No. 3 Georgia takes advantage of 4 turnovers by No. 17 Florida to beat Gators 27-8

ATLANTA (AP) — Chris Cole returned a fumble recovery 66 yards for a touchdown and No. 3 Georgia took advantage of four turnovers by No. 17 Florida to beat the Gators 27-8 on Saturday.

Tramell Jones Jr., Florida's second quarterback, fumbled when sacked by Quintavius Johnson late in the first half. Cole picked up the loose ball and scored on his second long fumble return of the season. Cole also scored on an 85-yard return in Georgia's 41-13 win over Oklahoma on Sept. 26.

Georgia (7-1, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) enjoyed a strong recovery from its last-second 27-24 loss to Auburn on Oct. 17. Florida (5-3, 3-3) was unable to deliver a second-straight win over a top 10 team following its 27-24 upset of No. 7 Texas.

Georgia outrushed Florida 217-48 for its sixth consecutive win in the rivalry. Coach Kirby Smart said stopping the Gators' run game helped set up the key play by Johnson and Cole when Florida was trying to score.

“I’ll tell you, if you can’t run the ball and they struggled to run it, it makes you one-dimensional,” Smart said. “And then everybody gets to feast and rush the passer. And that was a big play in the game. It was a huge momentum play because it’s really a 14-point swing.”

Added Cole: “We knew this game coming in, both teams are physical, and both teams run the ball. So we knew coming in that we had to be able to stop the run.”

Aaron Philo struggled in his return as Florida's starting quarterback after missing the Texas game with a right shoulder injury. Philo was benched after throwing two interceptions, including one on an underhanded heave when pressured that was picked off by Ellis Robinson IV.

Philo's second interception was high but through the hands of Eric Singleton Jr. and picked off by Demello Jones.

Jones replaced Philo following the second interception.

Jones suffered his own turnover woes. After having his fumble returned for a touchdown with only 29 seconds remaining in the first half, he led a long third-quarter drive end when his pass from the Georgia 3 intended for Singleton was intercepted in the end zone by cornerback Braylon Conley.

“Georgia, I think they’re really good,” said first-year Florida coach Jon Sumrall. "I think they’re well-coached. Got a lot of respect for them. …. They didn’t need our help tonight, but we gave it to them, and they won the game. The Gators didn’t help the Gators enough tonight.”

Bo Walker and Nate Frazier had 1-yard scoring runs as Georgia took a 24-0 halftime lead.

Florida star running back Jadan Baugh, an Atlanta native who began the day leading the SEC with 13 rushing touchdowns, was held to 38 yards on 17 carries.

Georgia committed its first turnover early in the fourth quarter when Talyn Taylor fumbled following a short catch when hit by DJ Coleman. Myles Graham returned the fumble recovery 42 yards. Jones' 23-yard pass to Luke Harpring on a fourth-down play helped set up Jones' 2-yard scoring run to end Georgia's bid for a shutout. Baugh passed to Dallas Wilson for the 2-point conversion.

With the roof closed at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the rivalry known as the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party became an indoor event.

The usual neutral site setting of Jacksonville, Florida, was not available due to renovations at EverBank Stadium. Next year's game is scheduled for Tampa Bay before the rivalry returns to Jacksonville. There was a 50-50 split of tickets in Atlanta, but Georgia appeared to have a slight advantage in the turnout with scattered red shirts in Florida fans' seating sections.

Quarterback Gunner Stockton didn’t have big passing numbers but he was a factor as a runner and, unlike Florida’s quarterbacks, he avoided mistakes. Stockton completed 13 of 23 passes for 101 yards. He outrushed Florida in the first half. He ran for 40 yards while Florida was held to 39.

Stockton's ability to avoid turnovers was especially important following his two interceptions and late lost fumble in the loss to Auburn.

Stockton improved to 4-0 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

“Yeah, I like that. I like that,” Stockton said. “You, know, it’s good atmosphere. You always like to play in this venue.”

Florida: The turnovers and five penalties for 60 yards in the first half were far too many mistakes for the Gators to overcome when Baugh and the running game was ineffective. The loss leaves Florida in danger of falling out of the Top 25. The Gators were without wide receiver Vernell Brown III for the fourth consecutive game with a sprained right knee.

