Georgia quarterbacks coach Mike Bobo knows a thing or two about the Georgia-Florida football rivalry.

In fact, Bobo can claim being the only quarterback to lead Georgia to a victory over Florida since 1990, with a 37-17 trouncing of the Gators in 1997.

However, Bobo doesn’t want to focus on that aspect with “The World’s Largest Cocktail Party” on the horizon.

“I don’t want to talk about that game,” Bobo said with a smile. “That doesn’t have anything to do with this game.”

Bobo, a Thomasville native, said being a Georgia Bulldog football player was everything.

“There’s nothing like this place, playing for this school,” Bobo said. “It’s something I’ll always remember.”

Arriving as a highly touted freshman from Thomasville High School in 1993, Bobo was redshirted and let into the mix slowly behind Eric Zeier, the established starting quarterback.

Knowing he was the third-rated quarterback in the Southeast by Bluechip Illustrated as well as Georgia Player of the Year by USA Today, Bobo was able to feed off Zeier in 1993 and 1994 from a back-up role.

“I think his competitiveness and the way he went about practice showed he competed hard,” Bobo said. “I think it kind of rubbed off on me.”

When the 1995 season rolled around, Bobo earned the nod as the starter for a Georgia team that had gone 3-4-1 in SEC play in 1994.

Bobo performed well enough in the first three games to earn a top-five spot in the national quarterback rankings, completing 54 of 89 passes for 818 yards while throwing five touchdowns.

However, Bobo’s season ended prematurely when he went down with a knee injury in game four against Ole Miss.

Returning as the starter for the 1996 season, 1997 was the season in which Bobo defined his career.

With a Georgia football team that had gone 5-6 in the 1996 season and had no bowl game appearances in two years, Bobo said he realized how important the 1997 season would be.

“That year was pretty special for the senior class,” Bobo said. “Our big goal that year was to get Georgia back to national prominence.”

That wish came true for Georgia, as the team went 10-2 and finished the season ranked 10th.

During the course of that season, Bobo hit numerous statistical peaks, including finishing ranked No. 2 all-time at Georgia in passing yards (6,334), pass completions (445) and career touchdown passes (38).

Bobo’s performance in the Florida game, though, is the one for which he is most remembered.

“It was great because we were 20-point underdogs,” Bobo said. “To go down there and beat them, with it being a big game, was more important than anything.”

Leading the charge for Georgia, Bobo threw for 260 yards, going 16-of-27, while keeping the Florida defenders at bay.

Not stopping there, Bobo continued his consistent play, finishing his career with a historic performance against Wisconsin in the 1998 Outback Bowl.

Bobo completed 26 of 28 passes for 267 yards and a touchdown. He also set a Georgia record by completing 19 consecutive passes.

Bobo finished his Georgia career as a four-year letterman, No. 1 at Georgia in season completion percentage (65.0 percent, 1997) and No. 3 in career total offense (6,054).

Having moved on from his career “between the hedges,” Bobo said he now knows he and the rest of the coaching staff must keep today’s players focused on the task at hand.

“We have to do a good job as coaches and make them realize that it’s just another game,” Bobo said.