ATLANTA — Jon Sumrall grew so frustrated in Florida’s 27-8 loss to Georgia that he said he wanted to run out on the field himself and make a tackle on Saturday.

Sumrall, a middle linebacker at Kentucky (2002-04,) was flagged for sideline interference after UGA cornerback Demello Jones intercepted an Aaron Philo pass in the second quarter.

“Head coach is a dumbass, I wanted to run out and make the freaking tackle is what I wanted to do, quite honestly,” Sumrall, the Gators’ intense first-year head coach said when asked about the penalty. “I was on the grass. I saw the official run down the field. The field judge was coming down the sideline, and instead of walking back in the white, I just stayed in the grass and was ready to go tackle the guy.

“I couldn’t make it there fast enough because …. I don’t have that kind of speed anymore, but I just lost my mind and was ready to go walk out on the field, and for a second, probably lost my cool.”

Coach Kirby Smart’s defense swarmed throughout the game, forcing four turnovers while recording 11 tackles for loss and four sacks as the Bulldogs moved into a first-place tie with Kentucky atop the SEC, both teams 7-1 overall and 5-1 in SEC action.

Sumrall said he took pity on his quarterbacks, both of whom struggled against the No. 3-ranked Bulldogs as the 17th-ranked Gators saw SEC and CFP postseason hopes dashed by the loss, falling to 5-3 overall and 3-3 in the league.

“I felt bad for both quarterbacks at times because I don’t know that either one of them independently played good enough for us to win the game, but I also don’t know that it’s really fully fair to evaluate either one of them fully,” Sumrall said, “because I don’t think there was enough help around them. Not just the offensive line. We had receivers misaligned today, not run the right route, or run the wrong route a handful of times. The timing on things were off.”

Sumrall pulled Philo (5-of-7 passing, 26 yards) after the starting quarterback had throw two interceptions and generated just 45 yards of total offense on the Gators’ first four possessions.

Tramell Jones (17-of-24 passing, 172 yards, interception), who led Florida to a come-from-behind 27-24 win at Texas in the Gators’ previous game, had positive flashes, directing a nine-play, 48-yard TD drive that he capped with a 2-yard run in the fourth quarter.

Jones also threw an interception to Georgia’s Braylon Conley in the end zone, however, stalling a third-quarter Florida drive that reached the UGA 3-yard line with the Gators’ down 24-0.

“The interception, you know, the corner(back) fell off, Tramell didn’t see him,” Sumrall said. “We’re saying on the headset, like, we see it before it’s happening. Buster actually called it out on the coach-to-player to him, like, hey, watch the corner falling off here. And, that’s what he did.”

Sumrall said Philo got the start over Jones against Georgia based on the quarterbacks’ health and practice performances, but he also disclosed that Jones has an undisclosed injury that “may require surgery after the year” that has limited his effectiveness.

“I don’t know that either quarterback right now is playing on a level that’s going to take over the game and win it by themselves,” Sumrall said. “We have to play a hell of a lot better around them

“So, who will we start next week? I’m not in that headspace yet.”

What Sumrall does know is that former Prince Avenue Christian School standout Bailey Stockton stepped up for the Gators at receiver.

Stockton, who transferred to Florida from Georgia Tech when Buster Faulkner left the Yellow Jackets to assume the Gators’ offensive coordinator position, led all receivers with eight caches (on eight targets) for 76 yards, gaining 41 of those yards after the catch.

“We got to recruit a lot of dudes like that, because tough guys in this game, they win,” Sumrall said. “I love Bailey Stockton, love all our guys, but I’m very grateful for his determination to try to find a way to play.”