Swarming defense, UK's own mistakes doom Cats' chances

Georgia Tech spoiled Kentucky's return to the postseason on Saturday in the TaxSlayer Bowl.

Kentucky's offense sputtered and a series of self-inflicted mistakes also did the Cats in.

The Yellow Jackets, well-known for shortening the game especially while in possession of a lead, milked much of the clock. But Kentucky still had an opportunity to make the game interesting towards the end.

For most of the game Georgia Tech's defense was stifling.

Kentucky won the toss before the game and elected to receive, and the large number of blue and white faithful were energized at kickoff. But things quickly went downhill.

Stephen Johnson fumbled on Kentucky's opening possession and senior Georgia Tech linebacker P.J. Davis returned it 38 yards for a touchdown to give Georgia Tech a 7-0 lead.

After a Tech field goal pushed the lead to 10-0 the Cats drove the ball into Yellow Jacket territory but had to settle for a 37-yard Austin MacGinnis field goal.

Kentucky had one last opportunity to even the score and briefly seized momentum when their defense tightened up. But when the Cats drove deep into Georgia Tech territory they failed to convert on a 4th and 1 play, with Tech stonewalling Jojo Kemp's run between the tackles.

To make matters worse for the Cats, Georgia Tech went 94 yards on 11 plays with Justin Thomas capping the drive with a 21-yard touchdown run to make it 17-3.

Things only got worse before the half. With less than a minute remaining Kentucky went three-and-out and a Grant McKinniss punt was blocked, giving Georgia Tech a short field, which they converted into three points with a 52-yard Harrison Butker field goal before the half. The Jackets led 20-3 going into the locker room.

Kentucky's offense sputtered coming out of the locker room as Georgia Tech's defense continued to dominate the game. Their first down of the second half didn't come until there was 1:44 in the third.

Harrison Butker added another field goal to Tech's total to make it 23-3.

Kentucky's offense found its footing early in the fourth quarter and when Stephen Johnson lofted a perfect throw to Dorian Baker in the back right corner of the end zone. Baker laid out and made a spectacular diving grab for Kentucky's first touchdown of the game, cutting Georgia Tech's lead to 23-10 with 13:40 remaining.

Another Georgia Tech field goal seemed to put the game out of reach, but Kentucky rallied again, and Johnson tiptoed down the sideline and scored on a 21-yard run. On the two-point conversion Johnson rolled right and lofted a pass back across the field to C.J. Conrad, who hauled it in to make it a 26-18 game.

The ensuing onside kick seemed botched, however, and Georgia Tech recovered near midfield. The Cats called timeouts after stopping Tech on first and second down. Then UK loaded the box on 3rd and 4, only to watch Justin Thomas loft a long pass down the sideline. Ricky Jeune ran under it and was dragged down deep in Kentucky territory. Tech running back Dedrick Mills punched in the game's final touchdown, giving the Jackets a 33-18 win.

The game was chippy throughout with Georgia Tech drawing multiple 15-yard penalties, for a chop block and clipping, and at one point Mark Stoops appeared to get into a yelling match with Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson after he seemed to blame the Jackets' cut blocks for injuries to his players. But after the game Stoops says he was not upset with Johnson. Rather, Stoops said he was upset that someone else in Georgia Tech's program had said something to him that he didn't appreciate.

Georgia Tech ends the season 9-4 with the win and the loss dropped Kentucky to 7-6.