 03:40 pm PST Report Abuse
    I served with Marines on a ship, really good people. I am a officer in the navy I am a lt I have respect for everyone who has served before me this is my 4 time out here I wasn't bashing you I was just saying so take it anyway you want. I was enlisted before I became and officer so I have seen both sides,I have a combat action ribbon. I will not be home till March hopefully I serve my country with pride I would die to make sure people have there freedom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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    Rick Sun Nov 01, 2009 03:34 pm PST Report Abuse
    phil, my friend, this is my last post for you dude, just because i know it makes your day, first of all i do not live in the deep south, second, you are really beginning to show your insecurities, so i'm going to let you have at it, ok, and allow you puke over yourself my friend, so the floor is yours.
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    Sandbar Sun Nov 01, 2009 03:27 pm PST Report Abuse
    Rickellis39
    I did not go back to old posts to see the history. I just felt Bama Boi deserved more respect. I did not know your background. Thank you for your sacrifice for this country ,for me and my family. My son is 17 and has his sights set on Annapolis. He he currently a Junior and Command Sargent Major at his ROTC high school. I am more sensitive to what military service really means now that my son is heading in that direction in this time of war. I apologize for getting on you without knowing the history of your discussion with Bama Boi. SEMPER FI.
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    Phil Sun Nov 01, 2009 03:19 pm PST Report Abuse
    i think it's hilarious that you changed your name from rickyellis to rick ellis. As mentioned, when a little boy grows up, he stops using the "y" in Bobby and Ricky and Jimmy ...etc etc. If you had a real job, people would laugh at you if you said your name was Ricky or Bobby..etc. However, in the deep south rednecks like you go by the name Ricky and Bobby and Betty Sue and so on for life. That is the beauty of the deep south. All redneck.
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    Rick Sun Nov 01, 2009 03:13 pm PST Report Abuse
    Phil, i see ya, are you happy now
  • 0 users liked this comment Please sign in to rate this comment up. Please sign in to rate this comment down. 0 users disliked this comment
    Rick Sun Nov 01, 2009 03:12 pm PST Report Abuse
    Sandbar, i gotcha, but go back and read the original post, Bama Boi started the profanity, and what he is doing, i already did, thats why i failed to mention a word about the Military, I happen to be a highly decrorated Honorably Discharged Marine, that taught Marines and Prepared them for the Same Duty that Bama Boi is responsible for, so i am not some pushover on the threads, no harm or disrespect intended, but Bama Boi has to give respect to recieve it, or maybe you should check his post, my original post is far gone, but he responded off the top when i was not, neither did my post referr to him, he jump out there with all this roster crap and trying to trash me, oh, no , that my man will not be allowed, and i am old Marine Corp, thank you kindly, SEMPER FI
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    Jeff Sun Nov 01, 2009 03:08 pm PST Report Abuse
    So I guess herbie is admitting that colt doesn't belong in the heisman race either since his and tebow's stats are comparable.

    In mccoy's two biggest games he passed for 127 yds (3.3 yd avg per completion) against OU and 171 against OSU. A total of 2 TD in his two biggest games. Wow what a performance, looks like his defense bailed him out too.

    You keep putting tebow down but your boy isn't much better. Your argument is a joke.
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    Sandbar Sun Nov 01, 2009 03:02 pm PST Report Abuse
    Phil,
    You and Herbie need to hook up. He is a genius too.

    Goodnight again.

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