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No. 1 Georgia Cruises Past No. 11 Kentucky to Maintain Undefeated Season

Mike Chiari

The No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs remained undefeated with a 30-13 win over the previously unbeaten No. 11 Kentucky Wildcats at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia, on Saturday.

Georgia's supremely talented defense was the star of the show again, as it held the Kentucky offense to just 244 total yards.

The Bulldogs also received impressive production from their running game, rushing for 166 yards as a team, while quarterback Stetson Bennett threw for three touchdowns.

Georgia is now a perfect 7-0 overall and 5-0 in the SEC, while the Wildcats fell to 6-1 overall and 4-1 in conference play.

Notable Stats

Stetson Bennett, QB, UGA: 14/20 for 250 YDS, 3 TD, 0 INT; 3 CAR for 22 YDS

Will Levis, QB, UK: 32/42 for 193 YDS, 2 TD, 0 INT; 10 CAR for 12 YDS

Zamir White, RB, UGA: 12 CAR for 46 YDS, 1 TD; 1 REC for 15 YDS

James Cook, RB, UGA: 6 CAR for 51 YDS; 1 REC for 19 YDS, 1 TD

Chris Rodriguez, RB, UK: 7 CAR for 7 YDS; 4 REC for 10 YDS

Brock Bowers, TE, UGA: 5 REC for 101 YDS, 2 TD

Bennett Efficient in Georgia Victory

Bennett has often been referred to as a game manager, and while that was the case at times Saturday, he also showed he can make big plays when called upon.

With the benefit of a dominant defense and strong running game, Bennett seemed empowered Saturday to take some shots down the field and beat the Wildcats with chunk plays.

The first example of that came at the start of the second quarter with the game tied at 0-0 when he found running back James Cook for a 19-yard touchdown to put Georgia on top:

A touchdown run by Zamir White extended the Georgia lead to 14-0, but Kentucky cut it in half before halftime, which shifted some pressure onto Bennett and the Bulldogs offense.

Bennett answered the bell, as he orchestrated a six-play, 75-yard drive that ended in a 27-yard touchdown pass to freshman tight end Brock Bowers:

The senior signal-caller accounted for 68 passing yards on the drive, and received praise from Seth Emerson of The Athletic:

Yousef Baig of the Sacramento Bee also liked what he saw out of Bennett after a somewhat pedestrian first half:

Bennett went back to his favorite target in Bowers once again during the fourth quarter for a 20-yard touchdown that extended the lead to 30-7 and essentially sealed the deal.

Georgia's regular starting quarterback, JT Daniels, has missed the team's past three games with a lat injury, which opened the door for Bennett to play.

While it was initially assumed Daniels would get his starting job back when healthy, Bennett is now making that decision supremely difficult for head coach Kirby Smart.

Kentucky Smothered by Bulldogs Defense

While Bennett did his job and then some, the story of the game was once again Georgia's defense, as has been the case throughout the season.

Facing a Wildcats team coming off a 42-point performance against LSU, the Georgia defense provided little in the way of running lanes or open receivers in the passing game.

Kentucky punted on each of its first four drives of the game, mustering just 38 total yards on those four drives.

Dan Wolken of USA Today, Kyle Tucker of The Athletic and Clint Lamb of Bama On3 were just a few of the journalists and analysts who were blown away by Georgia's defensive performance:

Despite the defense's dominance, Kentucky surprisingly entered the half trailing by just seven points.

That was because the Wildcats put together a 13-play, 75-yard drive late in the second quarter that ended with a one-yard touchdown pass from Will Levis to Justin Rigg:

It marked only the third touchdown allowed this season by a Georgia defense that entered the game allowing an average of just 5.5 points per game.

Kentucky nickel and dimed Georgia down the field on that drive, which was impressive considering the lack of success other teams have had against the Bulldogs.

Georgia could have backed down after getting figuratively punched in the mouth, but it stepped up instead by forcing three consecutive punts after the touchdown drive, followed by a blocked field goal.

Ultimately, Georgia made a talented Kentucky offense look ordinary, which is why the Bulldogs are the No. 1 team in the nation and the favorites to win a national championship.

What's Next?

Georgia is on the bye next week before returning to action Oct. 30 in a home game against the No. 20 Florida Gators.

Kentucky will also have a bye next week and will then have a chance to bounce back Oct. 30 against the Mississippi State Bulldogs on the road.

   

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