Little Sunshine for Gators When Playing Bulldogs in Georgia

The Florida Gators and Georgia Bulldogs have one of the most historic rivalries in college football. They have played about the same time every year since 1933 in Jacksonville, a midpoint between the two schools that they could easily travel to via railroad.

The two most recent exceptions came in 1995 and 1996 when they split games at the campuses in Gainesville and Athens. With the arrival of the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, those two years were spent building a new stadium beginning.

Florida won the game it hosted 52-14 in 1994.

In Athens the following year, the Gators put up 52 again behind Danny Wuerffel’s five touchdowns to earn the record, which still stands, for most points scored at Sanford Stadium. 

Then-UF coach Steve Spurrier said he was told by an assistant coach in that game that no school had scored 50 in Georgia’s stadium. Late in the game, Spurrier had that stat in mind and decided to score one more time before the game ended at 52-17.

The series’ “first” game was in 1904 in Macon, Georgia, where the Bulldogs won 52-0. This is seen by Georgia as when the rivalry began. The Bulldogs, according to UGA, lead the all-time series 58-44-2.

While Georgia counts that game as the first meeting of the series, Florida does not because the team the Bulldogs played was represented by Florida Agricultural College. The University of Florida’s football team wasn’t officially established until 1906. Thus, according to Florida, the Bulldogs lead the series 57-44-2.

The year 1916 marked the first game between the two in Athens, where Florida was shut out 21-0, contributing to a 0-5 season. 

The two teams also played in Athens in 1920 and 1926, and it wasn’t much of a different outcome. The Gators were blown out by a combined score of 109-9. 

Florida’s first win against Georgia came in 1928 when the Gators won 26-6 in Savannah. They played there again two years later, resulting in a scoreless tie.

Overall, the Gators are 2-4-1 when they play the Bulldogs in the Peach State. 

Florida and Georgia play across the border Saturday for the first time in 31 years due to renovations at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville. The game will be at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta before it returns to Florida next season at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. The annual rivarly returns to Jacksonville in 2028.

Category: College Football, Gator Sports, Gators Football