Wildcats Look to Secure Winning Conference Record
Kentucky closes out the road portion of its schedule with a trip to 9-1 Georgia, which already has clinched the SEC East and will play in the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta on Dec. 2. The Wildcats can post their first winning record in conference play since going 6-0 in 1977 after having clinched the first back-to-back seasons of at least a .500 mark since 1998-99 with last week’s win at Vanderbilt.
The win in Nashville was historic, as sophomore running back Benny Snell Jr. set the school’s career rushing touchdowns mark and became the first UK player to record consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons. Snell also surpassed 2,000 career rushing yards and senior wide receiver Garrett “Juice” Johnson became just the fourth receiver in school history to reach 2,000 career receiving yards.
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| Kentucky at Georgia | ||
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| Sat., Nov. 18 – 3:30 p.m. ET Sanford Stadium Athens, Ga. Game Notes: UK  | UGA Digital Gameday Program Sanford Stadium Clear Bag Policy Gameday App |
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| Coverage | ||
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TV: CBS |
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| UK | 2017 Team Stats | UGA |
| 7-3 | 2017 Record | 9-1 |
| 4-3 | Conference Record | 6-1 |
| 27.9 | Scoring/game | 34.6 |
| 361.0 | Total offense/game | 424.1 |
| 168.5 | Rushing yards/game | 256.0 |
| 192.5 | Passing yards/game | 168.1 |
| 23.5 | Kickoff returns (avg) | 24.7 |
| 17.3 | Punt returns (avg) | 8.2 |
| 42.5 | Punting (avg) | 44.4 |
| 31:00 | Time of possession/game | 32:45 |
| 41.7% | Third down conversion | 48.2% |
| 60.0% | Fourth down conversion | 66.7% |
| 25.7 | Points allowed/game | 14.5 |
| 404.2 | Total yards allowed/game | 277.5 |
| 121.9 | Rush yards allowed/game | 103.8 |
| 282.3 | Pass yards allowed/game | 173.7 |
Kickoff will be at 3:30 p.m. ET at Sanford Stadium and the game will air on CBS. It is the first appearance on CBS for the Cats since Sept. 10, 2016 (at Florida).
Cat Scratches: UK Carrying Momentum from Latest Bounce-Back Win to UGA
Losses in the Southeastern Conference are all but inevitable.
Kentucky has suffered three this season, meaning Mark Stoops has had to field questions three times about how his team would respond. His answer has been consistent.
“Y’all have been in here and you know I haven’t wavered from that when asked how the team will respond from a tough loss or a blowout loss, my answer has always been the same because that’s what I believe, that it would not be an issue, that leadership is here within this team,” Stoops said. “There’s great pride within this team. And we’re going to go back to work and do the very best we can.”
Three times, Stoops has been proven right.
First, UK bounced back from a heartbreaking loss to Florida to down Eastern Michigan. A few weeks later, the Wildcats followed a blowout defeat at Mississippi State with a thrilling comeback win over Tennessee. And most recently, Kentucky turned in its most dominant effort of the season at Vanderbilt a week after Ole Miss stunned the Cats at home.
After falling behind 7-0, UK reeled off 34 straight points against the Commodores and eventually scored its biggest SEC road win since 2001 in a 44-21 victory. Kentucky gained 427 yards, scored on eight of its 13 drives and forced four Vandy turnovers…Read More
Scouting Georgia
• UGA is currently 9-1 overall, 6-1 in the SEC.
• The Bulldogs have clinched the SEC East and will play for the league title in Atlanta on Dec. 2.
• The Bulldogs don’t have to stray far from campus to fill out its roster, as 92 players listed hail from Georgia.
• Head coach Kirby Smart is in his second season with the Bulldogs. In his first season leading the Bulldogs, Georgia extended its schools record to 20 consecutive bowl appearances and posted four fourth-quarter comebacks. He led the Bulldogs to an 8-5 final record, which included a victory over TCU in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.
• Smart returned to his alma mater as head coach after a successful run as an assistant at several top programs, winning the 2012 AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year and 2009 Broyles Award winner, given to the nation’s top assistant coach.
• Georgia has been one of the SEC’s most consistent programs, having won eight or more games and finishing at least .500 in conference play in 20 of the past 21 seasons (including 2017).
• The Bulldogs’ offense is lead by explosive running backs Sony Michel and Nick Chubb. Chubb currently leads the team in rushing yards averaging 89.4 per game. Sony follows right behind Michel averaging 81.2.
• Georgia’s defense has been excellent all season largely due to efforts by players such as Roquan Smith and Lorenzo Carter.
• Junior linebacker Roquan Smith is leading Georgia in tackles for the second straight season, averaging 8.2 tackles per game, which is above his 7.3 last season.
Series vs. Georgia
• Georgia leads the all-time series 56-12-2, including 28-4-2 in Athens.
• UK is looking to snap a seven-game losing skid to Georgia. The Cats’ last win came in 2009 (34-27) in Athens.
• Georgia escaped Lexington with a 27-24 win in 2016 as Rodrigo Blankenship kicked a game-winning 25-yard field goal as time expired after the Cats had tied the game with 2:47 remaining.
• UK running back Benny Snell Jr. rushed for 114 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries in last year’s meeting.
• Georgia has won 23 of the past 26 meetings with the UK victories coming in 1996, 2006 and 2009.
• 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
A UK Win Would…
• Improve UK to 8-3 overall, 5-3 in SEC play, and clinch a second-place finish in the SEC East for the second consecutive season.
• Give UK its fifth SEC win for the first time since 1977 (6-0). The Cats have only won five SEC games four times total (1950, 1954, 1976 and 1977).
• Give UK Coach Mark Stoops his first win over Georgia.
• Give UK its first win over Georgia since Rich Brooks led the Cats to a 34-27 win in Athens in 2009.
• Be the Cats’ first win on CBS since knocking off No. 1 LSU 43-37 in three overtimes on Oct. 13, 2007.
• Give the Cats their first win over a ranked team since defeating No. 11 Louisville on the road last season, 41-38.
• Give the Cats their first win over a ranked SEC team since upsetting No. 25 Missouri in 2015 in Lexington, 21-13.
• Give the Cats their first win over a ranked SEC team on the road since defeating No. 21 LSU in 1998, 39-36.
• Give the Cats their first win over a ranked Georgia team since upsetting the 11th-ranked Bulldogs in Lexington in 1988, 16-10.
• Give the Cats their first win over a top-10 team since defeating No. 10 South Carolina in Lexington in 2010, 31-28.
• Give the Cats their win road win over a top-10 team since upsetting No. 4 Penn State in 1977, 24-20.
• Mark the Cats’ first win over a top-10 ranked SEC team on the road since defeating No. 1 Ole Miss in 1964, 27-21.
• Give the Cats their first win in school history over a ranked Georgia team on the road.
Texas Roadhouse Countdown to Kickoff Show
The Countdown to Kickoff show will air starting two hours prior to kickoff. Freddie Maggard will serve as the analyst on the Texas Roadhouse Countdown to Kickoff alongside host Christi Thomas. For home games, the show will air live from in front of Nutter Field House outside gate 1 of Kroger Field with special guests and giveaways. The set of the show is conveniently located near the Coke Fan Zone in Nutter Field House and the Cat Walk presented by Chevy.
For the first time, the Texas Roadhouse Countdown to Kickoff will go on the road and broadcast live from select Kroger locations in Kentucky.
Nov. 18 (Georgia) – 3175 Beaumont Circle, Lexington
