Top-ranked Georgia edges out Kentucky 13-12 in a tough defensive battle

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 No touchdown was scored until the early fourth quarter

After a strong defensive performance against No. 1 Georgia for 57 minutes on Saturday night, Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops may have relied a little too much on his defense for one final stop.

With 2:58 left in the fourth quarter and trailing 13-12, Stoops chose to punt from the Kentucky 48-yard line, aiming to pin Georgia deep and regain possession. Wilson Berry's punt pushed Georgia back to its 15-yard line, but the Wildcats' defense couldn't deliver the crucial stop.

Carson Beck connected with Dominic Lovett for a 33-yard pass, securing a first down at Georgia's 49-yard line and sealing a 13-12 win in a defensive battle at Lexington's Kroger Field. It was a hard-fought victory, but the Bulldogs extended their regular season win streak to 42 games and claimed their 28th straight SEC win.

Branson Robinson scored the game's only touchdown with a 3-yard run early in the fourth quarter, giving Georgia its first lead after trailing for the first three quarters. Up until then, both teams had exchanged field goals in a fierce defensive showdown.

"Beck finished with 160 passing yards and no touchdowns, while Trevor Etienne led the Bulldogs with 79 rushing yards on 19 carries.

However, Georgia managed just 102 rushing yards as a team, stifled by a fast and aggressive Kentucky defense that consistently met ball carriers at the line of scrimmage. Georgia especially struggled to run outside, with Kentucky's safeties and cornerbacks stopping the backs before they could turn the corner or gain any yardage.

Kentucky nearly took an early 10-0 lead, but as the final score shows, their offense also struggled, failing to score a touchdown. Quarterback Brock Vandagriff threw for 114 yards and added 26 rushing yards, while Demie Sumo-Karngbaye led the Wildcats with 98 rushing yards. In total, Kentucky managed only 170 yards of offense.

Kentucky seemed to score a defensive touchdown in the second quarter, but it was overturned after a replay review. Lovett appeared to bobble the ball after attempting to make a catch, and Kentucky’s Zion Childress grabbed it, returning it for a touchdown that would have put the Wildcats ahead 10-0.

However, after review, it was determined the ball hit the ground before Lovett could complete the catch, and the play was ruled an incomplete pass. Georgia then punted on fourth down.

I'm not sure our guys took the message to heart this week because [Kentucky] is a good football team," Georgia coach told ESPN's Molly McGrath after the game. "You can't judge SEC teams based on just one week."

Smart was referring to Kentucky's 31-6 home loss to South Carolina the previous week, despite being an 8.5-point favorite.

As Beck told McGrath with some relief, Georgia (3-0) has a bye next week before heading to No. 4 Alabama (3-0) for a primetime SEC showdown on Sept. 28. Kentucky (1-2) will look to bounce back with a non-conference home game against Ohio (2-1).