In a game that served as a microcosm of the season, Georgia defeated Kentucky 42-38. Matthew Stafford passed for a career-high 376 yards and three touchdowns while completing 17 of 26 passes and Knowshon Moreno rushed for 123 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries.
Early on it seemed as if the Bulldogs would make short work of the Wildcats, going up 14-0 in the first quarter behind a 29-yard touchdown pass from Stafford to Mohamed Massaquoi and a 6-yard Moreno scoring scamper. However, that is when the Kentucky offense decided to take the fight to Georgia. Led by true freshman quarterback Randall Cobb, the Wildcats’ ground game gave the Bulldogs fits all day. Kentucky (6-4, 2-4) ran the ball on 12 of 15 plays and converted two fourth-and-1’s on one scoring drive and had 10 rushes on a 12-play scoring drive to tie the game 14-14 midway through the second quarter. Cobb had five of the rushes on the second scoring drive, including his 2-yard touchdown run.
Georgia (8-2, 5-2) fought back, however, and took a 21-14 lead into halftime, thanks to a Stafford 11-yard touchdown pass to fullback Shaun Chapas. But despite the offense’s efficiency, the Bulldog defense could never get control of Cobb and the Wildcat offense. Kentucky started the second half with 10 straight points that featured a Cobb 9-yard touchdown run. Cobb’s second score was set up by the Wildcat special teams, as Danny Trevathan blocked a Brian Mimbs punt to put Kentucky at the Bulldogs’ 9.
With Kentucky up 24-21, the teams started to trade scores. Georgia had success with the passing of Stafford getting the Dogs into scoring position and Moreno finishing drives off, while Cobb remained the catalyst for the Wildcats, who benefited from good field position on their second-half scoring drives. Cobb completed 12 of 19 passes for 106 yards and rushed for 85 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries. Kentucky had two other rushers over the 60-yard mark.
With Georgia down 38-35 at the 3:55 mark of the fourth quarter, Stafford engineered a four-play, 85-yard scoring drive that ended with an 11-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Green on third-and-goal to put Georgia up by four. A 78-yard pass from Stafford to Massaquoi was the key play of the drive, as Massaquoi made amends for two earlier fumbles. Massaquoi finished the day with eight catches for 191 yards and a touchdown.
Kentucky threatened on its final possession, but with less than :50 left, Bulldog defensive end Demarcus Dobbs picked off a Cobb pass at the Georgia 18-yard line to ensure the victory. The Bulldogs, who came into the year ranked No. 1 in the polls, avoided losing their third game of the year after getting out to a nice lead early on. Georgia showed heart in the comeback win, and the offense was as productive as it has been all season, outgaining Kentucky 520-332. But, as evident by the 226 rushing yards the Wildcats had, the Bulldogs still have a couple areas in which to improve as they move on from this game.
Defense: Georgia’s defense was put into bad positions a week ago against Florida and in the second half versus Kentucky, but the way the Wildcats were able to run the ball in the first half and turn the game away from a potential Bulldog blowout is a troubling sign. Georgia’s defense is just not a dominating unit. Bend-and-(hopefully)-don’t break against Florida is understandable, but playing a Kentucky offense that is pretty much one-dimensional, the defense needed to have a dominating performance and it didn’t happen. Being able to play in the other team’s backfield continues to be a problem for Georgia’s defensive line. The defensive ends spot will have to continue to look for playmakers in order for the defense to play up to its potential
Special Teams: A Kentucky blocked punt and a 96-yard kickoff return by Winston Guy did not help the Georgia defense, giving the Wildcats short fields to work with. Richard Samuel looked good at times returning kicks, but other than that, there were few positives for the Bulldogs special teams. Also, Prince Miller misplayed one punt return that caused Georgia to start a drive at its own 2.
Despite those mishaps, Stafford, Moreno, Massaquoi and the offense were enough to get the victory. An away game at Auburn is the task next week, as the Bulldogs will look to pick up their ninth victory of the season.
Butler can be reached at jbutler@scoreatl.com.
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