Kentucky football falls just short in upset bid vs. No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs

Kentucky football gave No. 1 Georgia a scare Saturday, but the game ended the same way as the previous 14 matchups with the Bulldogs had: a UK loss.

Kentucky did not trail until the fourth quarter, but Georgia used a late touchdown to escape Kroger Field with a 13-12 victory.

Kentucky forced punts on Georgia’s first four drives. The Bulldogs did not score until they gained possession at the Kentucky 23-yard line after a Brock Vandagriff fumble. Even then, UK held Georgia to a 34-yard field goal.

Kicker Alex Raynor put UK on the board first with a school-record 55-yard field goal on the Wildcats’ second possession. UK marched into the red zone behind running back Demie Sumo-Karngbaye just before halftime, but Mark Stoops elected to settle for a 32-yard Raynor field goal with nine seconds remaining rather than take a shot at the end zone with no timeouts.

The two teams traded field goals on their opening drives of the second half, but Georgia’s offense began to find its rhythm for the first time on the night. On the next drive, Georgia took its first lead with a 3-yard touchdown run from Branson Robinson.

Raynor’s fourth field goal of the game, this one from 51 yards, pulled UK within a point at 13-12 with 8:01 left in the game. UK’s defense forced a three-and-out to regain possession, but the next drive stalled at midfield. Facing fourth-and-7 from the Georgia 47-yard line with 3:03 remaining and all three timeouts still in hand, Stoops elected to punt.

Georgia quarterback Carson Beck completed a 33-yard pass on second-and-9 on the ensuing drive to spoil Kentucky’s hopes of regaining possession with enough time left on the clock to score. Kentucky did get the ball back at its own 20-yard line with 9 seconds remaining, but Vandagriff’s attempt at a hook-and-ladder desperation play was tackled before the ball could be lateraled.

TURNING POINT

After recording just three first downs in the first half, Georgia tallied three first downs on its first drive in the third quarter. Kentucky was able to hold the Bulldogs to a 30-yard field goal at the end of that possession, but it appeared momentum had begun to swing in Georgia’s favor. A three-and-out from UK’s offense followed. Georgia then marched 68 yards on 10 plays to score the first touchdown of the game on Robinson’s run with 12:20 left in the game.

MVP: Raylen Wilson

Perhaps the biggest play in the game came in the second quarter when Wilson turned what had been a promising UK drive into a turnover. With UK facing second-and-16 at midfield, Wilson sacked Vandagriff and forced a fumble. The ball was eventually recovered at the UK 23-yard line, setting up Georgia’s first points of the game.

KEY STAT

A week after Kentucky was widely criticized for undisciplined play, it was the No. 1 Bulldogs who had too many self-inflicted mistakes. Georgia was flagged for seven penalties for 70 yards. Three of those penalties extended UK drives on third down.

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Final statistics from Kentucky football’s 13-12 loss to No. 1 Georgia