Georgia runs past Florida

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Knowshon Moreno leapt into the end zone and was quickly surrounded by all his Georgia teammates -- yes, all of them.

Answering Coach Mark Richt’s pregame challenge, about 70 players rushed from the Georgia sideline following Moreno’s first-quarter touchdown, jumping up and down and celebrating wildly. Florida only watched, stunned by the brazen Bulldogs.

An even bigger party unfolded a few hours later.

Moreno ran for a career-high 188 yards and three scores, Matthew Stafford threw three touchdown passes and No. 20 Georgia beat the No. 9 Gators, 42-30, Saturday in a game filled with big plays and momentum shifts.

“I can’t tell you how much fun it was in the locker room, and I wish everybody could have seen it,” Richt said.

The Bulldogs (6-2, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) sacked Heisman Trophy hopeful Tim Tebow six times and contained the Gators’ high-scoring offense most of the game. The result was a rare victory for Georgia in one of the South’s most heated rivalries.

Florida (5-3, 3-3) had dominated the series since 1990, winning 15 of the last 17 meetings and eight of nine. Georgia turned it around Saturday, taking advantage of Tebow’s bruised non-throwing shoulder and Florida’s porous defense.

Tebow was 14 for 22 for 236 yards and a touchdown

Richt, who had been 1-5 against the Gators, uncharacteristically orchestrated an on-field celebration earlier in the week to follow his team’s first touchdown.

“I told them if they didn’t get a celebration penalty after our first score, all of them would be doing early-morning runs,” Richt said. “I wanted to make sure we left this game with our hearts on the field.”