Tim Couch threw for 324 yards against Georgia

ATHENS, Ga. – Robert Edwards rushed for a career-high 186 yards,Ronald Bailey scored a defensive touchdown for the second week in a row andNo. 16 Georgia shut down Tim Couch and Kentucky for a 23-13 victorySaturday.

The Wildcats, averaging 36.4 points per game, were held to a season low forpoints, eclipsing their output two weeks earlier in a 38-24 loss to SouthCarolina.

Georgia (6-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) was outgained by Kentucky, 436yards to 275, and was on the defensive much of the day as the Wildcats ran90 plays to only 45 for the Bulldogs.

But Georgia struck with lightning quickness on all three of its touchdowns.Edwards scored on runs of 80 and 44 yards, while Bailey returned aninterception 37 yards for a touchdown.

Kentucky (4-4, 1-4) gobbled up plenty of yards with short passes. Couch,who had thrown for 29 touchdowns in his first seven games, was 41-of-55 for324 yards. But the sophomore was intercepted three times and his onlytouchdown pass came with 2:49 remaining in the game.

After a scoreless first quarter, Edwards took the ball at the Georgia 20,received a couple of crushing blocks at the line of scrimmage and rambleduntouched to the end zone on the longest scoring run by the Bulldogs since1992.

Edwards scored again after Couch threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to CraigYeast with 2:49 remaining that cut Georgia’s lead to 17-13. Following ablocked extra point, the Wildcats attempted their fifth onside kick of theseason.

Kentucky recovered, but only after touching the ball at the 44 before itrolled the necessary 10 yards. Georgia took over there and handed the ballto Edwards, who burst through another gaping hole right up the middle forthe clinching touchdown with 2:31 to go.

Edwards, who carried 19 times, eclipsed his previous career high of 165yards set two years ago against South Carolina. That helped compensate fora subpar day by Mike Bobo, the highest-rated passer in the SEC, whocompleted only 5-of-13 for 55 yards.

After falling behind 7-0, Kentucky evened the score with a 20-play, 75-yarddrive that consumed 9:14 of the second quarter. With only two of the 20plays making double-figure yards, Couch finally reached the end zone on afourth-down dive from the 1 with 1:46 remaining in the first half.

The Wildcats could have taken a tie to the locker room, but that goesagainst first-year coach Hal Mumme’s gambling style. Already in the firsthalf, he had gone for a fourth-and-15 at the Georgia 43 and ran a fake puntfrom the Kentucky 22.

Both attempts failed but didn’t cost the Wildcats any points. That wasn’tthe case when Kentucky got the ball back with a minute to go in the firsthalf and decided to keep throwing.

Couch had a pass tipped at the line of scrimmage by Georgia linebackerBrandon Tolbert, the ball landing in Bailey’s arms at the 37. Bailey ranback the interception for a TD that gave Georgia a 14-7 lead at halftime.

Bailey had scored the previous week against Vanderbilt on a 10-yard fumblereturn.

The Bulldogs extended their lead to 17-7 with a 16-play drive after thesecond-half kickoff, setting up Hap Hines’ 24-yard field goal.