JACKSONVILLE, Fla., —The No. 8 Georgia Bulldogs picked up a 24-17 over the No. 6 Florida Gators. The win gives Georgia an inside track at winning the SEC East and getting to Atlanta. It was a huge win for the program, given the number of questions surrounding the team entering the game.
Almost immediately after the win, you could tell this result meant a good bit to Kirby Smart. He celebrated with a number of players and took a victory lap around the stadium.
And Smart’s antics drew a lot of attention on social media after the win.
Smart also had some sharp words for those who had been critical of both Jake Fromm and the offense in general.
“I’m just proud of the support that our fans provided for us, even if they did think Jake couldn’t throw the ball,” Smart said.
He also wanted to make sure Georgia offensive coordinator James Coley got credit as well.
“Y’all need to give Coach Coley some credit because he called all those plays, too,” Smart said.
Related: WATCH Georgia coach Kirby Smart: Jake Fromm, game plan validated in Florida win
If there was one star of the game, it was Fromm. He finished 20 of 30 for 279 yards and two touchdowns. It was the first time that Georgia has won a game when Fromm has thrown 30 passes in a game.
Fromm was also huge on third down, completing 10 of his 13 pass attempts on the down for 119 yards and a touchdown. And a number of people praised Fromm for his performance after the game.
“He’s had a lot of people that have questioned him, and he has a chip on his shoulder guy,” Smart said. “Y’all have seen it over and over again where people doubt and continue to doubt and he continues to rise above. He’s not a silver spoon-fed kid, he’s a working kid. He works himself into it, he wills himself into it. I’m really proud of the way he played and led his team, and proud of a lot of others, I’m not saying it was just Jake, but Jake has a lot of pressure on him.”
Related: Jake Fromm silences doubters against Florida, again
Fromm is now 3-0 against Florida in his career. He is also 3-0 in his career against former Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham. In his time at Georgia, Grantham was famous for “Third-and-Grantham” given teams seemed to have a knack for converting on third and long.
After the game, a lot of people were pointing out Georgia’s third-down success or rather Florida’s third-down failures.
“Third down was really good,” Smart said. “We were able to convert some big third downs, some down and distances that your… (Florida has) been really good on third and long. Tebow talked about this morning on SEC Nation. It’s tough to convert those long-yardage third downs.”
In the month of October, Florida allowed opposing teams to convert 27.8 percent of third-downs. That was the best mark in the SEC.
Smart wasn’t the only one to celebrate the win, as a number of Georgia players took to social media after the game. But even before that, Georgia fans got to celebrate on the field with the Georgia fans who stuck around.
The Bulldogs return to Sanford Stadium on Saturday when they take on Missouri. The game is set for a 7 p.m. ET start and will air on ESPN.
More Georgia football stories from around DawgNation
- WATCH: Lawrence Cager rises from the ‘dead,’ lifts Georgia over Florida
- Georgia football report card: Bulldogs ace Florida test, 24-17
- UGA’s newest fan favorite pokes fun at Florida Gators on social media
- WATCH: Georgia coach Kirby Smart explains validated offensive philosophy after beating Florida
- Georgia football game recap: Bulldogs defeat rival Florida, 24-17
- ESPN forgets how many years in a row Georgia has beaten Florida
- Georgia football game ball: Lawrence Cager guts Florida defense in 24-17 win
- Georgia football stock report: Bulldogs soar with 24-17 win over Florida