Carson Beck returned home and threw for two scores, Daijun Edwards rushed for two, and top-ranked Georgia throttled rival Florida 43-20 in Southeastern Conference play on Saturday afternoon in Jacksonville, Fla.
In the annual neutral-site matchup between the SEC East Division schools, the Bulldogs (8-0, 5-0) scored 36 unanswered points after trailing 7-0 in their first game without star tight end Brock Bowers (ankle).
Beck, a Jacksonville native who played locally at Mandarin High School, completed 19 of 28 passes for 315 yards.
Ladd McConkey had a game-high 135 receiving yards and a TD on six receptions. Dominic Lovett had four catches for 83 yards for the Bulldogs.
Edwards rushed 16 times for a game-best 95 yards.
Georgia’s third straight win in the heated rivalry with its border foe extended its winning streak to 25 games, the longest active streak in the country.
Graham Mertz was 25 of 34 for 230 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for the final points for the Gators (5-3, 3-2).
Eugene Wilson III had 11 catches for 75 yards and a TD, while Ricky Pearsall posted 99 yards on six receptions.
On the first series, Mertz hit Wilson on a slant that the freshman turned into a 25-yard touchdown with 11:19 left in the first quarter to stun the stadium, but it was all Georgia after that.
The Bulldogs put together a 71-yard drive on the ensuing possession, and kicker Peyton Woodring nailed a 22-yard kick.
McConkey took a 15-yard pass over the middle, stopped immediately and outraced the secondary for a 41-yard score with 1:23 left for his first TD this season.
After Georgia’s defense stuffed a fourth-and-inches trick play, Edwards dashed for a 20-yard TD less than two minutes into the second quarter to push the advantage to 17-7.
Following a fumble recovery by Marvin Jones Jr., Edwards burst through on fourth down for a 2-yard score — the Bulldogs’ third TD in less than six minutes.
On the next possession, Georgia’s Joenel Aguero blocked a punt that went out of the end zone for a safety and a 26-7 lead.
In the second half, Woodring had a 32-yard field goal, while Dillon Bell caught a 17-yard score to make it 36-7.
In the fourth, Florida’s Hayden Hansen caught a 5-yard TD pass, but Kendall Milton answered with a short run as Georgia went on to win for the sixth time in the past seven meetings with Florida.
–Field Level Media
