All-systems failure: After a week of hype, No. 1 Georgia crushes Kentucky
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Game day: No. 1 Georgia 51, No. 20 Kentucky 13
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Saturday’s Kentucky-Georgia football game at Athens, Georgia.
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No. 1 Georgia extended its winning streak against No. 20 Kentucky to 14 games in dominant fashion with 51-13 win Saturday.
After Georgia had looked vulnerable in closer-than-expected wins over South Carolina and Auburn and Kentucky had dominated a ranked Florida team, there was no shortage of speculation this week that the Wildcats had their best chance in years to upset the Bulldogs. Instead, Georgia wasted no time in proving its superiority, jumping out to a 34-7 lead at halftime.
Georgia quarterback Carson Beck completed 28 of 35 passes for 389 yards, four touchdowns and one interception in three quarters, picking apart a Kentucky defense that entered the game ranked 19th nationally in yards allowed per game. Star tight end Brock Bowers caught seven passes for 132 yards and one touchdown.
Meanwhile, Kentucky’s offense continued to show the self-inflicted mistakes that have plagued it for much of the first half of the season.
Quarterback Devin Leary missed multiple open receivers, ending the game having completed 10 of 26 passes for 128 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Penalties on each of Kentucky’s first two drives killed momentum. With a chance to climb back in the game on a drive with 5:15 left in the first half, Kentucky punted twice more before intermission, allowing Georgia to add 10 more points before halftime.
Kentucky totaled just 168 yards of offense while Georgia became the first opponent to top 600 yards off offense against UK since 2013.
The loss drops UK to 5-1 on the season and 2-1 in SEC play. The Wildcats return to action for a pivotal game against Missouri in Kroger Field next Saturday before an off week.
TURNING POINT
This game might have been over when Kentucky won the coin toss and elected to defer its possession to the second half. A 40-yard touchdown pass from Beck to Marcus Rosemy-JackSaint on the seventh play of the opening possession set the tone for the night. Kentucky was forced to play from behind. When Leary missed a wide-open Tayvion Robinson on a third-down play on Kentucky’s first possession, it was clear this might be a long night for the Wildcats.
MVP
Georgia’s chances of pulling off the three-peat increase dramatically if Beck plays like he did in the first half Saturday. The junior completed his first 12 passes. He converted the only third down on the opening drive with a 6-yard scramble. In the first half, Beck completed 21 of 26 passes for 307 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
KEY STAT
Kentucky has failed to score in the first quarter of its last six games against Georgia. In several of those games, the score was still within reach after one quarter, but this time Georgia scored touchdowns on each of its first three possessions, forcing Kentucky to abandon the run game despite early success.
This story was originally published October 7, 2023 at 10:29 PM.
