Odell Thurman Has Strong Day, Despite Dogs Loss to Gators
Matt Leach slid a 33-yard field goal inside the left upright with 33 seconds remaining to lift the Florida Gators to a 16-13 win over the Georgia Bulldogs Saturday.
The kick capped a winning drive by freshman quarterback Chris Leak and kept alive not only No. 23 Florida’s most improbable run at the SEC title, but its unrelenting dominance over No. 4 Georgia.
The loss squandered another good overall performance by the Bulldog defense. Linebacker Odell Thurman led the unit with 11 tackles. The Monticello native also contributed a key pass break up, shared a sack, and added one and a half tackles for a loss to his team-leading total of 9.5.
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This was Florida’s 13th win in the last 14 games over Georgia (7-2, 4-2) and once again, the end of the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party played out more like Gatorpalooza.
The Bulldogs (7-2) slipped to No. 9 in both the media and coaches’ polls after yet another loss to Florida, this one throwing the SEC East into all sorts of turmoil.
Even Coach Mark Richt isn’t quite sure how it will all pan out, but it could come down to a vote of SEC athletic directors to determine whether Georgia, Florida or Tennessee goes to the league championship game in Atlanta.
“I tried to read up on it, but when I got down to the No. 3 or 4 (in the tiebreaking formula), I got confused,” Richt said. “I couldn’t interpret it.”
He was more concerned with getting his banged-up team a little rest. The Bulldogs are off this week, giving them a much-needed chance to heal some injured players and recover mentally from their 13th loss to the Gators in 14 years.
Georgia plans a light schedule this week. On Monday, the team will review film and maybe do a little weightlifting. After practicing for three days, they’ll take the rest of the week off.
“I want us to take full advantage of the open date,” Richt said. “We’ve got an opportunity to get rested, and hopefully we’ll be much more ready for the game mentally.”
Auburn visits Athens November 15 for a crucial SEC game for both teams. The game will be televised by CBS-TV, with airtime scheduled for 3:30 p.m.