Game Balls: Georgia pass catchers step up in beat down of Florida
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Georgia played its first game since 2020 without Brock Bowers on Saturday. It was their first test without the star tight end and the Bulldogs passed it with flying colors with a dominant 43-20 victory over Florida. The Bulldogs needed players to step up on both sides of the ball and it got exactly that. We acknowledge those guys below by handing out game balls.
WR Ladd McConkey: It was a huge day for the junior wideout. McConkey was banged up for the first seven games of the season but he looked healthy on Saturday. He caught six passes for 135 yards and a touchdown. The score gave Georgia a lead that it would never relinquish.
ILB Smael Mondon: Florida went for it on fourth down from its own 34-yard line to start the second quarter and Mondon came up huge. He snuffed out the direct snap and tallied the tackle for loss, his second of the day, to turn the Gators over on downs. Georgia scored a few plays later to grab a 17-7 lead.
QB Carson Beck: The fourth-year sophomore missed some throws in a return to his home town, but he still kept delivering. Beck hit on 19 of 28 passes for 315 yards and two touchdowns. He had three passes that went for 40 or more yards and helped Georgia convert 50 percent of its third-down tries.
DL Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins: The redshirt sophomore hasn’t played since week one and we didn’t think he would go today. Ingram-Dawkins certainly made his presence felt with a strip sack in the second quarter. The Bulldogs got on the football for their first fumble recovery of the season. Georgia is certainly a better defensive line when he’s healthy.
WR Dominick Lovett: The Missouri transfer was someone we had circled with Bowers out and he came up with a big play. he had a 55-yard reception to help set up UGA’s first score of the second half. He also set a new Georgia career high with four catches for 83 yards in the Bulldog win.
LB Jalon Walker: There were stretches of this game, mainly in the first half, when Florida had no answer for Walker in passing situations. He came through with a strip sack to end a Florida drive in the first quarter. He multiple other pressures in the second quarter as the Gators were trying to get the momentum back.
RB Daijun Edwards: While he didn’t quite reach 100 yards, Edwards still had a big game. He scored two touchdowns for the second straight season against the Gators and piled up 95 yards on 16 carries. Edwards was too much for Florida to handle, especially in the first half.
