Georgia 42, Florida 30



JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Oct. 27 (AP) — The Georgia Bulldogs celebrated in the end zone early and on the sideline late.

They probably should have hoisted Knowshon Moreno and Matthew Stafford on their shoulders for both.

Moreno ran for a career-high 188 yards and 3 scores, Stafford threw three touchdown passes and No. 20 Georgia upset ninth-ranked Florida, 42-30, on Saturday in a game of big plays and momentum shifts.

The Bulldogs (6-2, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) sacked Tim Tebow six times and contained the Gators’ high-scoring offense most of the game. The outcome was a rare Bulldogs victory in one of the South’s most heated rivalries.

Florida (5-3, 3-3) had dominated the series known as the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party since 1990, winning 15 of 17 meetings and 8 of 9. Georgia turned it around Saturday, taking advantage of Tim Tebow’s bruised non-throwing shoulder and Florida’s porous defense.

Coach Mark Richt of the Bulldogs set the tone before the game. Richt, who had been 1-5 against the Gators, uncharacteristically orchestrated an on-field celebration after his team’s first touchdown.

"I told them if they didn’t get a penalty for celebrating after the first score, I would be mad at them," Richt told CBS Sports as he headed to the locker room.

The Bulldogs came through for their coach in a big way, when the entire team ran on the field and into the end zone to celebrate Moreno’s first touchdown run. The Bulldogs’ display drew two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and the ire of Florida Coach Urban Meyer.

An even bigger party unfolded a few hours later.

"I can’t tell you how much fun it was in the locker room and I wish everybody could have seen it," Richt said.

Two weeks ago, Richt chastised his players for jumping on Vanderbilt’s midfield logo after a 20-17 victory.

Georgia gouged every aspect of Florida’s defense.

Stafford was 11 of 18 passing for 217 yards, with an interception that was returned for a touchdown early.

Moreno did most of the damage on 33 carries, picking up yards inside and out, breaking tackles and outrunning defenders all over the field. Stafford took advantage, using play-action passes to make Florida’s secondary look bad. The Gators’ pass rush rarely got close to him.

The Bulldogs sealed the victory when Tim Tebow fumbled a snap with 2 minutes 23 seconds remaining.

Florida simply was not as effective as it had been on offense. Tim Tebow injured his shoulder last week against the Wildcats and was clearly favoring it Saturday. He ran very little in the first half.

Tim Tebow finished 14 of 22 passing for 236 yards, with a touchdown and an interception.

"It hurts a lot," Tim Tebow said. "We were in control of getting to Atlanta," for the SEC title game. "We were focused, we thought we would bounce back from the two losses and we were playing well. We thought that was a game we should have won. Any time you lose to a rival it’s tough."

Percy Harvin picked up the slack, running for 97 yards and catching two passes for 41 yards. A fumble by Kestahn Moore and another fumbled snap by Moore helped Georgia build an early lead.

Stafford never let the Bulldogs give it up.

He connected with Mohamed Massaquoi for an 84-yard score that made it 14-7. He flipped a 1-yarder in the flat to Brannan Southerland to make the score 28-17 early in the second half. Stafford’s 53-yarder to Mikey Henderson made it 35-24 with about 11 minutes remaining.

Florida dropped to 7-1 in rivalry games under Meyer, losing its first game against Tennessee, Georgia or Florida State.

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