Georgia routs Florida to retain rivalry supremacy: College football media reacts

Top-ranked Georgia handles Florida in the Cocktail Party to improve to 8-0 on the season.

Although there were moments that were less than pleasant, Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs got it done down in Jacksonville over arch-rival Florida, beating the Gators 42-20 to win the Cocktail Party.

Outside of a forgettable third quarter, it was all Georgia in this game. The No. 1 team in the nation improved to 8-0 on the year, making it two in a row over the Gators and five in their last six. Since Smart took over his alma mater’s program, he is 5-2 in this game. This is the rivalry game that largely was his predecessor Mark Richt’s undoing in Athens. For now, Georgia keeps on rolling.

With a huge home game next week vs. Tennessee, the Dawgs move one step closer to Atlanta.

Georgia clobbers Florida in Cocktail Party: College football media reacts to it

While this is a massive rivalry game in a spectacular North Floridian setting, Georgia did play with its food a bit. The Dawgs were up a very Atlanta Falcons 28-3 at halftime. After seemingly and spontaneously combusting throughout much of the third quarter, the Dawgs remembered who they are and took over in the fourth. It was not as dire as the Missouri game, but it did get dicey.

The good news for Georgia is the Dawgs ran the ball with conviction all afternoon, stopped the run for the most part against a mobile quarterback in Anthony Richardson and applied the pressure in the pass rush when it mattered the most. The Dawgs will need to clean up a few things to ensure the team will get to 9-0 when No. 3 Tennessee comes to town, but beating Florida never gets old.

Ultimately, you have to find ways to beat your biggest nemesis, even if you’re not playing your A-plus game. Fortunately for the Dawgs, they were better than the Gators in trenches all afternoon and eventually, that is what flipped the game forever in their favor. Tennessee is not just another SEC East opponent. If that game was in Knoxville, that may be hard, but this one will be in Athens.

Dawg Nation knows what is ahead of it, but for now, Georgia can enjoy winning the Cocktail Party.

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