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Know Your Foe: Trying to snap losing streak vs. Georgia, UK will rely on two ex-Dawgs

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·4 min read

Scouting Kentucky football’s next SEC opponent, the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs:

Game details

Kentucky (1-1, 0-1 SEC) will play its second SEC game of the 2024 season vs. No. 1 Georgia (2-0, 0-0 SEC) at 7:30 p.m. EDT on Sept. 14 at Kroger Field.

The game will be telecast by ABC (WTVQ-TV, Channel 36, in Lexington).

Coach Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs routed then-No. 14 Clemson 34-3 in their season opener last week and beat FCS foe Tennessee Tech 48-3 on Saturday in the Bulldogs’ home opener.

History and trends

Georgia leads the all-time series with Kentucky 63-12-2.

The Bulldogs have won the past 14 meetings with the Wildcats.

UK’s last win over the Dawgs came in 2009, 34-27, at Sanford Stadium.

Kentucky has not beaten Georgia in Lexington since a 24-20 victory in 2006.

As Wildcats head man, Mark Stoops is 0-11 vs. Georgia.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart is 8-0 against Kentucky.

The Bulldogs come to Lexington riding a 27-game SEC regular season win streak. Georgia’s last loss in a regular-season league contest came against Florida, 44-28, on Nov. 7, 2020, on a neutral field in Jacksonville.

Georgia’s most recent defeat in a league regular-season road game came at Alabama, 41-24, on Oct. 17, 2020.

The Dawgs have not lost their SEC opener since 2014, a 38-35 loss at South Carolina.

Most recent meetings

Carson Beck completed 28 of 35 passes for 389 yards and four touchdowns and a stout Georgia defense limited Kentucky to 55 rushing yards as the No. 1 Bulldogs mauled the No. 20 Wildcats 51-13 on Oct. 7, 2023, at Sanford Stadium in Athens.

Georgia quarterback Carson Beck (15) threw for 389 yards and four touchdowns in the No. 1 Bulldogs’ 51-13 strafing of No. 20 Kentucky last season in Athens.
Georgia quarterback Carson Beck (15) threw for 389 yards and four touchdowns in the No. 1 Bulldogs’ 51-13 strafing of No. 20 Kentucky last season in Athens.

Two years ago, No. 1 Georgia survived a defensive slugfest with Kentucky and prevailed 16-6 on Nov. 19, 2022, at Kroger Field. UK drove the ball into Georgia territory four times and reached the Bulldogs red zone three times but scored only once.

Then-UK freshman wide receiver Barion Brown was the standout offensive player in the game, catching 10 passes for 145 yards and Kentucky’s sole touchdown.

Barion Brown scored Kentucky’s only touchdown in the Wildcats’ 16-6 loss to No. 1 Georgia in 2022 on a pass from Will Levis.
Barion Brown scored Kentucky’s only touchdown in the Wildcats’ 16-6 loss to No. 1 Georgia in 2022 on a pass from Will Levis.

Pride of the program

In three epic seasons (1980-82) toting the football for Georgia, Herschel Walker led the Bulldogs to a 33-3 record and was the freshman star for coach Vince Dooley’s undefeated national championship team (12-0) in 1980.

The 6-foot-2, 222-pound Walker ran for 1,616 yards as a freshman, 1,891 as a sophomore and 1,752 as a junior — when he won the 1982 Heisman Trophy.

For his Georgia career, Walker finished with 5,259 rushing yards and 52 career touchdowns, 49 rushing and three receiving.

As a Georgia running back from 1980 through 1982, Herschel Walker led coach Vince Dooley’s Bulldogs to the 1980 national championship and won the 1982 Heisman Trophy.
As a Georgia running back from 1980 through 1982, Herschel Walker led coach Vince Dooley’s Bulldogs to the 1980 national championship and won the 1982 Heisman Trophy.

Three things to know

1. In Georgia’s 51-13 demolition of Kentucky last season, Bulldogs backup quarterback Brock Vandagriff completed 5 of 7 passes for 46 yards and a touchdown and also ran twice for 27 yards.

Then-Georgia backup quarterback Brock Vandagriff (12) carried the ball twice for 27 yards in the No. 1 Bulldogs’ 51-13 beatdown of No. 20 Kentucky last season. When the Dawgs and Wildcats meet this year, Vandagriff will be playing for the Cats.
Then-Georgia backup quarterback Brock Vandagriff (12) carried the ball twice for 27 yards in the No. 1 Bulldogs’ 51-13 beatdown of No. 20 Kentucky last season. When the Dawgs and Wildcats meet this year, Vandagriff will be playing for the Cats.

Middle linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson led the defensive effort for Georgia with four tackles, three solo, that included 1 1/2 sacks of Kentucky quarterback Devin Leary. It was the second straight season in which Dumas-Johnson played well against UK, as he made eight tackles, shared in a tackle for loss and had a quarterback hurry in the Dawgs’ 16-6 win in Lexington in 2022.

Then-Georgia linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson (10) celebrated after returning an interception for a touchdown in the Bulldogs’ 56-7 win over UAB in the second game of the 2021 season. When the Bulldogs visit Kroger Field on Saturday, Dumas-Johnson, now a Kentucky Wildcat, will be an opponent.
Then-Georgia linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson (10) celebrated after returning an interception for a touchdown in the Bulldogs’ 56-7 win over UAB in the second game of the 2021 season. When the Bulldogs visit Kroger Field on Saturday, Dumas-Johnson, now a Kentucky Wildcat, will be an opponent.

The twist here, of course, is that after each transferred in the offseason, both Vandagriff and Dumas-Johnson will be playing for Kentucky when Georgia visits Kroger Field on Saturday.

2. The faces might change, but the defenses that Kirby Smart rolls out at Georgia are continuously suffocating. Clemson found that out again in the season opener, as the Bulldogs limited Dabo Swinney’s Tigers to a paltry 188 yards of total offense and only 46 yards on the ground.

Linebacker Jalon Walker led the way for Georgia vs. Clemson with six tackles and 1 1/2 sacks.

3. Georgia star Carson Beck did nothing against Clemson to dispute the idea that he is the best quarterback in college football. The 6-4, 220-pound product of Jacksonville completed 23 of 33 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns.

In his last eight games going back to last season (not including Tennessee Tech), Beck has throw 14 touchdown passes and only two interceptions.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart, right, spoke with Kentucky coach Mark Stoops prior to the Bulldogs’ 51-13 rout of the Wildcats last season in Athens. Georgia has beaten Kentucky in 14 straight meetings between the teams.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart, right, spoke with Kentucky coach Mark Stoops prior to the Bulldogs’ 51-13 rout of the Wildcats last season in Athens. Georgia has beaten Kentucky in 14 straight meetings between the teams.

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