Neither the Georgia players nor coach Kirby Smart doubted that they would be the last team standing in their tough game against Kentucky.
It just took the top-ranked Bulldogs much longer than expected to show it. Much longer.
Branson Robinson ran for a 3-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter, and Georgia managed to overcome a sluggish performance to rally and then hold off Kentucky, winning 13-12 on Saturday night.
The Bulldogs (3-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) had trouble getting their game going on both offense and defense and were behind 9-3 early in the third quarter against a Wildcats team looking to bounce back from a poor showing in a 31-6 loss to South Carolina.
Peyton Woodring’s 30-yard field goal late in the third quarter brought Georgia closer, and the Bulldogs then had their longest drive of the night at a crucial moment.
Trevor Etienne had a 12-yard run, an 11-yard reception, and an 8-yard rush to get Georgia to the Kentucky 29. The Florida transfer then ran for 17 yards to the 11, stepping out of bounds as he tried to reach the end zone. Robinson took it from there three plays later, giving Georgia its first lead at 13-9.
“Trevor was gassed and we sent Branson in there,” coach Kirby Smart said. “He had a little juice, makes people miss and (it was) a really physical run.”
Kentucky wasn’t finished, though. Alex Raynor kicked a 51-yard field goal to close the gap to one point. Raynor’s school-record 55-yard kick had given Kentucky the initial lead, and he added two more field goals from 32 and 40 yards to give them an advantage that lasted for more than three quarters, but wasn’t enough to beat Georgia.
Kentucky (1-2, 0-2) got the ball one last time at its 20-yard line with 9 seconds left but could only advance 17 yards on two plays before time expired.
“So proud of the resiliency our kids showed,” Smart said, noting that his team won against Kentucky for the 15th time in a row. “They never flinched. We expected this to be a tough game.
We talked all week about being tough and delivering more blows than them. We said that the first hit doesn’t win the game. Sometimes it takes a lot of hits, and it took every single one tonight to get the job done.”
Etienne carried the ball 19 times for 79 yards, while Robinson, who missed last season due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament, gained five yards on two carries. Quarterback Carson Beck completed 15 of 24 passes for 160 yards, including his longest pass of 33 yards to Dominic Lovett with 2:45 left.
This play got the Bulldogs to midfield and gave them some breathing room in a tough game. Georgia’s defense, despite missing several players, made it tough for Kentucky.
The Wildcats were held without a touchdown for the second game in a row, making them the fourth consecutive opponent the Bulldogs have kept from scoring a touchdown, dating back to last season. The Bulldogs have given up only 18 points in three games.
Kentucky quarterback Brock Vandergriff, who transferred from Georgia after backing up Beck last season and Stetson Bennett during the Bulldogs’ national title wins, completed 14 of 27 passes for 114 yards but was sacked three times.
Two of those sacks happened back-to-back in the second quarter. The second sack resulted in a strip fumble by Raylen Wilson, recovered by Damon Wilson II at the Kentucky 23-yard line, setting up Woodring’s game-tying 34-yard field goal.
Kentucky was aggressive for the first 30 minutes, leading 6-3 at halftime with Raynor’s two field goals. The Wildcats also gained more yards than the Bulldogs, 130-63, by halftime, which was a big improvement from the previous week’s 183-yard performance.
They were outgained 199-124 in the second half. “Give them credit. They made more plays than us,” said Kentucky coach Mark Stoops. “We played hard and thought we had chances to win the game.”