Georgia: Smart set an aggressive tone on the Bulldogs' opening drive by keeping the offense on the field on a fourth-and-1 play from the Georgia 34. Frazier gained 3 yards but the drive ended with a missed 43-yard field goal by Peyton Woodring. Running back Chauncy Bowens (foot) and wide receiver Thomas Blackshear (collarbone) did not play.

Florida plays host to Oklahoma on Saturday.

Georgia will face another Top 25 opponent when it visits No. 12 Mississippi, which beat Auburn 45-15, on Saturday.

Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here

Florida quarterback Aaron Philo (12) throws an interception while Georgia linebacker Raylen Wilson (5) chases during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)

Georgia linebacker Chris Cole (9) scores a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Florida, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)

PARIS (AP) — French authorities expressed relief Sunday after mass protests over rising living costs resulted in less violence than previous weekends. But police expect new demonstrations as high schools at the heart of the movement reopen Monday after their autumn break.

Germany faced its own challenges after nationwide protests Saturday ended with rioters attacking police and looting stores in some cities. Around Europe, hundreds of thousands joined overwhelmingly peaceful marches Saturday inspired by young people, despite scattered unrest.

In Paris, rioters targeted police with Molotov cocktails at the end of Saturday’s march on the city’s eastern edge, injuring three officers and setting a car ablaze, police said. Across town, masked groups hurled fireworks at officers at a viewpoint across from the Eiffel Tower, and police charged repeatedly, sending panicked tourists fleeing the area.

Overall, however, the violence was less severe than on Oct. 17, when a city hall was torched and more than 2,000 stores were looted in hours of violence that authorities seemed unprepared to control, or during follow-up protests Oct. 24.

Police had arrested 779 people as of Saturday night, compared with 2,628 on Oct. 17 and 1,314 last weekend. Paris and Marseille police said a handful of shops were targeted but no major damage was reported.

A national police official said Sunday authorities had prepared for a larger turnout of both of peaceful marchers and troublemakers. About 70,000 police were deployed around the country.

Police are preparing for more tensions as schools reopen Monday and as student groups and labor unions call for new nationwide protests on Tuesday and Thursday, the official told The Associated Press. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to be publicly named according to police policy.

More than 100,000 mostly young people protested peacefully across Germany on Saturday, demanding that the government invest more money in education, housing, climate protection and make daily life more affordable. In some cities the protests turned violent at night.

Following a demonstration in Frankfurt, rioters attacked police downtown and looted stores. Several protesters and officers were injured and 30 people were detained. After police cordoned off an area in the city center, the situation calmed down by early Sunday morning.

“I am shocked by the violent excesses in Frankfurt, which will not go unpunished,” said Boris Rhein, the governor of Hesse, where Frankfurt is located. “Anyone who behaves like the attackers in downtown Frankfurt places themselves outside our society.''

Violence also broke out Saturday night in Cologne, where police used water cannons to disperse the crowd. In Berlin, protesters attacked police with bottles and pyrotechnics.

The organizers of Saturday’s protests, a youth initiative called “Gen Z regelt” — roughly “Gen Z’s got this" — posted a statement on Instagram distancing itself from “any form of violence, as well as violent acts by other groups or individuals” who were not part of the demonstrations.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt accused “violent left-wing groups and troublemakers from the immigrant community'' of hijacking peaceful demonstrations. “The rioters and looters will be identified and held accountable,'' Dobrindt told daily paper Bild on Sunday.

In Portugal, riot police overnight removed protesters by force from a square in Lisbon following protests for more affordable housing. Thousands of people marched through the city during the day and at the end a few hundred camped out in Rossio, an iconic square in downtown Lisbon. Police intervened early Sunday, removing tents and pushing people away, and a few were detained.

Portuguese demonstrators have been protesting for weeks following inspiration from the Spanish movement to call out rising living costs, especially housing costs.

Associated Press writers Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin and Helena Alves in Lisbon contributed to this report.

Protesters march during a demonstration against rising living costs in Paris, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

Protestors carry a banner with the words "We don't have houses, the tents stay" during a demonstration to demand affordable housing, in downtown Lisbon, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Demonstrators attend a protest under the slogan "Gen Z Takes Care of It" in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

The smashed window of a jewellery is seen in Frankfurt, Germany, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, the day after a group of people went on rampage after a protest march under the slogan "Gen Z Takes Care of It" . (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

A car is on fire during protests over living costs and education in Paris, France, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)