LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kirby Smart called it. Records, rankings and betting lines be damned, playing Kentucky at Kroger Field on Saturday was going to be a slugfest, as always.
The Georgia coach was right again. The No. 1-ranked Bulldogs avoided disaster and won another black-and-bluegrass slobberknocker, 13-12.
“I tried to tell everybody all week, but nobody would listen to me,” said Smart, who won his 97th game in nine seasons as the Bulldogs’ coach. “I know what (Kentucky) is made out of, I know how (Mark Stoops) coaches. I know the tough environment they play in. Our kids knew that, and I’m proud of the resiliency they showed.”
Georgia showed up at Kroger Field on Saturday night riding a 41-game, regular-season win streak, including 27 in a row against SEC opponents. Kentucky, SEC opponent No. 28, arrived as a three-touchdown-plus underdog a week removed from 25-point home loss to South Carolina.
Yet, it was the Bulldogs who were dominated for the first 36 minutes of play Saturday. And while Georgia didn’t exactly command the final two dozen minutes of play, it did what was needed to secure victory. It was reminiscent of some other close calls during this streak. Like when the Bulldogs pulled out a 26-22 road win at Missouri in 2022 and survived 27-20 at Auburn last year, they were both tough and savvy when finally securing a lead late in the game.
Clinging to the one-point margin inside the final minutes, Georgia didn’t let the Wildcats have the ball back until only nine seconds remained, and then they were out of timeouts with 80 yards to go.
“Let’s be honest; that was heartbreaking,” Stoops said. “We just have to go back to work and try to find some plays to finish.”
Said Smart: “We never flinched. We thought this would be a blow-by-blow game. We talked all week about delivering more blows than them.”
The Wildcats edged Georgia everywhere but the scoreboard. They outgained the Bulldogs 284 yards to 262, had nearly twice the first downs (23 to 12) and held the ball for 10 minutes longer, 35:02 to 24:58.
But Georgia did the one thing Kentucky couldn’t – score a touchdown. No opponent has reached the Bulldogs’ end zone this season.
Georgia’s victory spoiled a gutsy challenge from its former No. 2 quarterback, Brock Vandagriff. The Bogart resident had the Bulldogs on their heels much of the night, converting 9 of 16 first downs and using his legs and savvy to execute a zone-read offense that rushed for 170 yards against Georgia’s vaunted defense.
Carson Beck, the record-setting Georgia quarterback who ultimately sent Vandagriff packing, did not have one of his better performances. He was 15-of-24 passing for 160 yards and missed several open targets. But the fifth-year senior was exemplary in the fourth quarter, completing key passes and working the clock down to almost nothing.
“It’s never easy on the road in the SEC,” Beck said. “Look at the first SEC road games the last few years. Missouri, ‘22, dogfight; Auburn last year, dogfight; this year, dogfight. But we knew that coming in.”
Georgia’s biggest offensive play of the game was Beck’s 33-yard completion to Dominic Lovett just ahead of the two-minute mark in the fourth quarter. Clinging to the one-point lead with Kentucky still holding timeouts, that got Georgia out from the shadow of its own goal posts and gave its gassed defense some valuable time to refuel on the sideline.
“That’s the one play that will haunt me tonight and for a long time,” Stoops said.
But the play that actually assured victory for the Bulldogs almost was a mishap. Tight end Oscar Delp appeared to be short of a first down when he was flipped headlong and fumbled at the end of pass reception with 1:40 to play. With Kentucky desperately needing the ball back, Georgia’s Arian Smith recovered the fumble beyond the line to gain.
First down, Georgia.
That gave the Bulldogs the time they would need to force Kentucky into using all its timeouts. When the Wildcats finally forced Georgia to punt and got the ball back, only nine seconds remained. Vandagriff completed two more passes, but they covered only 17 yards when Kentucky needed 80.
So, Georgia’s streaks continue. Make it 42 regular-season victories in a row, 28 consecutive in the SEC and, oh yeah, 15 in a row for Georgia over Kentucky. It’s the Bulldogs’ longest current win streak over any SEC opponent.
Which is not to say that Georgia dominates the Wildcats. The Bulldogs’ victory margin in their past three trips to Kentucky is 7.3 points.
It was Georgia that looked like the overmatched team, especially in the first half. The Bulldogs were outgained 130 yards to 63, the fewest first-half yards gained in the Kirby Smart era. Vandagriff, who left Georgia because he couldn’t beat out Beck, was 7-for-10 on third downs. Beck was 1-for-6 on third downs. Consequently, the Wildcats had the football more than nine minutes longer than the Georgia.
It could have been worse. Kentucky had a 55-yard “Pick-6″ interception overturned by video review. It was determined that a ball that bounced off the hands of diving receiver Lovett hit the ground before it was corralled by Kentucky strong safety Zion Childress.
Georgia lost guard Tate Ratledge injured to a knee and ankle injury with 9:28 remaining in the second quarter. The Bulldogs also were playing without starting defensive linemen Warren Brinson and Mykel Williams.
