Face Top Ranked Georgia Saturday
All-time the Kentucky Wildcats are 3-17 against number-one ranked teams. On Saturday under the lights at Kroger Field, they’d like to get that fourth win. However, they’ve certainly got their work cut out for them against the top-ranked Bulldogs. Let’s look at both teams and give you series history and a prediction as Kentucky faces a monumental task.
Putting It Behind Them
If there was something that could have gone wrong last Saturday then it likely happened. From having more penalties (11) than completions (6) Mark Stoops’ club looked awful against South Carolina.
Quarterback Brock Vandagriff only completed three of ten passes for 30 and an interception that was returned for a score. Led by Dylan Stewart the Gamecock defensive line dominated the Big Blue Wall. For the game, they had 11 tackles for loss, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles. In addition, the Cats had 11 penalties.
Even without Chip Trayanum, who won’t play this weekend either, one aspect Kentucky did well was run the ball. Led by Demie Sumo-Karnbaye’s 70 yards the Cats ran for 139 total. At one point Bush Hamdan’s offense ran the ball 18 straight times leading to two Alex Raynor field goals. UK’s focused on fundamentals this week and they’ll need to be at their best facing the top dog, pun intended, in college football.
Scouting the Bulldogs
Kirby Smart’s club has had none of the issues of their opponent in 2024. Coming in at 2-0 UGA has outscored their opponents 82-6. Back in week one they decimated a Clemson squad thought to be second-best in the ACC. Last week they blew out Tennessee Tech 48-3.
The offense is led by Heisman Trophy candidate Carson Beck. So far he’s completed nearly 71 percent of his passes for 520 yards and seven touchdowns. Trevor Etienne is a man to watch in the backfield. After missing the Clemson game due to suspension the Florida transfer rushed for 78 yards. Another name to watch is Nate Frazier, who has 111 yards and a score. Arian Smith leads the receivers with nine receptions.
Up front, Georgia may have the best offensive line in college football. Center Jared Wilson, Tate Ratledge at guard, and tackle Earnest Greene III will all be playing in the NFL.
On the other side of the ball if they have a weakness it could be on the defensive line. Injuries have hampered a couple of their starters and have struggled pressuring the ball. Safety Malaki Starks is another All-American candidate and first-round draft pick.
Now that we’ve looked at both teams let’s look at the long rivalry between the schools as Kentucky faces a monumental task.
Series History
Saturday night marks the 78th time the two schools have met. Georgia leads the series 63 wins to 12 for Kentucky with two ties. In addition, the Bulldogs are riding a 14-game winning streak.
A season ago UGA had no problem with the Wildcats winning by 38. While they didn’t know it at the time the BBN got to see their future quarterback Vandagriff play in the second half. He completed five of seven passes for 46 yards and a touchdown and ran for another 27. Overall Georgia rang up 608 yards of total offense.
The last time the Wildcats beat the Bulldogs was in 2009. Behind three touchdown passes from Morgan Newton and two rushing scores by Randall Cobb the Cats won in Athens 34-27. You have to go back three more years to find the last time UK won in Lexington. The defense picked off Matthew Stafford three times in a 24-20. Of course, at that time the Bulldogs weren’t the juggernaut they are now.
Now that we’ve previewed both teams and given you some history it’s prediction time as Kentucky faces a monumental task.
Who Wins On Saturday?
Georgia rolls into Lexington riding a 27-game conference regular season winning streak. Their last loss came to Florida 44-28 on November 7, 2020 in Jacksonville. The last conference road loss came at Alabama 41-24 on October 17, 2020. Stoops is 0-11 all-time against Georgia while Smart is 8-0 against the Cats.
All signs point to another Bulldog blowout but it’s college football and anything can happen on any given Saturday. Look no further than Northern Illinois upsetting Notre Dame last week.
To win the Cats must play a perfect game. That means no turnovers, mental mistakes, or dumb penalties. In addition, they’ll need some luck and a career performance or two.
Barion Brown had 1o catches for 145 yards in a 16-6 loss two years ago. He’s coming off being held without a reception for the first time in his Kentucky career. Even then that might not be enough. A happy ending would see Vandagriff and linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson win against their former team.
UK’s lost nine straight against number-one ranked teams since beating LSU back in 2007. Some may say they are due but at the end of the day, Georgia proves why they are the gold standard.
Georgia 38-16
We’ll be back with a recap after the game as Kentucky faces a monumental task against Georgia.
