Cats Return Home, Face No. 5 Georgia on Saturday
After a two-game road swing, Kentucky returns home to play host to No. 5-ranked Georgia. Game time is noon EDT and it will be televised on the SEC Network. The game was originally scheduled for Oct. 24, but was changed in order to accommodate Covid-19 issues that sidelined the Florida and Vanderbilt teams.
Kentucky is coming off a 20-10 loss at Missouri. The Tigers scored first and led the rest of the way, but the Wildcats stayed within striking range until a field goal with 3:07 remaining gave the home team a two-score lead. Safety Yusuf Corker led the Wildcat defense with 18 tackles, including a school-record-tying 16 solo stops. He also had two tackles for loss. Linebacker Jamin Davis had 10 tackles, his third-consecutive game with double-digit tackles.
Turnovers have told the tale for the Wildcats so far this season. UK is +8 in turnover margin in its two wins (10 takeaways, two turnovers) but the Cats are -5 in their three losses, with five turnovers and no takeaways.
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| Kentucky vs. Georgia | ||
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| Sat., Oct. 31 – 12 p.m. ET Memorial Stadium Columbia, Mo. Game Notes: UK | UGA Digital Gameday Program Gameday App |
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TV: SEC Network |
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| UK | Team Stats | UGA |
| 2-3 | Record | 3-1 |
| 2-3 | Conference Record | 3-1 |
| 24.4 | Scoring/game | 33.0 |
| 307.8 | Total offense/game | 418.5 |
| 183.8 | Rushing yards/game | 165.2 |
| 124.0 | Passing yards/game | 253.2 |
| 21.2 | Kickoff returns (avg) | 33.2 |
| 8.0 | Punt returns (avg) | 7.1 |
| 46.9 | Punting (avg) | 50.7 |
| 29:43 | Time of possession/game | 33:07 |
| 46.2% | Third down conversion | 45.5% |
| 00.0% | Fourth down conversion | 40.0% |
| 20.0 | Points allowed/game | 19.5 |
| 357.2 | Total yards allowed/game | 318.5 |
| 129.0 | Rush yards allowed/game | 65.5 |
| 228.2 | Pass yards allowed/game | 253.0 |
Meanwhile, Georgia opened with wins against Arkansas, Auburn and Tennessee before a 41-24 setback at No. 2-ranked Alabama on Oct. 17. The change in schedules created an open date last Saturday for the Bulldogs.
Cat Scratches: Cats Looking to Improve Ahead of Georgia Challenge
After a disappointing performance at Missouri on Saturday, some might think that there would be panic in the Kentucky football camp. The Cats struggled on both sides of the ball in a 20-10 loss in Columbia, but UK head coach Mark Stoops knows that the plays and situations that hurt his team on Saturday can be corrected.
“We’ll never be at the point where we’re going to panic,” Stoops said on Monday. “Are we happy with the way we played? I think you understand that we’re not. Nobody is happy with the results of Saturday. But nobody wants to throw away everything we’ve done and start over. Improve? Absolutely. Need to. Whether you win or you lose, we’re trying to get better. It’s frustrating when you take a step back. We have to have the team prepared to play.”
Kentucky (2-3, 2-3 SEC) had its struggles on both sides of the ball on Saturday. The offense was held in check by Missouri, and the UK defense struggled to get off the field at times in the game. Stoops did not assign blame to either side of the ball…Read More
Series vs. Georgia
• Georgia leads the all-time series 59-12-2
• Georgia has won 10 consecutive meetings
• The winner has scored at least 27 points in seven straight games and 10 of the past 12
• UK is 3-26 all-time in games played against a ranked Georgia squad with the last win coming in 1988
• The two teams played nine times from 1939-49, and after a six-year lull, have played annually since 1956. The Wildcats won that initial game 13-6
• Biggest UK win: 33 (33-0) in 1977 in Athens
• Biggest Georgia win: 45 (62-17) in 2004 in Lexington
• Games decided by 7 points or less: Georgia leads 17-8-2
Kentucky-Georgia Connections
• Kentucky has 11 players from the state of Georgia on its roster, the fourth-most from any state behind Kentucky (35), Ohio (23) and Florida (19)
• The 11 players include LB Marquez Bembry (Stone Mountain), S Yusuf Corker (McDonough), LB Jamin Davis (Ludowici), DB Taj Dodson (Union Grove), LB D’Eryk Jackson (Dublin), OL Josh Jones (Columbus), LB Shawn Lawson (Jonesboro), DL Qua Mahone (Jordan City), LB K.D. McDaniel (Tifton), S Quandre Mosley (Brunswick) and RB Chris Rodriguez Jr. (McDonough)
• Georgia does not have a player on its roster from Kentucky
A UK Win Would…
• End a 10-game losing streak to Georgia dating to a 34-27 win in Athens in 2009
• Be the first win over Georgia in Lexington since 2006 and just the second since 1996
• Be UK’s fourth-ever win over a ranked Georgia team
• Give UK its first win over a ranked Georgia team since 1988 when UK upset 11th-ranked Georgia, 16-10 in Lexington on Oct. 22
• Give UK its first win over a top-10 team since defeating No. 10 South Carolina in 2010, 31-28, in Lexington
• Give Stoops his record 34th home victory at Kentucky
• Give Stoops 47 career victories at UK, tying Fran Curci (1973-81) for second on the school’s all-time list
• Improve Terry Wilson to 15-6 as UK’s starting quarterback
Kentucky vs. The Ranked
• Kentucky has played 253 ranked teams in the Associated Press Poll in its history. The Cats are 45-203-5 in those games
• Since 2015, the Cats are 6-7 against ranked teams. The wins were over No. 18 Tennessee (2020), No. 12 Penn State, No. 14 Mississippi State and No. 25 Florida (2018), No. 11 Louisville (2016) and No. 25 Missouri (2015)
• The wins vs. UF and MSU in 2018 gave UK consecutive wins over ranked foes for the first time since 1976-77
• UK is 3-31 vs. ranked Georgia teams
• UK’s last win over a ranked Georgia team was in 1988 on Oct. 22. The Cats defeated the Bulldogs, 16-10
• The Cats’ last win over a top-10 ranked team was No. 10 South Carolina in 2010 in Lexington
• UK’s last win over a ranked SEC team was at No. 18 Tennessee, 34-7, on Oct. 17 in Knoxville
