LEXINGTON, Ky. -- In an effort to inspire his team after a disheartening loss leading up to its matchup with No. 1 Georgia, Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops arranged for a visit from someone who knows something about epic upsets.

Former heavyweight champion Buster Douglas, who shocked the sports world by knocking out previously unbeaten Mike Tyson in 1990, did his best to motivate the Cats after practice on Friday at the Joe Craft Football Training Center.

Kentucky went the distance against the top-ranked Bulldogs on Saturday but could not deliver the knock-out blow in a 16-6 loss at Kroger Field.

"Obviously, that's a very good football team," Stoops said of the defending national champions. "They're the No. 1 team in the country for a reason.

"I am proud of the response from our football team... I'm not going to give you a headline. Nobody's interested in celebrating because we played close, but they know the difference between a prideful effort and one that's not."

Georgia (11-0, 8-0 SEC) was held well under its season averages of 40.6 points and 509.6 yards per game by the inspired Kentucky defense. But the Bulldogs got 143 yards rushing and their lone touchdown of the day by Kenny McIntosh to go along with a 3-for-3 field goal day by kicker Jack Podlenesy to give them what they needed to remain atop the CFP standings.

The UK defense held Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett to only 116 yards through the air and picked him off once on a frigid, windy day in Lexington. Star tight end Brett Bowers managed only two catches for 10 yards.

Said Kentucky safety Zion Childress, who had nine tackles on the day: “All week we were just like, ‘We’ve got to get back, we’ve got to play better.’ We knew we needed to play our best against the No. 1 team in the country.”

"We knew it would be this kind of game," Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said. "... I have to give Kentucky a lot of credit for bouncing back and being a really physical football team.”

With numerous pro scouts in the stadium, Kentucky (6-5, 3-5 SEC) had one of its better days protecting quarterback Will Levis, who completed 20 of 31 passes for 206 yards and a touchdown with one interception. He was sacked only once on the day after UK had allowed 39 in its previous 10 games.

Freshman wide receiver Barion Brown had a big day for the Cats, hauling in a career-high 10 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown. His 8-yard touchdown catch from Levis with 5:02 remaining in the game gave UK a chance to make it a one-score margin, but the Cats failed on the two-point conversion attempt.

The Bulldogs held UK star running back Chris Rodriguez to just 51 yards on 17 carries. Entering the regular-season finale next week, he needs one more 100-yard performance to set a new school record of 20.

*****

In this "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK loss...

KEY MOMENT:

There may not have been one definable moment which saw this change, but Kentucky missed a golden opportunity in the second quarter when it drove to the UGA 18 yard-line trailing only 6-0. Will Levis appeared to have Barion Brown open in the end zone for a split-second, but Georgia cornerback Kelee Ringo intercepted the pass and returned it 45 yards to midfield to keep the Cats at bay. It was UK's lone turnover of the day.

GAME BALL:

Kenny McIntosh, Georgia - The Bulldogs' senior running back averaged 7.5 yards per carry, finishing the day with 143 yards on 19 carries and his team's only touchdown. It marked his first 100-yard effort of the season.

BY THE NUMBERS:

0 - Tackles for loss allowed by the Georgia offensive unit.

1 - Sack allowed by the UK offense.

1-1 - Turnovers by each team.

10 - Team-high tackles by UK senior linebacker Jordan Wright.

13 - Consecutive wins by Georgia over Kentucky.The Bulldogs extended their lead in the all-time series to 62-12-2.

15 of 20 - Kentucky receptions made by freshman players.

99 - Yard drive by the Cats in the fourth quarter was the longest of the season and longest since the 2015 season opener against UL Lafayette.

247-89 - Georgia advantage in the rushing column.

QUOTABLE:

"I was proud of our team's effort, both in their preparation and their response to adversity all week because it's very easy to cave. That's the kind of response I would expect, and that's the kind of response when we're competing against guys like Kirby (Smart), who has competed against me for years and years, he would expect from our team. And our team needs to understand that that's what people expect from our team. We don't cave. We've done some things right, we've done some things wrong, but that's the way this program plays, and we've got to get back to being that all the time." -- UK head coach Mark Stoops

UP NEXT:

Kentucky returns to action on Saturday in the Governor's Cup game against Louisville at Kroger Field. The Cardinals (7-4, 4-4 ACC) topped No. 18 NC State 25-10 today in Louisville. Kickoff for UK and UofL is slated for 3 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.