After getting a stellar effort against No. 1 Georgia from his defense over 57 minutes on Saturday night, Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops may have placed too much trust in that unit to get one more stop.
With 2:58 left in the fourth quarter and the Wildcats down 13-12, Stoops opted to punt from Kentucky’s 48-yard line to corral Georgia and get the ball back. Wilson Berry’s punt pushed Georgia back to its 15-yard line. But the Wildcats’ defense couldn’t stop him the way it needed to.
Carson Beck connected with Dominic Lovett for a 33-yard gain and a first down at the Georgia 49-yard line to effectively secure a 13-12 victory in a tough defensive slog at Lexington’s Kroger Field. It was tough getting there, but the Bulldogs extended their regular-season winning streak to 42 games and won their 28th straight SEC game.
Branson Robinson scored the game’s only touchdown on a three-yard run early in the fourth quarter to give Georgia its first lead after trailing for the first three quarters. Up to that point, both teams had traded field goals in a significant defensive struggle.
Beck finished with 160 passing yards and no touchdowns. Trevor Etienne led the Bulldogs with 79 rushing yards on 19 carries.
But as a team, Georgia ran for just 102 yards, held in check by a fast, ferocious Wildcats defense that frequently found ball carriers at the line of scrimmage. Georgia particularly struggled running on the outside, as Kentucky’s safeties and cornerbacks got to the running backs before they could turn a corner or even generate yardage.
Kentucky almost had a 10-0 lead early
As the final score indicates, Kentucky didn’t fare much better on offense, as it didn’t score any touchdowns. Quarterback Brock Vandagriff threw for 114 yards and ran for another 26. Demie Sumo-Karngbaye led the Wildcats with 98 rushing yards, as Kentucky only gained 170 yards total.
Kentucky lost what appeared to be a defensive touchdown in the second quarter upon review of the play. Lovett appeared to lose the ball in the air after rolling to catch it, which was snatched away by the Wildcats’ Zion Childress and he ran back for a touchdown that would have given Kentucky a 10-0 lead.
However, upon review, the ball hit the ground before Lovett could catch it and the play was ruled an incomplete pass. Georgia punted on fourth down.
Carson Beck after Georgia’s 13-12 win over Kentucky:
“Thank God we have a week off.”
The Bulldogs and Crimson Tide will meet in Tuscaloosa on Sept. 28.
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— Max Cohan (@MaxCohan) September 15, 2024
“I’m not sure our guys heard the message all week because (Kentucky) is a good football team,” the Georgia coach told ESPN’s Molly McGrath after the game. “You don’t judge SEC football teams on one week.”
Smart was referring to Kentucky’s 31-6 home loss last week to South Carolina despite being an 8.5-point favorite.
As Beck mentioned with relief to McGrath, Georgia (3-0) will have a bye next week before traveling to No. 4 Alabama (3-0) for an SEC prime-time showdown on Sept. 28. Kentucky (1-2) will try to overcome the game that got away with a nonconference matchup at home against Ohio (2-1).
