For the first time since 1977, Georgia has lost a football game to Kentucky in Athens. A Wildcat team made up by several Georgia natives waltzed into Sanford Stadium and defeated the host Bulldogs after trailing by 14 at halftime.
After leading 20-6 at the break, the Bulldogs fell apart in the second half due to the same types of mistakes they have been making all year. It almost as if Georgia wanted the Cats to break that jinx.
“We certainly helped (Kentucky) out a little bit in that second half with the turnovers,” explained a somber Mark Richt. “It’s hard to win a game like that, when you give up four and don’t get any.”
Georgia held UK to just six points and 63 yards in the first half but gave up 28 points and 197 yards in the second half. The Dawgs had four crucial turnovers in the second half after having none in the first and managed just seven points after notching 20 in the first.
Branden Smith opened the second half by fumbling the opening kickoff on the Georgia 14. Kentucky scored two plays later. This was exactly what the Bulldogs did not want to open the second half.
“They got that spark, they got excited after that first score early in the third quarter,” said Richt. “I’m sure they came out of the locker room determined to turn it around and when something happens that quick for you it gets you excited in a hurry.”
Later in the half after UK had tied the score, Joe Cox threw a screen pass right to Wildcat lineman Shane McCord who returned the gift to the UGA 9.
Three plays later, the Cats had the lead and an improbable shot at a win in Athens. Georgia had wasted a 14-point halftime lead in shades of their second half collapse against Georgia Tech on Senior Day of last season.
But the Bulldogs drove down to the UK one midway through the fourth quarter only to fumble the ball back to the Cats. A Joe Cox pitch was mishandled by Washaun Ealey and Kentucky recovered.
“It was weird because when I came to pitch him the ball, he was kind of tight to me,” explained Cox. “The ball just got on him too fast.”
The sloppy second half following a solid first half basically summarized Georgia’s season in a nut shell. The team simply cannot stand prosperity and seems to not be able to put together an entire game without some sort of mental collapse.
A lot of the blame will fall on Cox, but frankly, this type of performance requires a full team effort. Dumb penalties, missed assignments, poor ball security and other fundamental errors could be the result of the sheer amount of youth that Georgia is playing or it could be the result of something deeper.
FIRSTS AND OTHER INTERESTING STATS
-Rantavious Wooten caught the first two touchdowns of his career during his first start for UGA. The catches covered 21 and 43 yards.
-This was the first game since the 2005 Miss St game where there was no Uga on the sideline. It is the first time since the 50′s that Uga has missed a home game.
-SLB Marcus Washington got his first start of the season. Washington has fought injuries for much of his career and has not started a game since 2007.
-Darryl Gamble wore No. 18 tonight in honor of cousin Bacarri Rambo who was injured last week and did not play tonight.
-Blair Walsh is on pace to set the UGA record for highest field goal percentage. Walsh has made 16 of 17 this year which is 94.12 percent. The record was set by Billy Bennett in 2000 when he made 13 of 14.
-Outback, Chick-fil-a, Liberty, and Independence Bowl representatives took in the game tonight at Sanford Stadium.
-UK head coach Rich Brooks finally won in Athens, which was the sight of his first game as a college head coach in 1977. Brooks was coaching Oregon at the time and had the lead going into the fourth.
“My first game as a head coach was here against Vince Dooley,” remembered Brooks. “We were leading in the third quarter late and were going in for a score that would’ve put us up by two scores and we fumbled going in. They took it down and scored.”
“I’ve been waiting a long time,” declared Brooks. “We finally got one back for the old man here today. It’s a great win.” Brooks is now 1-4 in Athens.
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