Florida WR Jabar Gaffney rushes past Georgia's defense for a Gator touchdown.(AP)

This one wasn't decided until Alex Brown forced a Georgia fumble with 5 minutes left, and Rex Grossman followed with perfectly thrown 27-yard pass to Reche Caldwell that set up the clinching touchdown.

It was a fantastic finish to a classic game, and it marked Spurrier's 10th victory in 11 meetings with the rival he loves to hate most.

"It's good to beat a team that beat us so many times," Spurrier said. "We were talking as coaches, and we realized we were a combined 4-19 as players against them. So, it means a lot to beat them."

Just as importantly, the game put Florida (7-1, 5-1) in command for its eighth trip to the Southeastern Conference title game. It also keeps the Gators alive in the national-title picture.

The Bulldogs (6-2, 4-2) left shaking their heads, bemoaning lost opportunities and wondering what might have been in this, a season in which they were expected to finally break through.

"We had some tough breaks that went against us," Georgia quarterback Quincy Carter said. "But that's part of football. You have to overcome them and make the best of it."

Indeed, Georgia seemed to have captured all the momentum after cutting a 10-point deficit to 27-23 and knowing the Florida offense would be run by Grossman, the freshman Spurrier had replaced with Jesse Palmer, only to see Palmer leave with a severely sprained ankle.

The Bulldogs defense forced a Florida punt and Georgia's half of the stadium looked primed for the capper to a thrilling comeback. Then came Brown, who combined with Clint Mitchell to smash Carter and force a fumble.

Grossman connected with Caldwell to put the ball at the 2. Robert Gillespie scored on the next play and the Gators had their victory. They need to beat South Carolina at home in two weeks to win the SEC East.

As usual, there will be a quarterback debate before then, although Spurrier said Palmer's injury looked bad enough to keep him out at least a week.

That leaves Florida with Grossman, who threw interceptions on his first two passes of the game, sending Spurrier into a visor-tossing tizzy, the likes of which he hasn't shown in at least three seasons.

"Rex still has a ways to go," Spurrier said. "I know y'all named him a Heisman candidate after two games. But he's got a lot to learn, a long way to go."

Grossman finished 12-of-24 for 152 yards and a touchdown to go with the three picks.

"Obviously, I played terrible in the first half, but our defense stepped up big and the rest of our offense stepped up," Grossman said. "I'm just glad we came out with the win, even though I threw three picks and played terrible, actually."

Palmer wasn't much better. He fumbled his second snap, leading to a turnover and a Georgia touchdown for a 17-9 lead.

Minutes later, Georgia appeared to be driving for a touchdown that could have been a death blow.

But Florida cornerback Lito Sheppard made one of the best plays of the season -- coming from nowhere to snatch Carter's pass, then twisting and turning his way upfield for a 61-yard return.

Palmer found Gillespie in the flat for a 14-yard score and a 2-point conversion left it tied at 17 at halftime.

A tie was all Georgia had to show for the four first-half turnovers it created -- not nearly enough in a game this big, against an opponent that good.

"Definitely, that's the biggest play of the year right there," Georgia coach Jim Donnan said of the interception. "That's a big momentum changer."

Carter, a junior, will likely leave Georgia 0-3 against the Bulldogs' most bitter rival, although it's hard to blame this one on him.

He finished 20-of-39 for 240 yards and one score, braving a series of hard hits by a defense looking to test his sore left shoulder. He even left briefly after falling hard on the left shoulder.

His departure took away much of Georgia's option threat, although missed opportunities will haunt the Bulldogs more than any Xs and Os.

One that stood out came early, when tight end Randy McMichael dropped a wide-open catch in the end zone, forcing Georgia to settle for a field goal after Florida's second turnover. Georgia led just 3-0 after Grossman's two early interceptions, both in good field position.

"We missed some opportunities here," Carter said. "This rivalry is about making big plays, and we didn't do it."

In addition to Sheppard's pick and the big forced fumble, Marquand Manuel had an interception that stopped a Georgia scoring threat and Byron Hardman had another on Georgia's final drive.

Palmer completed half his 12 passes for 95 yards. Jabar Gaffney had six catches for 138 yards to surpass the 100-yard mark for the fourth straight game.

Jeff Chandler, a Jacksonville native, also hit a 54-yard field goal early in the third quarter to give the Gators a 20-17 lead. It was the third-longest field goal in Florida history.