Kirby Smart dedicates Georgia's win to the late Vince Dooley

No. 1 Georgia survived a third-quarter rally from rival Florida, then punched back to dust its rival 42-20 in the annual showdown in Jacksonville, Fla. Following legendary coach Vince Dooley’s death on Friday, this one meant a little more.

On the field after the game, coach Kirby Smart made a special dedication.

“This win goes to coach Dooley, and he would have been so proud of our first half,” Smart told CBS sideline reporter Jenny Dell. “He might not have been proud of our second half. But coach Dooley has meant so much to this university and his family has meant so much to us and all the people in Athens. This win is for him.”

Georgia raced out to an early 28-3 lead before Florida really showed signs of life.

The Bulldogs were absolutely dominant defensively early on, forcing five three-and-outs from the Gators on seven full first-half drives. The first four drives of the game for Florida resulted in three-and-outs.

After a bit of a swing in the third quarter, Georgia settled back in and took the air out of the game with a nearly nine-minute drive in the fourth quarter. Vince Dooley would have been proud indeed.

Georgia responds after Florida makes it a game

Florida used a pair of turnovers in the third quarter to get back into the contest, capitalizing on a Kenny McIntosh fumble and a Stetson Bennett IV interception to pull within one score.

Kicker Adam Mihalek hit a 26-yard field goal following the fumble to cut the deficit to 28-13.

Then quarterback Anthony Richardson and the Florida offense connected on a 78-yard touchdown pass to a wide open Xzavier Henderson down the right sideline just three plays after Bennett’s interception to cut the lead to 28-20.

That was as far as Florida would get, though.

McIntosh responded in style to his mistake, helping the Bulldogs ice the game with a heavy dose of the ground game. Georgia finished with 555 total yards in the game, with 239 yards coming on the ground.