Kentucky almost beats Georgia, loses 13-12

Cats limited the number one team in the nation to one touchdown

September 15, 2024

Hallie DeVore,

LEXINGTON, KY. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) – After getting handled 31-6 to an unranked South Carolina team, the wildcats picked themselves up and gave their fans a thriller against the #1 team in the country on Saturday.

The cats scored first with a record-setting 55-yard field goal by Alex Raynor, surpassing Austin MacGinnis’ 54-yarder vs. Tennessee in 2014. That field goal also put the dawgs behind for the first time this season. Raynor went on to hit 4-4 of his field goal attempts, accounting for all of Kentucky’s points.

Saturday’s game wasn’t a walk in the park for Georgia, as some thought it might be. The Kentucky defense held their own, making crucial stops on third down and forcing the dawgs to kick twice.

The only non-field goal scoring of the game happened when Georgia’s Branson Robinson rushed in for a 3-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, giving UGA the 13-9 lead.

The cats’ offense looked loads better than they did against the gamecocks in week two. Kentucky had 23 first downs compared to Georgia’s 12. The wildcats went 9-16 on third down conversions, the issue was converting in the end zone. The cats were forced to kick again in the fourth, leaving the score at 13-12. UK never attempted to go for it on fourth down once during Saturday’s game.

With under three minutes left in the game, the cats found themselves in a fourth and 13 situation. Head Coach Mark Stoops made the decision to punt the ball instead of going for it on fourth down; a decision that audibly left the fans confused. “I don’t regret punting that ball,” Stoops said in the postgame. “I felt like if we went for it there and don’t make it then our offense, if we stop them, has to go the length of the field. That was going to be tough against that defense in a predictable pass situation.”

Time ran out for the cats to get downfield and the dawgs would sneak away with the 13-12 win. Although Kentucky players said this was not a “moral victory,” they recognized a lot of improvements that can be built upon as the season rolls on.