The Gators faced off against the Bulldogs in the annual rivalry taking place in Jacksonville, Florida. Georgia led the series entering the game 45-38-2. Florida had won 15 of the last 18 meetings dating back to the 1990 season, which was Steve Spurrier's first season as head coach. Urban Meyer was 2–1 against Georgia before the game with his only loss coming the previous year in a 42–30 win over the Gators. In that win, Knowshon Moreno's one-yard touchdown run in the first quarter sparked a "" by the entire Bulldogs team in the end zone, known as the "Gator Stomp." Georgia head coach Mark Richt defended his actions in having his team intentionally celebrate. He was quoted as saying "I wanted to make sure we left this game with our hearts on the field." He was later quoted in summer media presses: "In hindsight, I shouldn't have done it. I won't do anything like that again. It could have easily turned into a big, stupid brawl."