After a 13-1 2002 season in which Georgia finished with a win over Florida State in the Sugar Bowl, the Bulldogs entered 2003 at No. 11 in the polls and with high hopes for a stellar season.
Then Georgia made a trip to Baton Rouge with a 3-0 record which ended in Mark Richt’s first away game loss as the Bulldogs head coach.
“In the final analysis, big games like this usually comes down to whose going to make the most plays and [LSU] did it,” Richt said after the loss. “We’ve got to get through the pain of this and then begin to get a plan for Alabama.”
Despite the loss, the Bulldogs went on to win the Southeastern Conference East, earning the right to a rematch with the team that put a shadow over their season when it had only just begun.
Georgia bounced back with a 37-23 win against Alabama on Oct. 4. The Bulldogs seemed to be back on track when the following week they pounded Tennessee 41-14.
“I thought we were emotionally ready and kept our focus in the second half,” Richt said following the victory in Knoxville, which gave the Bulldogs the tie-breaker over Tennessee and Florida for the eastern division title. “Offensively, we had our best game of the year against a very good team. We overcame some penalties, something we hadn’t done this season.”
Georgia continued with a win against Vanderbilt and a close 16-13 victory over University of Alabama-Birmingham.
The 7-1 Bulldogs then began preparations for the Florida game.
“I’m a little concerned,” Richt said in a press conference before the Florida match. “I think we’re pretty beat up as a team, pretty tired.”
Florida was fresh off a bye week and high in confidence after having just defeated LSU and Arkansas.
Georgia had fought its way up to No. 4 in the polls despite an injury to standout wide receiver Fred Gibson.
The Bulldogs’ injury woes continued in a severe way when senior cornerback Decory Bryant suffered a neck injury against UAB. While the Bulldogs sent their prayers to Bryant, they tried to maintain their confidence and push forward into one of their biggest games of the year.
“At this point in the season, we just can’t feel sorry for ourselves,” said Georgia safety Thomas Davis. “We’re still in it. We just have to go out and play hard and work with what we have.”
Unfortunately, the Gators once again put a damper on the Bulldogs’ season with a 16-13 victory in Jacksonville that aired on CBS.
“This is the fourth time I’ve lost to them,” said Bulldogs’ senior place-kicker Billy Bennett, who missed three field goals in the LSU loss. “It’s about four times as bad as last year. No more chances. It’s ridiculous.
Bennett missed a 32-yard field goal in the second quarter of the game.
“No excuses,” Richt said. “We practiced and we thought we had a fine enough plan. They just performed a little better than we did.”
The losses to LSU and Florida knocked Georgia out of the Top 5.
The Bulldogs wins against Auburn, Kentucky and Georgia Tech in the final games of the regular season helped give them the spot in the SEC Championship game.
“We’ve found ways to win and we’re going to have to do the same thing on Saturday,” said Georgia free safety Sean Jones of the Bulldogs’ injury-plagued season at the SEC football championship players’ press conference. “We’ll use our fundamentals and technique and find a way to win.”