Three takeaways from Kentucky football’s loss to the Georgia Bulldogs
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Game day: Georgia 14, Kentucky 3
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Saturday’s Kentucky-Georgia football game at Kroger Field in Lexington, Ky.
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Three takeaways from Kentucky football’s 14-3 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday at Kroger Field:
1. Georgia’s defense dominated the game
There are some bad Dawgs on that Georgia defense. Saturday, there were some mad Dawgs. After all, Kirby Smart’s pride and joy had given up 10 points to Arkansas, 6 to Auburn, and 21 to Tennessee, even with the Vols getting a gift touchdown on a Georgia fumble. Then last time out, against the offensive juggernaut that is Alabama, the Dogs were gashed in a 41-24 loss.
Then thanks to the need for a coronavirus schedule shuffle, the league awarded the Georgia defense an extra week to sit and stew about being trampled by the Tide. It showed. The Bulldogs held Kentucky’s struggling offense to just three points and 229 total yards. It was the second straight season Georgia has kept Kentucky from handing the ball to fan official in the end zone. The Bulldogs blanked the Cats at rain-soaked Sanford Stadium 21-0 last year.
Yes, Kentucky’s offense is a pop gun right now, but give the Bulldogs their due. They arrived in Lexington ranked third in the nation against the run, and while UK did gain 138 yards on the ground — Chris Rodriguez bulled his way to 108 yards on 20 carries — the Cats couldn’t sustain drives thanks to the way Georgia shut down Kentucky’s passing game. Key stat: Georgia averaged 14.6 yards on nine completions. UK averaged just 6.1 yards on 15 completions.
“They are very good in predictable pass,” UK head coach Mark Stoops said. “They can blow a game wide-open with a strip sack or something like that.”
The Georgia defense is just good, period.
2. Kentucky has two weeks to fix its broken offense
If Eddie Gran can’t figure out a way to his offense out of its rut, then the Cats are staring down the barrel of a 3-7 season. Alabama and Florida still sit on the November schedule, remember. Both on the road. The Cats do welcome Vanderbilt after next Saturday’s bye week, but the season finale at home against South Carolina is no gimme game.
Especially the way the the Wildcats are struggling to (a) move the ball and (b) get it into the end zone. Saturday was the fourth game this year Kentucky has been held under 300 yards of total offense. UK has scored just 13 points in its last eight quarters. Take out the second half at Tennessee, and you can make the case the Wildcats have suffered through 14 bad offensive quarters out of its last 16.
The passing game is one problem. Getting the ball down the field is the major problem. Saturday was quarterback Joey Gatewood’s first collegiate start. The heralded transfer from Auburn was subbing for the injured (wrist) Terry Wilson. It’s hard to judge Gatewood’s overall performance, given the defense he was facing. He ended up 15-for-25 passing for 91 yards. He did lose a fumble but did not throw an interception.
Now, Gran and Stoops have an extra week to go back to the white board and find something that works. Gran has done it before. Most recent example: Over last year’s bye week, with his top two quarterbacks injured, the offensive coordinator moved Lynn Bowden from wide receiver to quarterback. The result was an eight-win season that included a victory in the Belk Bowl.
There’s just one problem this year, however. There’s no Lynn Bowden.
3. Let’s give some props to the Kentucky defense
It’s not easy buckling your chin strap and heading back onto the field time after time after your offense has punted with punctuality. At Missouri, Brad White’s defense had to shoulder some of the blame for the 20-10 loss. Try as it might, it couldn’t get off the field on third down. Combine that with UK’s inability to get a first down — just eight at Mizzou — and you’ve got a problem.
Saturday, even in defeat, I thought UK’s defense acquitted itself well. Georgia gained 346 yards but scored just 14 points. That’s the fewest Georgia points against the Cats since 1995.
Phil Hoskins and Kelvin Joseph both intercepted Stetson Bennett passes. Jamin Davis was outstanding. The inside linebacker recorded 13 tackles, forced a fumble and blocked Jack Podlesny’s 53-yard field goal. Davis said after the game he didn’t consider it one of his best efforts. He pointed to a couple of missed tackles. And, of course, it came in a loss.
The trick now for Stoops is to keep his defense battling — “I liked our energy,” he said — while his offense tries to shed its cement shoes. After all, we’re six games down in this crazy 2020 coronavirus season, with just four to go.
’Truth is, this Kentucky team could have used a bye week a week ago.
Three takeaways from Kentucky football’s loss at Missouri
Three takeaways from Kentucky football’s win over Tennessee
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Three takeaways from Kentucky football’s loss at Auburn
This story was originally published October 31, 2020 at 5:13 PM.
