Nov. 21, 2013

Kentucky will visit a Southeastern Conference Eastern Division rival for the second straight week with a Saturday evening trip to Georgia’s Sanford Stadium. The matchup is set for a 7 p.m. ET kickoff on ESPNU.

Kentucky at Georgia
Sat., Nov. 23 – 7:00 p.m. ET Athens, Ga. Game Notes: UK | UGA
Coverage
TV: ESPNU Live Video via WatchESPN Live Audio Live Stats Text Updates
UK	2013 Team Stats	UGA
21.5	Scoring/game	35.8
17.9	First downs/game	24.2
349.2	Total offense/game	483.9
157.4	Rushing yards/game	174.5
191.8	Passing yards/game	309.4
22.5	Kickoff returns (avg)	16.2
6.5	Punt returns (avg)	3.5
40.2	Punting (avg)	40.8
27:59	Time of possession/game	28:58
31.0	Third down conversion	41.0
64.0	Fourth down conversion	56.0
0	Turnover margin	+2
28.8	Points allowed/game	30.2
410.7	Total yards allowed/game	386.9
192.0	Rush yards allowed/game	145.7
218.7	Pass yards allowed/game	241.2

Both teams will be looking to recover from losses a week ago. Kentucky dropped a defensive struggle at Vanderbilt, 22-6, while a last-gasp touchdown helped Auburn squeak past Georgia on the Plains last Saturday.

Sophomore quarterback Jalen Whitlow has entrenched himself as the starter, and he has shown ability as a passing and running threat after being slowed by injuries in the middle of the season. Freshman running back Jojo Kemp has scored touchdowns in three of UK’s last four games.

Defensively, UK’s pass rush ranks fifth in the league in sacks with 21 this season. Junior defensive ends Alvin “Bud” Dupree and Za’Darius Smith rank fifth and seventh in the league in sacks, as the two combined for one vs. Vanderbilt and Dupree added a solo sack. Avery Williamson has the third most tackles in the SEC with 88 tackles, as he is averaging 8.8 per game.

Georgia leads the all-time series 52-12-2, including a 26-4-2 mark in Athens, Ga.

Cat Scratches: Kentucky-Georgia a matchup of resilient teams

A longtime defensive backs coach, Mark Stoops watched the way Georgia lost against Auburn and winced.

With the Tigers facing a one-point deficit and a fourth-and-18, quarterback Nick Marshall tossed a desperation heave over the middle of the field. Two Bulldog defenders converged and Josh Harvey-Clemons got a hand on the pass, but it deflected ahead to Ricardo Louis’ for a game-winning 73-yard touchdown pass with 25 seconds left.

Stoops knows how the Bulldog staff coached its players to defend that situation, but also that predicting how anyone will react in the heat of the moment is impossible. … read the full preview

Scouting Georgia

Georgia enters Saturday’s game off a heartbreaking 43-38 loss at Auburn last weekend. The Bulldogs trailed by 20 points in the fourth quarter before coming back to take the lead with a minute left in the game before Auburn answered with the game-winning touchdown. The loss took UGA to 6-4 on the season and 4-3 in league action.

Senior quarterback Aaron Murray leads a high-powered UGA offense that is averaging 35.8 points per game this season. Murray is 207-for-324 for 2,892 yards and 22 touchdowns. His go-to target has been junior wide receiver Chris Conley, who leads the team in receiving with 32 catches for 442 yards and four touchdowns. Junior wide receiver Michael Bennett is second on the team in receiving with 31 catches for 411 yards, while senior wide receiver Rantavious Wooten had 24 catches for 383 yards and five touchdowns. Sophomore running back Todd Gurley leads the team in rushing, having only played seven games, with 704 yards and seven touchdowns, while freshman running back J.J. Green is second on the team in rushing with 328 yards and two touchdowns.

Junior linebacker Ramik Wilson leads the UGA defense with an SEC-best 110 tackles, adding nine tackles for loss, three sacks and five quarterback hurries. Junior linebacker Amarlo Herrera is second on the team with 91 tackles with six pass breakups, eight quarterback hurries and one interception. Sophomore linebacker Jordan Jenkins leads the team with 10 tackles for loss this season, while junior defensive end Ray Drew paces the squad with six sacks. The UGA defense has forced eight turnovers this season with four interceptions and four fumbles recovered.