Florida-Georgia final score: 3 things we learned from the Gators’ stunning 38-20 upset

Things may not have worked out so well for the Gators over the past two seasons, but their defense-first, run-the-dang-ball dream came into a little more focus Saturday, as Florida pounded Georgia to the tune of a 38-20 win. It’s the Gators’ first win over a ranked opponent since defeating Florida State in 2012, and helps save Muschamp’s job for at least another week.

Florida was able to run the ball pretty much all day against the Bulldogs, carrying the ball 59 times for a staggering 424 yards and five touchdowns. Kelvin Taylor (25 carries, 197 yards, two touchdowns) and Matt Jones (25 carries, 192 yards, two touchdowns) led the way for the Gators, while quarterback Treon Harris completed three of his six pass attempts for 27 yards. The Gators’ last win with less than 10 pass attempts came in 1977 vs. Utah, per the CBS broadcast.

Georgia’s running game held up well statistically without Todd Gurley, but they struggled to break big plays. Nick Chubb’s 39-yard touchdown run was their only 20-yard play in the first half. Chubb’s 43-yard run was their only 20-yard play in the second half until their final two drives, and that one ended in a Florida fumble recovery. Chubb finished the day with 21 rushes for 156 yards.

Down 7-0 in the second, Florida needed a big play, and they got it on 5’8 senior wide receiver Michael McNeely’s first career touch -- a 21-yard touchdown run on a fake field goal. That was the first of five straight scoring plays for Florida, who went on a 31-0 run to take a commanding lead in the fourth quarter. Georgia was able to pull a little closer on a late touchdown pass from Hutson Mason to Chubb, but Kelvin Taylor’s 65-yard touchdown run sealed it.

via CBS

1. Muschamp ain’t dead yet. It’ll still be hard for the Florida head coach to salvage his job, but a dominating road victory over the SEC East favorites is a fine way to start. The Gators scored their most points in regulation in an SEC game since their 44-11 win over South Carolina in 2012, and looked like a competent offensive team for one of the first times this season. There’s little questioning Muschamp’s defenses at Florida, but if the offense can consistently run the ball like they did against what has been a strong Georgia rushing defense, we could see an interesting decision for athletic director Jeremy Foley this offseason.

2. Florida looks on track for a bowl game. The Gators’ remaining schedule is favorable, and they likely need just one win for a postseason spot. After their season-opener against Idaho was canceled due to weather conditions, Florida will be able to apply for a five-win bowl exemption. That means they need to win one out of these: at Vanderbilt, vs. South Carolina, vs. FCS Eastern Kentucky and at Florida State. The general ridiculousness of the SEC East also means they have a shot at winning the division title, somehow.

3. Georgia is out of the Playoff hunt. It’ll be hard for any two-loss team to make the four-team field, but losses to mediocre South Carolina and Florida teams will likely be much, much worse than those of the other contenders. It’s hard to know what the score would have been Saturday with Todd Gurley (the committee will reportedly take that into consideration), but he probably wouldn’t have prevented the Gators from scoring 31 points.