Stinchcomb returns, Florida receiver goes out

Posted 7:25AM on Sunday 3rd November 2002 ( 22 years ago )

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Jon Stinchcomb was in a lot of pain - and it had nothing to do with his left knee. Georgia's best offensive lineman was back in the lineup Saturday night, but the fifth-ranked Bulldogs lost for the first time this season, 20-13 to Florida. Stinchcomb missed the previous week's game, a 52-24 victory over Kentucky, after undergoing arthroscopic surgery to repair cartilage in his left knee. The Outland and Lombardi candidate didn't get much contact work at practice, but he felt good enough to play. "My knee did fine," Stinchcomb said. "My heart is hurting a lot worse than my knee." Not only did Georgia squander a chance to clinch a spot in the Southeastern Conference championship game, Stinchcomb and the other seniors failed to beat Florida for the first time in their careers. They won't get another chance. "It's real unbearable," Stinchcomb said. "For the rest of our lives, all the seniors will know they never beat Florida. That's one of our biggest rivalries, and we went 0-4. That's a pretty tough pill to swallow." As expected, running back Musa Smith also started for Georgia. He also missed the Kentucky game after surgery on a broken bone in his left hand. Smith rushed for 100 yards on 22 carries. Receiver Fred Gibson was in uniform but didn't play for the second game in a row. He was still bothered by surgery for torn ligaments in his left thumb. --- JACOBS OUT:@ Florida lost its top receiver when Taylor Jacobs went out with a twisted right knee in the first quarter. Jacobs injured his MCL. While surgery will not be required, coach Ron Zook said the receiver could miss four weeks. Jacobs appeared to get struck on the side of his right knee by a teammate as he turned to block on Florida's first possession. The senior hobbled to the sideline, where his knee was heavily taped. He didn't return. Jacobs came into the night tied for ninth in the country with 57 receptions for 905 yards, including eight touchdowns. With Jacobs out, Carlos Perez and Kelvin Kight took on a more prominent role in the offense. Perez caught 12 passes for 76 yards, while Kight had nine catches for 115 yards. Both set career highs. --- TWO QBs:@ Georgia's two-quarterback rotation wasn't nearly as effective as it was a week earlier at Kentucky. David Greene, facing heavy pressure, completed just 11 of 29 passes for 141 yards, though he did hook up with J.T. Wall on a 10-yard touchdown. D.J. Shockley was 3 of 6 for 27 yards. His most notable pass was picked off by Guss Scott and returned 47 yards for a Florida touchdown. "It was a bad decision on my part," Shockley said. Against Kentucky, Greene and Shockley combined to set a school record with six touchdown passes. --- NOT SO SPECIAL:@ Florida's special teams have hardly lived up their name. The Gators cost themselves at least five points in the first half when Matt Leach missed a 27-yard field goal and Brendt Talcott yanked an extra point wide left. Hoping to make up for Talcott's miss, Florida went for a two-point conversion after its second touchdown. Rex Grossman's pass was knocked away, and the Gators trailed 13-12 at halftime. The Gators have missed six of their 29 extra point kicks this season. For good measure, Ingle Martin averaged only 29 yards on six punts, but Sean Morton got off a 51-yard punt in his only attempt. --- VINCE & NORM:@ The Georgia-Florida rivalry was put aside during a press box ceremony before the game. Georgia athletic director Vince Dooley presented a glass statue to Florida's longtime sports information director, Norm Carlson. The award praised Carlson for "his loyalty, passion and service to the Gators, the Southeastern Conference and to college football." The two are friends going back to their days at Auburn, where Dooley was an assistant coach and Carlson worked in the SID office. Dooley recounted a story of the two going to a country club to celebrate a 1960 victory. After a few drinks, they dove into a pool; Dooley dove in the deep end, while Carlson bumped his head when he plunged into the shallow end. Carlson also was inducted into the Georgia-Florida Hall of Fame on Friday.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/11/188132