Some Jaguars players stay close to Georgia-Florida rivalry

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (TNS) — Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. recalled pressuring Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray into an interception as one of the best plays he made during a Georgia-Florida game.

Nose tackle Abry Jones described battling against Gators quarterback Tim Tebow as his hearty introduction to one of college football’s greatest matchups.

And linebacker Lerentee McCray remembered sacking Murray as one of his key contributions, although the lasting impression for McCray came a year later when the No. 3 Gators were upset 17-9 by the No. 12 Bulldogs in 2012.

Inside the Jaguars’ locker room, the three players who participated in the annual showdown in Jacksonville remember everything from wild tailgating scenes to plays that won and lost games and helped decide seasons.

Each agrees those moments define what’s great about college football and serve as memories that will remain with them as their NFL careers move forward.

“Playing in front of that atmosphere brings out the best in you,” Fowler said. “That’s probably the only game I’ve played in where it’s loud the entire game, all 60 minutes. It’s a really great experience.”

Said Jones, “It’s just that big. There is that much attention on it. From a Georgia perspective, in the SEC they say every weekend is a rivalry weekend, but this one was different. You feel the whole mood change on game week.”

Jones, who signed with the Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2013, has an interesting perspective on the rivalry considering he was nearly on the other side of it.

Jones said his first official scholarship offer came from Florida under former head coach Urban Meyer, and the Gators were his top choice for a time before Georgia ended up becoming a better fit.

That leaves him as the one Bulldogs representative against two Gators. But there is no shortage of passion — or trash talk — from the Jaguars’ 6-foot-4, 318-pound run-stuffer.

“I hate Florida now,” said Jones, who had a sack during the 2011 game. “I really hate Florida.”

Fowler, the Jaguars’ first-round draft pick in 2015, and McCray, who signed with the team in March, have lockers near one another and were teammates for one season in Gainesville in 2012, pieces of a defense that McCray said remains the most dominant unit he has ever played on.

That Gators defense also featured Sharrif Floyd and Dominique Easley up front, Jon Bostic and Jelani Jenkins in the middle and Matt Elam and Josh Evans in the secondary. Each went on to play in the NFL.

That made the loss to Georgia especially painful.

The Bulldogs converted just one of 10 tries on third down, and Murray threw three interceptions.

But Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel threw two interceptions and the Gators lost four fumbles — including one by tight end Jordan Reed near the goal line late in the fourth quarter — mistakes that were enough to ruin McCray’s memory of the game.

“We pretty much treated every opponent in the SEC like a rivalry game, but Florida-Georgia was one that we always really treasured and wanted to win,” McCray said. “That one hurt.”

Said Jones, who was out for that game because of an ankle injury, “Before they went down, they said they were going to do it for me. Afterward, Coach (Mark) Richt texted me and some of the other guys texted me, so that felt good. I wasn’t there, but it felt like I was there.”