How Kentucky and No. 1 Georgia match up — with a game prediction

How the Kentucky Wildcats (6-4, 3-4 SEC) and No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs (10-0, 7-0 SEC) match up at each position — with a game prediction:

Quarterbacks

▪ Playing behind porous pass protection and dealing with a foot injury that makes it hard for him to scramble, Kentucky’s Will Levis (66.1% passing for 2,012 yards with 16 touchdowns vs. nine interceptions) has had a challenging senior season. After averaging 272.5 yards passing in UK’s first six games, Levis has averaged only 125.7 over the past three. The 6-foot-3, 232-pound product of Madison, Conn., has thrown for 4,839 yards in his two years at UK. The Penn State transfer needs 261 yards to move past Patrick Towles (5,099) for sixth on the all-time UK passing list. In Kentucky’s 31-13 loss at Georgia last season, Levis completed 32 of 42 passes for 192 yards and two TDs.

▪ National championship-winning Georgia QB Stetson Bennett (67.8% completions for 2,895 yards with 14 TDs. vs. five picks; seven rushing TDs) will be seeking his third career victory over UK. Bennett started in the Bulldogs’ 14-3 win in Lexington in 2020, completing nine of 13 passes for 131 yards with two interceptions. He played a far larger role in last season’s Bulldogs win over the Wildcats, completing 14 of 20 passes for 250 yards and three TDs. The 5-11, 190-pound product of Blackshear, Ga., has a 24-3 record as the Bulldogs’ starting quarterback.

Advantage: Georgia.

Running backs

▪ Kentucky redshirt senior Christopher Rodriguez (733 rushing yards, six TDs, 5.5 yards per carry) did all he could to stave off UK’s calamitous 24-21 home loss to Vanderbilt last week. The 5-11, 224-pound product of McDonough, Ga., ran for 110 of his 162 yards in the final quarter and twice scored touchdowns to put Kentucky ahead. Two seasons ago vs. Georgia, “C-Rod” carried 20 times for 108 yards. Last year, however, the Bulldogs shut him down, holding the UK star to 7 yards on seven carries. This season, Rodriguez is averaging 122.2 rushing yards a game. Over Kentucky’s final two regular-season contests plus a presumed bowl, Rodriguez would need to average 134 yards to break Benny Snell’s all-time UK career rushing record (3,873 yards).

▪ Georgia deploys an array of talented backs. Junior Daijun Edwards (497 rushing yards, seven TDs, 5.3 ypc) scored three TDs in the Dawgs’ 42-10 pummeling of Auburn. Senior Kenny McIntosh is dangerous as a runner (425, six, 4.6) and as a receiver (31 catches, 322 yards, one TD). Junior Kendall Milton (333, five, 6.2) missed two games with a groin injury but looked healthy while running for 41 yards and a TD on five carries in last week’s 45-19 pasting of Mississippi State. Milton ran for 33 yards on four carries vs. UK in 2021.

Advantage: Even.

Wide receivers

▪ Kentucky’s Tayvion Robinson caught five passes for 49 yards in the loss to Vandy. The 5-11, 187-pound senior, a transfer from Virginia Tech, leads the Cats in receptions (35) and receiving yards (470) and is tied for second on the team in TD receptions (three). True freshmen Barion Brown (31, 415, two) and Dane Key (26, 412, team-high five TDs) were each limited to one reception last week by Vanderbilt. Sophomore Chauncey Magwood, an Albany, Ga., product, has been a contributor (seven, 104, one) for Kentucky in 2022.

▪ Georgia’s Ladd McConkey leads the Bulldogs in receptions (43), is second in receiving yards (578) and tied for the team lead in TD receptions (four). The 6-foot, 185-pound redshirt sophomore had five catches for 71 yards and a score in last week’s win at Mississippi State and also scored on a 70-yard rush. Redshirt senior Kearis Jackson (18, 246) had a big game in Starkville, too, with four catches for 69 yards. Junior Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint (21, 241, one) had three catches and a TD in Georgia’s 27-13 win over previously unbeaten Tennessee two weeks ago.

Advantage: Georgia.

Tight ends

▪ Kentucky redshirt freshman Jordan Dingle (17 catches, 188 yards, three TDs) had caught at least one pass in six straight games before being shutout by Vanderbilt. True freshman Josh Kattus (three, 20) has drawn praise for his physical blocking and has now caught three passes over UK’s past two games.

▪ Georgia’s Brock Bowers (39 catches, 615 yards, four TDs) is one of the best players in the country regardless of position. The 6-4, 230-pound sophomore from Napa, Calif., savaged Kentucky last season with five catches for 101 yards and two TDs. A 6-7, 270-pound junior, Darnell Washington (24, 392, one) has All-America-level ability — and is the second-best tight end on the Georgia roster.

