Three takeaways from Kentucky football’s close loss to No. 1-ranked Georgia

Three takeaways from Kentucky football’s 13-12 loss to No. 1-ranked Georgia at Kroger Field.

1. Kentucky showed up

Unlike last week’s distressing 31-6 home loss to South Carolina, Kentucky showed up on Saturday night. A 24-point underdog against the No. 1-ranked team in the nation, Mark Stoops’ team played with all the effort and intensity it lacked last week, and as a result took Kirby Smart’s club all the way to the wire.

Kudos to Brad White’s defense, which held Georgia to one touchdown, two field goals and just 236 yards of total offense. That was a far cry from the 51 points and 638 total yards the Bulldogs produced in last year’s 51-13 beatdown of UK in Athens.

“I’m really proud of our players, the way they competed,” Stoops said. “Very challenging week. ... Proud of the players for picking up themselves up off the mat after a performance we weren’t very proud of.”

There are no such things as moral victories. Not when you are in the 12th year of your program.

“But I do care about the way we play,” Stoops said.

And the Wildcats played their tails off.

2. Kentucky couldn’t find the end zone

Despite scoring just 12 points, the Cats did look much better offensively than a week ago. True, it was a low bar. UK gained only 183 yards on the Gamecocks. But Kentucky moved the ball on Georgia’s vaunted defense for 23 first downs, compared to 12 for Georgia. It outgained the Bulldogs 284-262. It rushed for 170 yards. Quarterback Brock Vandagriff, the Georgia transfer, completed 14 of 27 passes for 140 yards.

The Cats just couldn’t get the ball into the end zone. Instead, UK settled for four Alex Raynor field goals, including two from beyond 50 yards. Raynor’s 55-yarder in the first quarter was a school record. Later, he split the uprights from 51 yards out.

Before that 55-yarder, UK had a first down at the Georgia 33, only to have a face mask penalty hinder the march. (Never mind that the officials missed a Georgia face mask when the Bulldogs’ ripped the helmet off UK running back Jamarion Wilcox on the same play.) Late in the first half, coordinator Bush Hamdan’s offense moved to the 14, but instead of taking shot at the end zone, Stoops decided — correctly, in my view — to take the 32-yard field goal for a 6-3 halftime lead.

It was more of the same in the second half. UK reached the Georgia 22-yard line on its first possession of the third quarter but again settled for three points. In the fourth quarter, UK drove to the Bulldogs’ 32 but again needed Raynor to put more points on the board.

On its final possession of the night, the home team marched from its own 16 to the Georgia 47, but the drive stalled there. Stoops elected to punt with three minutes left, but by the time Kentucky got the ball back there were just nine seconds remaining.

Bottom line: Kentucky has now gone eight straight quarters without scoring a touchdown.

“We’re going to go back to work to find a way to finish it off,” Stoops said.

3. There is hope for the rest of the season

After that unexpected 25-point home loss to the Gamecocks, Kentucky fans were as down on Stoops and his program as Big Blue Nation has been in awhile.

But maybe South Carolina is better than we thought. Shane Beamer’s club more than held its own against No. 16 LSU on Saturday afternoon, losing 36-33 in a game the Gamecocks could have won if not for a couple of unfortunate penalties.

Then Saturday night, in a game few gave Kentucky a chance of winning, Stoops and Co. led the mighty Bulldogs 9-6 heading into the fourth quarter.

There is much to improve. Vandagriff was much better than a week ago. He’s a tough kid who isn’t afraid to stand in the pocket or take on a tackler. But this was just his third career start, second against SEC competition, and he needs more experience and polish. He’s learning. He’ll get better.

Kentucky’s offensive line showed tons of improvement. Kentucky’s backs ran hard. And Kentucky’s defense played lights out against a quarterback in Carson Beck, who is a Heisman Trophy candidate.

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

SEC football final: Georgia Bulldogs 13, Kentucky Wildcats 12

After Georgia loss, it’s now or never for Kentucky football to start salvaging its season