Bulldogs crash 'Cocktail Party' to break slump

Behind David Greene, Georgia held off Florida.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- David Greene begged for the football as time expired.
After much pleading with a referee, he got it. And even after hugging teammates and doling out high-fives with fans, he was clutching it as he left Alltel Stadium on Saturday.
He really wanted a souvenir from this one.
Who could blame him? This was his last game against Florida -- and his first victory.
Greene threw three touchdown passes, including a big one in the fourth quarter, and No. 10 Georgia snapped a six-game losing streak against the Gators, 31-24.
"We wanted this game so bad," Greene said. "It's my senior year, and I knew this was the last time I was ever going to play a game on this stage."
Among the best
Greene tied Eric Zeier's school record with 67 touchdown passes and matched Peyton Manning for the most victories (39) by a starting quarterback in NCAA Division I-A.
More importantly, Greene helped Georgia end years of frustration at the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. Florida had won 13 of the last 14 in the series.
"I'm glad our fans can come back here and not have to listen to Florida fans running their mouths anymore," defensive end David Pollack said.
The Bulldogs (7-1, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) scored touchdowns on their first three possessions -- eliminating whatever emotional edge the Gators may have had from the firing of coach Ron Zook this week.
"It was very unsettling. I didn't know how the team would take it," Zook said. "It was an emotional week. But I am proud of them for hanging in there. We just did too little, too late."
Georgia controlled the first half and led 24-7 early in the third when Florida (4-4, 2-4) seized momentum with two huge plays.
Chris Leak hooked up with Andre Caldwell for a 57-yard score. Then Ciatrick Fason ran 38 yards to set up Billy Latsko's 3-yard touchdown reception, which cut the lead to 24-21 with about 12 minutes to play.
Greene then ended any chance of Florida finishing the comeback.
He scrambled around on the ensuing play and threw a perfect pass to Reggie Brown for a 51-yard gain. Five plays later, on third-and-9 from the 15, he found Fred Gibson for his record-tying touchdown.
Although Matt Leach kicked a 52-yard field goal to give the Gators another chance, Georgia running backs Danny Ware and Thomas Brown picked up enough yardage after a failed onside kick to seal the victory.
Then the celebration began -- starting with Greene pleading for the ball.
Players hugged and danced at midfield, then took the party to the sideline. Greene was one of the last ones to leave, spending extra time frolicking with fans while gripping the game ball.
"I'm hanging onto that ball," he said. "I'll put it in my room somewhere."
Maybe not. Coach Mark Richt said Greene might have to return it because of NCAA rules.
The last time the Bulldogs beat Florida was in 1997 behind seniors Mike Bobo, Robert Edwards and Hines Ward.
Leadership
Coincidentally, three seniors did much of the damage Saturday.
Greene finished 15-of-23 for 255 yards and no interceptions, Gibson caught five passes for 59 yards and Pollack had two sacks.
Underclassmen came up big, too. Ware and Brown combined for 162 yards on 31 carries, and tight end Leonard Pope caught two touchdown passes.
Pope scored twice in first quarter, staking the Bulldogs to a 14-7 lead. They made it 21-7 on Brown's 5-yard scoring run.
No. 8 Texas 31, Colorado 7
BOULDER, Colo. -- Vince Young got a couple of bad throws out of his system early and No. 8 Texas rolled from there, getting 141 yards rushing from Cedric Benson.
Benson and Young ran for a pair of touchdowns apiece, linebacker Aaron Harris and safety Michael Griffin combined on a pair of turnovers and the Longhorns (7-1, 4-1 Big 12) stayed in the running for a BCS bowl by winning their third straight since losing to Oklahoma.
Colorado (4-4, 1-4) struggled on offense. The Buffaloes managed only one first down in the first half and didn't make it past the 50 until the fourth quarter.
No. 11 Tennessee 43, South Carolina 29
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Erik Ainge threw three touchdown passes as Tennessee overcame early offensive problems to win its 12th straight over South Carolina.
Cedric Houston added a career-high 190 yards rushing and a TD as the Vols (7-1, 5-1 SEC) rolled past the Gamecocks (5-3, 3-3), who were thought to be Tennessee's last real roadblock to the Southeastern Conference title game. The Vols have beaten Georgia and only must get past league doormats Kentucky and Vanderbilt next month to get to the Georgia Dome on Dec. 4.
Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.