Steve Spurrier reveals turning point for Florida in loss to Georgia

The Florida Gators gave the Georgia Bulldogs all they could handle over the weekend. Close wasn’t close enough, though, and the Bulldogs left Jacksonville with their fifth win in a row over the Gators and their eighth win in the last nine games.

Many fans walked away considering the controversial incomplete pass review to be the play of the game. That wasn’t the case for legendary Florida head coach Steve Spurrier, though. He pointed out on Another Dooley Noted Podcast that the turning point came a little earlier in the fourth quarter, when Georgia stuffed a Florida attempt to convert on fourth and one.

“The fourth and one play was, obviously, the turning point in the whole game,” Steve Spurrier said. “In my opinion. But we had second and one, and then we had third and one, and then fourth and a half yard. Even the last call, they got everybody up front. We ran a play just straight up the middle.”

Florida had a 20-17 lead with around eight minutes left. Looking to make it a two-score game and go for a touchdown instead of a field goal, the Gators found themselves inside the Bulldogs’ 20-yard line. With second and short, third and short, and, finally, fourth and short, the Gators ran the ball and were turned away by the Georgia defense, giving the Bulldogs the ball and momentum.

For Spurrier, what was so frustrating wasn’t the decision or the result, but the play calling. Instead, he advocated running something more unique, even sharing a possible play that could have put the Georgia defense more on its heels than running the ball right into their teeth did.

“Man, I was hoping one of those downs, some kind of special play where you sprint out, hand it to the back to the right,” Spurrier said. “He pitches to the wide receiver. Remember [Chris] Doering throwing that? Terry Dean and all those guys. It worked every time we called it because we only called it once or twice a year… That play almost always works because he hadn’t thrown it all year. Just some special. Do something special. A touchdown there would’ve put us up 10 with about six minutes or so. Might’ve made a difference. Who knows? But they controlled the fourth quarter as it turned out, and we got beat again.”

Georgia would respond with a go-ahead touchdown. Then came that controversial incomplete pass review, amounting to another fourth down stop, giving the Bulldogs the ball back to kill the clock and walk out of Jacksonville with a win.

Florida has four more games to go this season. Making a bowl game is still on the table, as is adding wins against rivals in the future. So, while it was a frustrating loss, Florida now needs to find a way to put the Georgia game behind them.