NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Bruce Thornton returned an interception 71 yards for a touchdown and Billy Bennett capped a record-setting season with four field goals Wednesday night as fourth-ranked Georgia took advantage of No. 16 Florida State's inept offense for a 26-13 victory in the Sugar Bowl.
Florida State (9-5), which suffered its first five-loss season since 1981, was forced to start third-string signal-caller Fabian Walker after starter Chris Rix was declared ineligible and backup Adrian McPherson was dismissed from the team.
Walker, who threw just eight passes all season, was ineffective and the Seminoles were forced to turn to junior wide receiver Anquan Boldin at various points in the game. Neither got the job done and Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden was handed just his seventh loss in 26 bowl games.
Florida State had a 7-3 lead midway through the second quarter when Thornton, a junior cornerback, stepped in front of an errant pass by Walker and took it up the right sideline for the go-ahead score.
Bennett had three field goals in the second half as Georgia(13-1) pulled away. In the process, he ran his SEC record for points in season by a kicker to 130.
Georgia Coach Mark Richt, a one-time assistant under Bowden at Florida State, completed one of the best seasons in school history. The Bulldogs captured their first Southeastern Conference championship since 1982 and improved to 21-5 under Richt.
Georgia improved to 20-15-3 in bowl competition, including 3-4 in the Sugar Bowl. Florida State's bowl record dropped to 19-11-2.
