NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Georgia football got everything it needed Saturday.

It got a complete game from the offense, running attack included.

It got a season-best effort from the defense.

It got a solid 34-10 win over Vanderbilt, a good feeling going into the bye week, and a reason to believe anything can happen in its next game against the reviled Florida Gators.

“I don’t even want to know what it would have been like if we had come out and lost three games in a row and then had an off-week to think about it,” said quarterback Joe Cox.

“We know we’ve still got a bunch of tough games left, and luckily we’re getting a break and luckily we ended our seven-game streak on a good note. We can go into the break, get fresh and get ready for the next time.”

Granted, the win did come against a Vanderbilt team that’s still winless in the Southeastern Conference. But, at the very least, Saturday’s performance provided a reminder of the potential this Georgia team has when it hits on all cylinders and provides the consistency it’s lacked for the majority of a now 4-3 season.

At the very most, it gives the Bulldogs a couple of weeks to breathe, gets the increasingly present critics off their backs for the time being and provides the team with a sense of relief that was already tangible post-game in Nashville.

“We’ve got things rolling in the right direction, but all we can do is just get ready, use these two weeks to get ready to play our best game,” said linebacker Rennie Curran.

“People are going to doubt us no matter what. People don’t have as much respect for us as Florida, and deservedly so . We’ve got to keep our minds right and watch as much film as we can, whatever it takes to get ready for this game.”

In years past, it’s been Florida with the bye week before the Bulldogs and Gators’ annual meeting in Jacksonville.

This time around, it’s Georgia.

“It’s a good feeling,” said freshman tailback Washaun Ealey, who ran for a career-high 71 yards Saturday. “We’re looking forward to going home, getting a chance to see our families and coming back strong and preparing for Florida. Hopefully we can come in and beat them.”

Florida dropped to No. 2 in the national polls Sunday after a down-to-the-wire win over Arkansas. The Gators will likely be taking out their anger on a Mississippi State team that sits at the bottom of the SEC’s Western Division this week.

After their effort against Vanderbilt, the Bulldogs will be resting, watching and waiting, all with plenty of positive energy to go around.

“It feels good. It’s good for the team,” said wide receiver A.J. Green. “We’ve had a long seven-game stretch since camp, a lot of bodies beat up. We’re tired. We just need a break for a little bit. We’ve got nothing to lose with Florida. We’re just going out there to fight man.”