Advantage: Georgia.

Offensive linemen

▪ Kentucky junior Eli Cox was named a mid-season All-America selection last season by both ESPN and the AP while starting at right guard, but saw his season ended prematurely by a hand injury suffered vs. Tennessee. This year, the 6-4, 298-pound junior from West Jessamine High School has moved to center. UK allowed four more quarterback sacks last week vs. Vanderbilt. The Cats have surrendered a whopping 39 sacks this season, to rank No. 126 out of the 131 FBS programs.

▪ The Georgia offensive front has allowed the fewest number of QB sacks (seven) in the SEC. Left tackle Broderick Jones was named to the Coaches’ All-SEC Freshman Team last season. Right tackle Warren McClendon has started a team-high 34-consecutive games.

Advantage: Georgia.

Defensive linemen

▪ A Detroit product, Kentucky junior nose guard Justin Rogers (25 tackles, half of a tackle for loss) was credited with a whopping nine tackles in the loss to Vanderbilt. Another Detroit import, tackle Deone Walker (27 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, two pass breakups, two QB hurries) has been one of the most-productive true freshmen defensive linemen in the country.

▪ Georgia tackle Jalen Carter (17 tackles, 3.5 TFL, two sacks, 17 QB hurries, two forced fumbles) is one of the most feared defensive linemen in college football. The 6-3, 300-pound junior from Apopka, Fla., decimated UK a season ago with six tackles, 2.5 TFL, a sack and a pass defended. Carter had seven tackles, 1.5 TFL, a sack and four QB hurries in last week’s win at Mississippi State.

Advantage: Georgia.

Linebackers

▪ Filling in for the injured DeAndre Square at WLB for Kentucky the past two weeks, Jesup, Ga., product Trevin Wallace has made 15 tackles, 3.5 TFL and two sacks. UK is hopeful that super-senior Square, still the Wildcats’ leading tackler (55) in spite of missing two full games, will return this week. Dublin, Ga., product D’Eryk Jackson (53 tackles, four TFL, two pass breakups) has played well at MLB in the absence of the injured Jacquez Jones.

▪ Georgia sophomore Jamon Dumas-Johnson has been one of the Bulldogs’ breakout stars in 2022. The 6-1, 245-pound sophomore from Hyattsville, Md., is second on the team in tackles (46) and TFL (6.5) and tied for the team lead in sacks (three).

Advantage: Georgia.

Defensive backs

▪ Kentucky cornerback Keidron Smith made five tackles, forced a fumble and intercepted a pass in the loss to Vanderbilt. The 6-2, 204-pound super-senior, a transfer from Mississippi, now has 32 tackles, five pass breakups and two picks this season. Redshirt freshman free safety Jordan Lovett (45 tackles, two pass breakups, one QB hurry) had six tackles vs. Vandy.

▪ A 5-11, 195-pound senior, Georgia strong safety Christopher Smith has 37 tackles, four TFL, a sack, five pass breakups, two interceptions and a fumble recovery. A 6-1, 205-pound freshman, free safety Malaki Starks leads the Dawgs with 48 tackles and six pass breakups and is tied for the team lead in interceptions with two. In the big win over Tennessee, Starks made 10 tackles and broke up a pass.

Advantage: Georgia.

Special teams

▪ Kentucky place-kicker Matt Ruffolo (12-of-19 field-goal attempts with a long of 50 yards) went 3-of-4 last week in the loss to Vanderbilt. But his miss from 37 yards proved crucial in what became a three-point loss. Pressed into action as UK’s starting punter by the season-ending injury to Colin Goodfellow, Australian Wilson Berry averaged 35 yards on two kicks last week but pinned Vanderbilt inside its 20-yard line on both.

▪ Georgia place-kicker Jack Podlesny is money on short kicks — he is 14-of-14 from inside 40 yards. He is only 2-of-4 from outside 40 with a long of 42, however. Punter Brett Thorson is averaging 43.9 yards on 25 kicks and has pinned foes inside their 20-yard line 12 times. Ladd McConkey (9.6 yards a return) is a capable punt returner.

Advantage: Georgia.

Prediction

Georgia 41, Kentucky 10.

This story was originally published November 17, 2022 at 7:57 AM.

Mark Story

Lexington Herald-Leader

859-444-4731

Mark Story has worked in the Lexington Herald-Leader sports department since Aug. 27, 1990, and has been a Herald-Leader sports columnist since 2001. I have covered every Kentucky-Louisville football game since 1994, every UK-U of L basketball game but three since 1996-97 and every Kentucky Derby since 1994. Support my work with a digital subscription