Cats Come Up Just Short Against Top-Ranked Bulldogs
Kentucky led No. 1 Georgia for the first three quarters and into the fourth before the top-ranked Bulldogs rallied for a 13-12 win at Kroger Field on Saturday night.
Kentucky (1-2, 0-2 Southeastern Conference) got a career-high 98 rushing yards from Demie Sumo-Karngbaye, who carried the ball 22 times, also a career high.
The Kentucky defense did its job against Georgia, holding the Bulldogs to 262 yards of total offense. The Cats got big efforts from Zion Childress (six tackles, one tackle for loss, one pass breakup), Ty Bryant (six tackles, one tackle for loss) and D’Eryk Jackson (six tackles).
Georgia got the ball first and the Bulldogs made one first down before being forced to punt. After a penalty on the punt, the Cats took over at their own one yard line.
Kentucky got out of the shadow of its own goal posts on two runs by Vandagriff, covering a total of 21 yards. UK would get three first downs on the drive, crossing the 50 in the process, but the drive stalled and the Cats were forced to punt.
Georgia went three-and-out on its next drive and Kentucky took over near midfield with 5:17 to play in the first quarter. The Cats would get into Georgia territory before penalties moved the Cats back to near midfield. The UK drive would stall, but the Cats got on the board when Alex Raynor hit a 55-yard field goal, a Kentucky record, giving the Cats a 3-0 lead with 2:45 left in the first quarter.
Early in the second quarter, on a fourth-and-one near midfield, Georgia tried to draw the UK defense offsides, but was unable to do so, and the Bulldogs punted it back to the Cats, who took over at their own 20. UK would make a first down before punting the ball back to the Bulldogs with 11:29 remaining in the first half.
Georgia started at its own 22 yard line. The Bulldogs would get to the 48-yard line before UK’s Zion Childress intercepted Carson Beck and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown. However, after video review, it was determined that the pass hit the ground prior to Childress taking possession and it was ruled to be an incompletion. Georgia did punt on the next play and the Cats took over at their own eight yard line with 8:10 left in the half.
Kentucky would move the ball into Georgia territory on the next drive before Vandagriff fumbled and Georgia’s Damon Wilson recovered at the UK 23 yard line. The Kentucky defense would hold, and Georgia would settle for a 34-yard field goal from Peyton Woodring, tying the game at 3-3 with 3:48 left in the half.
The Cats would get the final drive of the half and would march down the field and deep into Georgia territory largely due to Sumo-Karngbaye. The senior rushed for 51 yards on the drive, as the Cats go to the Georgia 14 yard line with nine seconds left in the half. Raynor would connect on a 32-yard field goal with five seconds left in the half, giving the Cats a 6-3 lead. That would be the halftime score.
Kentucky got the ball to start the third quarter and the Cats again went to the ground, using both Sumo-Karngbaye and Jamarion Wilcox to move the ball into Georgia territory. The Cats would get to the Georgia 28 yard line but faced a third-and-eight from there. Sumo-Karngbaye gained six yards but UK faced a fourth-and-two from the 22. Raynor came on for a 40-yard field goal, which he converted, and Kentucky took a 9-3 lead with 9:03 to play in the third quarter.
Georgia answered by assembling its best drive of the game, to that point. Beck got hot, passing for 65 yards on the drive and getting the Bulldogs inside the UK 10. However, a big defensive play by Ty Bryant and a third-down stop led to another Woodring field goal. This one was from 30 yards, it was good, and Georgia cut the UK lead to 9-6 with 3:52 left in the third quarter.
Kentucky went three-and-out on its next drive and was forced to punt. Georgia took over at its own 32 yard line with 2:17 left in the third quarter.
Georgia drove the ball into Kentucky territory as the third quarter came to an end, with the Cats clinging to a 9-6 advantage. As the fourth quarter began, that drive continued, eventually ending with the game’s first touchdown, a three-yard touchdown rush from Branson Robinson. Woodring added the PAT and Georgia led for the first time, 13-9, with 12:20 left in the game.
The Cats would answer with a sustained drive, combining a nice mix of run and pass. Vandagriff connected with Sumo-Karngbaye for 11 yards and Barion Brown for 14 yards. But Sumo-Karngbaye and Wilcox again provided solid ground gains. However, the UK drive would stall at the Georgia 32 and the Cats brought on Raynor once again. And again, the senior delivered, this time from 51 yards, to cut the Georgia lead to 13-12 with 8:01 remaining.
The Kentucky defense got the stop it needed on the following possession, forcing Georgia into another three-and-out. The Bulldogs punted and Kentucky took over at its own 16 yard line with 6:25 remaining in the game.
The Cats would drive into Georgia territory on the ensuing drive. However, near midfield, the drive stalled and Kentucky punted with 2:58 remaining. Georgia took over at its own 15 yard line. The Dawgs put the ball in the hands of Beck, the Heisman Trophy candidate, and he delivered with a pair of completions that allowed Georgia to run out the clock, holding on for a one-point win.
Kentucky returns to action on Saturday, facing Ohio University at Kroger Field. Kickoff is set for 12:45 and the game can be seen on the SEC Network.
