JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- These are the kind of games that seem to bore Steve Spurrier as much as they frustrate him. This may have been the lone exception.

	Florida's Alex Brown hammers Georgia quarterback Quincy Carter for a sack.

Not only did the 30-14 win come against No. 10 Georgia, the team he loves to beat most, but it came in the same manner the Bulldogs used to stick it to the Gators for so many years before he became coach.

The defense shut out Georgia in the second half and the offense ground out a victory, winning despite not gaining a single passing yard in the second half.

"I can get that feeling where we need to put it on the ground," Spurrier said. "When our defense is playing like they're playing, I can just say, hang onto the ball fellas, and hopefully we'll break one here and there."

It marked Florida's ninth victory in the last 10 meetings in this series and -- more importantly -- gave the Gators (7-1, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) control of the SEC East.

If the Gators beat Vanderbilt next Saturday and South Carolina the following week, they'll go back to the SEC title game for the first time since 1996.

Before that, they'll celebrate a victory in one of the nation's most storied rivalries, best known as "The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party."

This year's version was a watered-down affair, a game bogged down by steady rain in the first half, sputtering offense in the second, and silly penalties and a number of stalled drives the whole way through.

It was entertaining nonetheless, with a pair of defenses being pushed to their limits time and again and Florida's coming out ahead.

Twice in the second half, Georgia (6-2, 4-2) took over inside the Florida 40 trailing 16-14. Both times, the Gators refused to budge. On the second drive, Keith Kelsey forced a fumble on a run up the middle by Jasper Sanks at the Florida 10 and Bennie Alexander recovered.

"We said somehow, some way, we've got to stop them, someone's going to have to step up and make a play," said defensive coordinator Jon Hoke.

They did, and Bulldogs coach Jim Donnan left the field feeling like he may have hand-delivered them the opportunity.

"I can second-guess myself," Donnan said. "Maybe I should have gone more wide-open down there. Maybe I should have run the option or something else besides running right at them. There are a lot of things you can look at, but that was definitely a difference in the game."

After the turnover, Florida gained the field-position advantage. One possession later, the Gators struck when Bo Carroll burst through the right side for a 30-yard touchdown and a 23-14 lead.

On Georgia's next drive, Alex Brown forced another turnover at the Georgia 2. Doug Johnson ran for a touchdown on the next play and a game that had been much closer was suddenly out of hand.

Brown also had an interception on Georgia's final drive, adding to the reputation he built with a five-sack performance in a 23-21 victory over Tennessee earlier this season.

"He comes to play," said safety Marquand Manuel. "He plays every week. And when they're not double or triple teaming him, he can come up with the couple big plays we need."

Carroll finished with 113 yards on 13 carries and accounted for most of the offense in the second half.

Despite Spurrier's threats to the contrary, Johnson lasted the entire game. He threw for 234 yards in the first half, and had only two completions -- one for 10 yards, another for minus-10 -- in the second, as the game turned into a defensive struggle, more reminiscent of 1969 than 1999.

"It's coach Spurrier's 100th win, we're all proud and we were a part of it," Johnson said. "It was a tight game. It was wet out there. The balls were heavy. The game had to be won in the trenches."

The Gators shut down Georgia quarterback Quincy Carter, holding him to 6-for-23 passing for just 76 yards. He had more success running, especially in the first half, when he sliced through the Florida defense on a pair of option plays for two scores and a 14-10 lead.

Florida regained the lead on a 10-play, 72-yard march for a 16-14 lead late in the first half. From there, the defense took over, as Florida allowed only 14 first downs and 231 yards in offense, just 53 in the second half.

"It comes down to us just not making the plays when we had to, and then we got those turnovers that just killed us in the second half," Carter said. "It seemed like their pass rush was coming from everywhere. We got outplayed, there's no other way to describe it."

Lost somewhere in the solid defensive effort, Florida's Darrell Jackson caught six passes for 141 yards, his sixth straight 100-yard receiving game, which ties Carlos Alvarez for the school record.