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Georgia celebrates end to Florida's repeat hopes

Moreno runs for 188 yards, leads Bulldogs to 42-30 win in ‘Cocktail Party’

AP
With orders from coach Mark Richt, Georgia's entire team storms the end zone following the Bulldogs' first touchdown against Florida on Saturday. The mass celebration drew two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, but the No. 20 Bulldogs' still went on to upset the No. 9 Gators.

Georgia was even better.

“We just didn’t stop the run,” safety Tony Joiner said. “We played lousy up front, including myself in the box.”

Moreno did most of the damage, picking up yards inside and out, breaking tackles and outrunning defenders right and left. Stafford took advantage, using play-action passes.

“We ran the ball well, and when we had to throw the ball, we threw the ball well,” said Moreno, who had a career-high 33 carries.

The Bulldogs sealed the victory when Tebow fumbled a snap with 2:23 remaining. The turnover set off a raucous celebration on the sideline, then at midfield and again in the same end zone as the first one.

Georgia finished with its most points in the series since a 44-0 win in 1982.

Florida’s offense wasn’t as effective as usual. Tebow injured his shoulder last week and was clearly favoring it Saturday. He ran very little in the first half, and the Gators just weren’t the same.

Percy Harvin picked up the slack, running for 97 yards and catching two passes for 41 yards. But a fumble by Kestahn Moore and another fumbled snap by Moore helped Georgia build an early lead.

Moreno and Stafford never let the Bulldogs relinquish it.

Stafford was 11-of-18 for 217 yards with an interception that was returned for a touchdown early. He rebounded with an 84-yard strike to Mohamed Massaquoi that made it 14-7. Then he flipped a 1-yarder in the flat to Brannan Southerland to make it 28-17 early in the second half. Stafford’s 53-yarder to Mikey Henderson was a big dagger, making it 35-24 with about 11 minutes remaining.

“We came out and played with emotion,” Georgia center Fernando Valasco said. “I’m not saying we haven’t been playing with emotion in the past, but there was a different feeling for this game. Everyone wanted to beat Florida and we worked hard for two weeks to get to this point.”

© 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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