No. 1 UGA flexes 'resiliency,' outlasts Kentucky

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Branson Robinson rushed for a 3-yard, go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter, and top-ranked Georgia overcame a lethargic performance to rally past and then hold off Kentucky 13-12 on Saturday night.

The Bulldogs (3-0, 1-0 SEC) struggled to find continuity on either side of the ball and trailed 9-3 early in the third quarter against a Wildcats squad intent on rebounding from its own flat effort in a 31-6 home loss to conference-rival South Carolina. Peyton Woodring‘s 30-yard field goal late in the third quarter got Georgia within three before the Dawgs followed with their longest drive of the night at just the right time.

Trevor Etienne‘s 12-yard run, 11-yard reception and 8-yard rush got the Bulldogs to the Kentucky 29. The Florida transfer then broke right for a 17-yard run to the 11, stepping out of bounds as he tiptoed down the sideline trying to reach the end zone. Robinson took it in from there three plays later for Georgia’s first lead at 13-9.

The Wildcats weren’t done, answering with Alex Raynor‘s 51-yard field goal to get within a point. His school-record 55-yard kick gave Kentucky the initial lead, and he added two more from 32 and 40 yards for an advantage that held for more than three quarters — though not enough to put Georgia away. Kentucky (1-2, 0-2) got the ball one final time at its 20 with 9 seconds left but could gain only 17 yards on two plays before time ran out.

“So proud of the resiliency our kids showed,” said Georgia coach Kirby Smart, whose team beat Kentucky for the 15th consecutive time. “They never flinched. We thought this would be a blow-by-blow game. We talked all week about blow by blow, delivering more blows than them. We said the first chop of the tree doesn’t chop the tree down. It takes sometimes 272 ax chops, and it took every single one tonight to get the job done.”

Etienne rushed 19 times for 79 yards, while Robinson, a sophomore who missed last season with a torn ACL, had 5 yards on two carries. Quarterback Carson Beck completed 15 of 24 passes for 160 yards, including his longest completion of 33 yards to Dominic Lovett with 2:45 left. That put the Bulldogs at midfield and provided breathing room in a game where nothing came easy.

Kentucky quarterback Brock Vandagriff, who transferred from Georgia after backing up Beck last season and Stetson Bennett during the Bulldogs’ two national title runs, completed 14 of 27 passes for 114 yards but was sacked three times. Two sacks came consecutively in the second quarter, the second resulting in a strip fumble by Raylen Wilson that was recovered by Damon Wilson II at the Kentucky 23 to set up Woodring’s 34-yard field goal that tied the game 3-3.

The Wildcats were the aggressor for the first 30-plus minutes, building a 6-3 halftime lead off Raynor’s first two field goals. The Wildcats also outgained the Bulldogs 130-63 by the break, nothing great but a huge improvement from last week’s lackluster 183-yard outing. They were outgained 199-124 after halftime.

“Give them credit. They made more plays than us,” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said. “We played hard and thought we had opportunities to win the game.”

Up next, Georgia visits No. 4 Alabama on Sept. 28 in a rematch of last season’s SEC championship won by the Crimson Tide 27-24.