Georgia exorcises demons, dumps Florida and will soon be No. 2

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The game formerly known as a cocktail party morphed into something else Saturday. More like the world’s largest exorcism (cocktails optional).

All the mental scar tissue from being stomped for more than 400 yards rushing and a 38-20 loss as a heavy favorite three years ago ... vanquished. The scarred memories of a 49-10 smack-down in 2008 when Urban Meyer called a timeout in the final seconds, just to prolong the pain, as he and Tim Tebow cackled from the sideline ... healed.  The 27-year run of misery starting in 1990 when Steve Spurrier beat them twice by a combined 83-20 in his first two seasons, sending Georgia into a 6-21 drain-circling against a rival it once owned … over.

“The present affects the present,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said Saturday. “The past doesn’t affect the present. Anything that’s happened here before – what does that have to do with this team? We talked this week about owning the burden. The burden of being a highly ranked team, of being the favorite. Own the burden with your work. They’ve done that.”

No debate. The Bulldogs dumped the remains of the Florida Gators 42-7. They came within 2:42 of a shutout, but still left Jacksonville with their biggest win in this series since 44-0 in 1982, when Herschel Walker carried the ball.

When there’s a Herschel Walker reference, it's been a while.

But it has been a while since we’ve seen a Georgia team like this. It has been a while since fans, boosters and officials that obsess over this program's every decision, hug every win, agonize over every disappointment, have legitimately had a  team like this to celebrate.

The Dogs are 8-0. The have won their first five SEC games by 28, 41, 31, 25 and 35 points. (Totals: 212-52.) They are real, and they are spectacular.

They are the second best team in the nation. At least second. Their win combined with No. 2 Penn State’s fizzle-from-ahead, 39-38 loss to Ohio State means Georgia logically will be ranked second to only Alabama when the first college football playoff rankings come out Tuesday night.

Everybody take a breath.

Ah, never mind.

Georgia is in the game – The Game. Fans have been waiting for a team like this for years. Maybe decades.

This game was one of those, “Georgia is better, but …” games. But … Florida. But … nothing.

It was like all nine late “Uga’s” waddled down the street up in the heavens, knocked on the Lord’s door – because in heaven, dogs can knock and talk – and said, “Sorry to bother you on a Saturday, Boss. But can you please do us this solid?”

It was the mother of all makeup calls: 21-0 after seven and a half minutes.

• First touchdown at 3:26: Florida’s offense goes three-and-out. Jake Fromm (with two pass rushers in his face) connects with D’Andre Swift (great catch) on a 39-yard screen pass, and Nick Chubb scores from six yards out.

• Second touchdown at 5:48: Gators quarterback Feleipe Franks’ pass is intercepted by Dominick Sanders. Three plays later Fromm throws a 17-yard touchdown to Javon Wims.

• Third touchdown at 7:28: The Gators go three-and-out again. On Georgia’s ensuing drive from the 26, Sony Michel takes a handoff, pushes the “Warp Speed” button and disappears 74 yards down field for a touchdown.

Recapping: eight plays, 156 yards, three touchdowns. It was the first time Georgia scored 21 points in the first quarter against Florida in more than 50 years.

Did that just happen?

Florida players talked some trash during the week. Georgia players said they responded by “talking with our helmets.”

“Words don’t win games,” said Michel, who finished with 137 yards and two touchdowns on only six carries.

Davin Bellamy was a little more open about the smack talk.

“Disrespectful. Disrepectful. Disrespectful. Very disrespectful,” he said.

“It kind of put a fire in our belly. On Monday, it was supposed to be a walk-through kind of practice, and we were hitting full speed.”

But the Dogs, who have one of the nation’s top,five defenses, did not lose their heads.

“Coach Smart does a great job preaching discipline,” Bellamy said. “We knew coming into this rivalry, it’s always bad blood, but we teach discipline. We had controlled anger. We take discipline serious now.”

A nice change of pace.

These are two programs headed into opposite directions. Smart might as well be sitting on a throne. Florida coach Jim McElwain may be on the way out.

McElwain was central to the bizarre backdrop for this game. Darren Heitner, a south Florida-based sports agent and Florida alum, tweeted Saturday morning, “Source: Agent Jimmy Sexton & UF have been trying to work out Coach Mac buyout, but are ‘miles apart.’ Still working hard on it.”

Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin issued a strong denial, but there’s likely some validity to the report. McElwain has been underwhelming (by Florida standards) and in a news conference to start the week he said he had been the subject of death threats “in the past.” But he never elaborated publicly and, worst, school officials put out a statement saying the coach, “offered no additional details” to them, either.

Two things seem certain: 1) McElwain is in trouble; 2) The public “death threats” claim could figure prominently in his expected firing and buyout negotiations.

McElwain and Smart coached together under Nick Saban at Alabama. One clearly is doing better than the other. Smart is pleased with how things have gone, but of course wasn't happy about his backup defense losing the shutout.

"I was pissed," he said. "They were pissed. If I had 85 guys instead of 70, I would’ve put the other guys in."

Something to keep players on their toes for another week. But Georgia is playing as if nothing will stop it now.

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