Florida infamously lost to Georgia in 1976 on a play forever known as “fourth-and-dumb.” The Bulldogs could have possibly topped it had they not won Saturday’s game.
The Gators fought their way back from a 23-3 deficit to get within three points when Georgia took over at its own 20 with 14:13 to play. Five plays into the possession, the Bulldogs found themselves facing fourth-and-1 at their 39. It looked as if they would have to punt to the red-hot Gators.
But they didn’t. They rushed the offense back on the field and forced Florida to call a timeout because its defense wasn’t ready. After the stoppage, the Bulldogs stuck with the plan. They were going for it.
“I was trying to get some momentum back in our direction,” said Georgia coach Mark Richt, saying almost exactly the same thing Florida’s Doug Dickey did 37 years ago. “If we made it, that would have been a big momentum play for us. If we didn’t make it, we were losing ground anyway. Might as well lose it faster and then maybe snap out of this thing playing from behind.”
They didn’t make it. With quarterback Aaron Murray under center, David Andrews delivered a snap between his legs and directly to tailback Todd Gurley. But Gurley was stopped short of the first down by Georgia native Neiron Ball. It was Florida’s ball.
“We had a lead blocker figuring if Gurley could get going downhill, he’d knock somebody back,” Richt said. “Florida just did a great job of defending it.”
Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo felt like the Bulldogs should have made it anyway.
“You’re hoping that they’re all pinched down looking for the quarterback sneak, and you get the edge,” he said. “Ball did a great job of stretching, but Todd’s just got to put his foot in the ground and get north right there. He’s got to get vertical.”
But Georgia’s defense overcame it. They forced a Florida punt after Corey Moore sacked Tyler Murphy for a 14-yard loss on third-and-12 from the 43.
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