QUICK TAKES: Georgia 13, Kentucky 12
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated
Managing Editor
@JDrumUK
JUSTIN ROWLAND:
There's a lot to say about that one. On the one hand, Kentucky is a much more interesting team right now than they were a week ago. It appears there may still be a lot of interesting football still in front of us. On the other hand, Kentucky is now 0-2 in the SEC. Kentucky had No. 1 UGA on the ropes and played as well and as complete a football game against a great opponent as it has in the entire Mark Stoops era, and yet the Dawgs now have 15 wins in a row against the Cats. So many players turned in exceptional performances. The defensive line played as well as any Kentucky unit has in a long time. Anwar Stewart deserves a lot of credit for that. The offensive line blew open holes for Demie Sumo-Karngbaye, whose vision and strength were impressive. Kentucky clearly came in with a mentality and a preparedness. But it was still a missed opportunity. I'm sure many will have opinions on the decision to punt on 4th and 8. I'm not dying on any hill there. I could have seen either call but understood the punt given the spot on the field, three timeouts, how your defense had played, and the recent protection breakdowns. But you can make the case the other way. What a night.
JEFF DRUMMOND:
For starters, this was a top-five atmosphere at Kroger Field/Commonwealth Stadium in the 36 years that I have been coming to games here. Right up there with the very best. I don't think anyone expected this kind of battle, even the elite tier of optimists. As the game moved along, it was reminding me of the first "Rocky" movie in which Apollo Creed gets more than he bargained for from the underdog Balboa, and at one point during a break between rounds, Creed's trainer looks at his stunned boxer and says "He doesn't know it's a damn show. He thinks it's a damn fight." Kentucky shrugged off one of the worst performances of the Stoops era last week against South Carolina and showed up for a street brawl with the best team in the country tonight. They were thisclose to being the biggest story in college football. And while there was still a lot of issues with the passing attack -- and largely because of that, we have not seen a touchdown in two weeks -- the Wildcats took a massive step forward in other areas this week. They ran the ball for 170 yards, picked up 23 first downs, and held the Bulldogs to just 262 total yards. Georgia quarterback Carson Beck was held to 160 yards passing and no touchdowns after torching the Cats for a career-high 389 yards and four scores last season in Athens. Brad White's defense was flying all over the field tonight. It was an incredible effort, and the fans who left Kroger Field tonight were sad that a major upset opportunity slipped out of UK's grasp but equally proud of the fight they showed as 24-point underdogs. Many fans were ready to give up on this team last week. Now there's renewed hope for all of the remaining nine games on the schedule.
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated
Managing Editor
@JDrumUK
In our regular postgame feature, the Cats Illustrated staff offers its first impressions from Kentucky's 13-12 loss to No. 1 Georgia on Saturday night at Kroger Field...
JUSTIN ROWLAND:
There's a lot to say about that one. On the one hand, Kentucky is a much more interesting team right now than they were a week ago. It appears there may still be a lot of interesting football still in front of us. On the other hand, Kentucky is now 0-2 in the SEC. Kentucky had No. 1 UGA on the ropes and played as well and as complete a football game against a great opponent as it has in the entire Mark Stoops era, and yet the Dawgs now have 15 wins in a row against the Cats. So many players turned in exceptional performances. The defensive line played as well as any Kentucky unit has in a long time. Anwar Stewart deserves a lot of credit for that. The offensive line blew open holes for Demie Sumo-Karngbaye, whose vision and strength were impressive. Kentucky clearly came in with a mentality and a preparedness. But it was still a missed opportunity. I'm sure many will have opinions on the decision to punt on 4th and 8. I'm not dying on any hill there. I could have seen either call but understood the punt given the spot on the field, three timeouts, how your defense had played, and the recent protection breakdowns. But you can make the case the other way. What a night.
JEFF DRUMMOND:
For starters, this was a top-five atmosphere at Kroger Field/Commonwealth Stadium in the 36 years that I have been coming to games here. Right up there with the very best. I don't think anyone expected this kind of battle, even the elite tier of optimists. As the game moved along, it was reminding me of the first "Rocky" movie in which Apollo Creed gets more than he bargained for from the underdog Balboa, and at one point during a break between rounds, Creed's trainer looks at his stunned boxer and says "He doesn't know it's a damn show. He thinks it's a damn fight." Kentucky shrugged off one of the worst performances of the Stoops era last week against South Carolina and showed up for a street brawl with the best team in the country tonight. They were thisclose to being the biggest story in college football. And while there was still a lot of issues with the passing attack -- and largely because of that, we have not seen a touchdown in two weeks -- the Wildcats took a massive step forward in other areas this week. They ran the ball for 170 yards, picked up 23 first downs, and held the Bulldogs to just 262 total yards. Georgia quarterback Carson Beck was held to 160 yards passing and no touchdowns after torching the Cats for a career-high 389 yards and four scores last season in Athens. Brad White's defense was flying all over the field tonight. It was an incredible effort, and the fans who left Kroger Field tonight were sad that a major upset opportunity slipped out of UK's grasp but equally proud of the fight they showed as 24-point underdogs. Many fans were ready to give up on this team last week. Now there's renewed hope for all of the remaining nine games on the schedule.
