Game Recap: Kentucky drops heartbreaker to Georgia

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The door to first place in the SEC East for Kentucky was wide open on Saturday night, but missed opportunities slammed it shut as Georgia’s Ricardo Blankenship drilled a 25-yard field goal as time expired to give the Bulldogs a 27-24 win.

Kentucky had numerous chances to put some distance between itself and Georgia -- including a long pass to Jeff Badet that would have likely been a touchdown but was dropped and fell right into a defender’s hands -- but were unable to take advantage of any of them.

“The game comes down to several plays,” head coach Mark Stoops said. “You don’t know any which play is going to make the difference, but you can look at 2-3-4 play out there that change the outcome, so give them credit. They made them and we did not.”

- Badet’s dropped pass will be at the forefront of Kentucky’s missed opportunities, but fellow receiver Garrett Johnson had a costly fumble in the third quarter. Quarterback Stephen Johnson completed the pass to Johnson for 20 yards on 3rd and six, but the junior receiver coughed up the ball. Georgia kicked a field goal on the ensuing possession.

- Austin MacGinnis hit a 44-yard field goal in the third quarter, but C.J. Conrad was called for holding. Stoops, rather than try a 54-yard field goal, decided to punt, wiping points off the board. “If you pin them, then you are in great shape,” Stoops said. “If you miss it, you give them great field position. Once we got the penalty, I was going to take the delay of game and punt and try to pin them inside the 10. I think that was the right strategy at that point.”

- Kentucky started its final offensive drive with 9:12 left in the fourth quarter. Freshman running back Benny Snell willed himself down inside the Georgia 10 yard line on seven straight running plays, but the Wildcats drive stalled there. Snell carried it two more times out of the Wildcat formation but only gained two yards. Offensive coordinator Eddie Gran elected to pass on 3rd down, and Johnson’s pass to Dorian Baker in the end zone was incomplete.

“The pieces are there. We just have to learn how to finish. We were up the whole game and we just keep thinking there are ways to get better and we have to keep gashing it down and gashing and gashing and not let up. Even though we were winning, still, it’s possible that they can come back, and they did. So they did and got the win, so congratulations to them. We just have to come back and work harder.” - wide receiver Dorian Baker

“We just came up short and then missed some critical plays that could’ve turned the whole game around. So that’s what happens when you don’t make those routine plays against a good team like Georgia. It comes back to bite you in the end.” - running back Boom Williams

"I know a lot of people talk about them being Kentucky, but that’s a good football team. They’re an extremely physical football team. They know how to run the ball and they run it really well and they play really hard on defense. So, make no qualms about it, that’s a good team." - Georgia head coach Kirby Smart

Kentucky: Kentucky travels to Tennessee next weekend to play the Volunteers at noon. It’s a must-win game for the Wildcats’ SEC East hopes, but a lot will have to happen for Kentucky to make it to Atlanta at this point.

Georgia: The Bulldogs, now 5-4, will host Auburn next weekend.