Georgia beat Florida 27-8 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday, its sixth straight win in the series. ESPN reported that the No. 3 Bulldogs took advantage of four turnovers by the No. 17 Gators. Chris Cole returned a fumble recovery 66 yards for a touchdown. CBS Sports' Austin Nivison used the result to raise a different question. Georgia's defense and running game have masked problems in the passing game, he wrote, and tougher opponents could force the Bulldogs to open things up.

The box score supports that. Gunner Stockton was 13 of 23 for 101 yards, 4.4 yards per attempt, with no touchdowns and no interceptions. Georgia ran 42 times for 217 yards, 5.2 per carry. Nate Frazier had 67 yards and a touchdown, Dwight Phillips Jr. had 67 on eight carries, and Stockton added 45 on the ground. The Bulldogs went 6 of 15 on third down and kicked two field goals, with Peyton Woodring going 2 of 3. The reporting we have doesn't say whether Nivison's concern covers anything beyond what these numbers show.

The defense did most of the work. Cole had nine tackles, seven of them solo, plus a sack, a tackle for loss and the touchdown. His season line is 49 tackles, 3.5 sacks and 9 tackles for loss. Demello Jones, Ellis Robinson IV and Braylon Conley each intercepted a pass. Florida finished with 48 rushing yards on 28 carries, 1.7 per carry. Yahoo's headline called it a "smothering defensive effort" and said it gives the Bulldogs "the look of a champion", which is a verdict on the defense. Nivison's piece is about the other side of the ball.

Florida's mistakes were large. The Gators lost the turnover count 4-1, with three interceptions and a lost fumble, and were penalized 8 times for 78 yards. One Yahoo columnist wrote that a team at about -3 in turnover margin will lose nearly every game, and that this one fit. Yahoo's game stories said the starting quarterback made no difference. Tramell Jones Jr. threw 18 of 25 for 172 yards and one interception. Aaron Philo went 5 of 7 for 26 yards and two interceptions. Jones also fumbled twice and lost one, which is his season total. Florida actually led in passing yards, 198 to 101, which shows how little the Gators got from their possessions.

The result keeps Georgia's season in good shape without removing the doubt. The Bulldogs are 7-1 and average 41 points a game across their last eight, but they lost 24-27 to Auburn at home on Oct. 17. Their win at Alabama, 20-17 on Oct. 10, was close. Florida falls to 5-2, 3-2 in the SEC and sixth in the conference, with a 27-24 win at Texas on Oct. 17 as its best recent result. The Gators host Oklahoma next Saturday, Nov. 7. Whether Georgia's passing numbers hold up will depend on how much its next opponents can stop the run.