This article was originally published by The Macon Telegraph on October 31, 2015 and can be found here. 

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Connecting the dots between Georgia’s three losses this year reveals a clear pattern of plays.

On Oct. 3 against Alabama, a blocked punt returned for a touchdown sealed the Bulldogs’ fate in a 28-point defeat. The next week saw Georgia put together a 21-point lead over Tennessee before squandering it, partially due to a fumbled kick by Sony Michel. Saturday’s defeat at the hands of the Florida Gators featured its own special-teams mishap.

A scoreless game changed in favor of the Gators on the final play of the first quarter. Georgia punt returner Reggie Davis’ attempt to catch a punt inside the Bulldogs’ 5-yard line went awry as the junior was unable to cleanly catch the ball. As Davis was buried by Gators defenders, Florida defensive back Nick Washington fell on the football for a touchdown. It was the first strike for Florida in what turned into a 27-3 loss for the Bulldogs.

Davis was dumbfounded about what he tried to do on the play.

“I don’t know what was going through my head,” Davis said. “I’ve been (returning punts) for a long time. I should have never backed up. I should have caught the ball.”

The junior wide receiver explained that his sense of direction was thrown off on the punt. He felt like he had moved ahead of the 10 as he jockeyed for the right position to make a play. Instead of having room to work with, he found himself inside the 5 when the ball arrived.

One of the worst parts of the fumble was timing. While the Georgia offense tried to find a rhythm, the defense held strong. Through the first quarter, the Bulldogs forced three punts and only allowed the Treon Harris-led Gators to gain 84 yards of offense. The efforts from Georgia defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt’s players set the scene where the first player to blink would sway the flow of the game. In this case, it was Davis.

What followed was the defense slowly bending out of wear and tear. The hole grew bigger from six points as the Gators stretched it with 20 unanswered points. Part of the problem stemmed from even more turnovers by the Bulldogs’ offense, but it began to unravel after Davis’ decision.

“(Florida) never got in a position where they had to sweat it out a little bit offensively,” head coach Mark Richt said. “It was just a nice cushion the whole way through. Part of it was our miscues.”

The irony in the outcome stems from Davis being a reliable return man. Richt said in his postgame news conference that sophomore Isaiah McKenzie was available to fill the role if need be. McKenzie’s playmaking ability makes him a dangerous returner, but situations deep in Georgia territory are not his ideal setting. Hence, the team turns to Davis in those spots. At least, it had up to this point.

The situation was an all too familiar one for Davis. He sat solemnly and answered similar questions after Georgia’s loss on Oct. 10. The seven-point defeat to Tennessee included him dropping a touchdown pass that would have tied the game. Again, he was left to provide an explanation about a catch he knows he should have made yet didn’t.

Despite the all-too-familiar circumstance, Davis sounded more determined than discouraged this time around.

“I’m tired of saying the same thing,” Davis said. “It’s frustrating, but I’ll bounce back. (Saturday) was just one of those days where things didn’t go our way.”