Kentucky football dropped its second straight game on Saturday night against No. 1 Georgia by a score of 13-12 in a contest that left many fans frustrated because of a failure to come back in the fourth quarter.
After the Cats led by no more than a single score for the majority of the game, Georgia scored a three-yard rushing touchdown with 12:20 left in the fourth quarter and held onto that lead until the clock expired.
With around three minutes left in the fourth quarter, head coach Mark Stoops decided to punt on fourth-and-13 from the Kentucky 48-yard line and, although Stoops said after the game he did not regret that decision, many fans were left frustrated and confused.
However, even though the Cats did not end up in the win column, Wildcat fans should look on the bright side and let this game be a source of hope rather than concern.
Most people were not expecting the game to be close because of Georgia coach Kirby Smart’s history of domination in the SEC, Georgia’s blowout performances in its first two games of the season and Kentucky’s abysmal performance in week two against South Carolina.
For example, Kevin Erickson of USA Today Sportsbook Wire predicted the Bulldogs to come out on top 38-17 because of their winning streak over the Cats and their strength on defense.
Georgia won its first two games of the season by margins of over 30 points, including a 34-3 victory over Clemson in week one. Quarterback Carson Beck threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns in that game.
On Saturday, however, the Kentucky defense held Beck to only 160 yards and hurried him three times while the secondary performed noticeably better than it did against South Carolina.
Defensive backs Ty Bryant and Zion Childress especially stood out and showed fans why they should look forward to watching them for the rest of the season. They each totaled six tackles, including one for a loss, and Bryant forced a fumble while Childress recorded a pass breakup.
Childress also caught a tipped ball for a 55-yard pick six that was later overturned after the ball hit the ground. His performance against Georgia has led many fans to think he is among the best players on the team and also earned him praise from defensive coordinator Brad White.
“To have an opportunity to get him close to the ball and be able to make plays close to the line of scrimmage has been a benefit to us,” White said. “We need him to continue to play at a high level.”
On top of that, Georgia had only punted five times in its first two games, but it was forced to punt six times against Kentucky. If the Cats continue to get big third down stops like they did on Saturday, other SEC teams might struggle to move down the field when facing them.
On the offensive side, the passing game was not great, but looked better than it did in the game against South Carolina, which saw quarterbacks Brock Vandagriff and Gavin Wimsatt combine for only 44 yards and two interceptions.
Kentucky’s rushers also managed to pick up 170 yards on 45 attempts and redshirt freshman Jamarion Wilcox stepped up and made some good runs with Jason Patterson out due to an injury.
It is also worth noting that Georgia was down multiple defensive linemen on Saturday due to injuries, but its defense has received consistent praise nonetheless.
Driving down the field and getting into the range for four field goals against the No. 1 team in the country is not an easy task, but the Wildcats made it happen.
“Proud of our players with how hard they played and picking themselves off the mat after our performance a week ago that none of us were very pleased with,” Stoops said. “Had to rebound and play the number one-ranked team in the country, and came out and played them toe-to-toe.”
Overall, there are a lot of different things to unpack from the game a week ago, but the bottom line is, if the Cats can come this close against a team like Georgia, they are definitely capable of winning big conference games this season and the rush to anger against Stoops and the Cats is unwarranted.
Kentucky football is fine. The Wildcats did more to prove that last week than they did to prove the opposite. A loss is never fun, but ultimately, a one-point loss to the former No. 1 team in the country is nothing to be upset about.
