No. 1 UGA Football Survives Kentucky With One-Point Win
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LEXINGTON - No. 1 UGA Football scratched and clawed its way to a 13-12 win over Kentucky in the Bulldogs’ SEC opener Saturday night at Kroger Field. Down 9-3 in the third quarter of a game controlled by the defenses, the Bulldogs got a 30-yard Peyton Woodring field goal and a three-yard Branson Robinson touchdown to take the lead for good.
The win is Georgia’s 42nd in a row during the regular season, the Bulldogs’ 28th straight in SEC regular-season games, and the program’s 15th straight over Kentucky (1-2, 0-2 SEC). Georgia (3-0, 1-0) had just 63 yards of offense in the first half before finding some rhythm and hitting some big plays in the second to finish with 262.
Quarterback Carson Beck finished the game 15 of 24 passing for 160 yards, while Trevor Etienne ran for 79 yards on 19 carries. Georgia’s defense held Kentucky to 284 yards, 3.9 yards per play, and forced a turnover that led to a Bulldog field goal. Cornerback Daylen Everette led the defense with eight tackles, including six solo. Eleven Bulldogs had at least four stops.
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The Wildcats forced a punt on Georgia’s first possession, and then Kentucky was able to move the ball into UGA territory before linebacker Gabe Harris Jr. got a strip sack on third-and-7 at the 44. Kentucky recovered and punted down to the Bulldog 13-yard line.
Kentucky later took a 3-0 lead on a 55-yard Alex Raynor field goal with 2:45 left in the opening quarter. The field goal marked the first first-half points that the Bulldogs had allowed this season. After two games, against then-No. 14 Clemson and Tennessee Tech, Georgia went into its SEC opener having surrendered just six points all season.
After forcing a Kentucky punt, the Bulldogs caught their first break when wideout Dominic Lovett managed to haul in a tipped pass for a 15-yard gain on third down. It was Georgia’s first play to gain double-digit yardage. However, the Bulldogs were forced to punt soon after, and Brett Thorson’s boot went out of bounds at the Kentucky 8.
Consecutive 15-yard penalties on Georgia’s defense, plus a 15-yard Brock Vandagriff run on third-and-12, put the Wildcats in Georgia territory. A Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins sack led to a six-yard loss, to the Bulldog 49. On the next play, Raylen Wilson sacked and stripped Vandagriff, and Damon Wilson II recovered the ball for Georgia at the Kentucky 23.
The turnover led to a 34-yard Woodring field goal, tying the game 3-3 with 3:48 to play in the half. The Wildcats answered with a drive inside the Georgia 20 and another Raynor field goal, this one a 32-yarder that put Kentucky ahead 6-3 at the half.
At halftime of the defensive battle, the Bulldogs’ offense had produced just three first downs and 63 yards, while Kentucky had 12 first downs and 130 total yards. It was Georgia’s fewest first-half yards since 2009. Thorson, who had punted just five times all season before Saturday, had four in the first half.
The Wildcats got the ball to start the second half and drove down to the Bulldog 22 before having to settle for a 40-yard Raynor field goal that pushed the Kentucky lead to 9-3.
Georgia’s offense had its best drive of the game on the ensuing possession, with Beck completing a 33-yard pass to Lovett, followed soon after by a 20-yard completion to Dillon Bell. However, the Bulldogs eventually had to settle for a 30-yard Woodring field goal, cutting the Kentucky lead to 9-6 with 3:52 to play in the third quarter.
The Bulldog defense forced a three-and-out on Kentucky’s next drive, and the offense took over at the Georgia 32. On third-and-2, Etienne ran for 12 yards. On the next play, Beck hit Etienne on a screen that resulted in an 11-yard gain, and that was followed by an eight-yard Etienne run to the Kentucky 29 on the final play of the third quarter. After being held to 63 yards in the first half, Georgia produced 107 in the third.
Etienne nearly scored on the first play of the fourth, narrowly stepping out of bounds at the 11 on a 17-yard run. Later, Robinson ran the ball in from the 3 for a touchdown and the Bulldogs’ first lead of the game, 13-9, with 12:20 to play.
Kentucky answered with an 11-play drive that resulted in a 51-yard Raynor field goal, cutting the Bulldog lead to 13-12 with 8:01 remaining. The Georgia defense forced a Kentucky punt with 3:02 remaining, and the offense took over at the 15. On second down, Beck hit Lovett for a 33-yard gain up the left side, to the Georgia 49. Later, Beck connected with Oscar Delp for eight yards and a first down. Delp fumbled on the play and Arian Smith dove on the loose ball to help seal the win.
The Bulldogs are off next Saturday and return to action Sept. 28 at No. 4 Alabama. It is the first of three road games this season against teams currently ranked in the Associated Press top five. Georgia also plays at No. 2 Texas on Oct. 19 and at No. 5 Ole Miss on Nov. 9.
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