This was a heavyweight contest from the start. Don’t let the score fool you for a second. This was a tough win for Georgia. The Dawgs only led by seven at the half, and Stetson Bennett looked out of sync. There was no wiggle room running the ball early; Kentucky did excellently fill gaps without losing containment. Give this Wildcats team some time; they are well-coached and have an excellent young Quarterback in Will Levis.
Now that the visual story is told let’s talk stats that pop out to me. First, the Bulldogs continue to get better as the game goes on, running the ball. To end the game with 27 carries for 166 yards and a touchdown makes it sound like the entire game was great, but the first half was tough sledding. The Wildcats had the same amount of carries with 27 but came up with a mere 51 yards on 1.9 per carry and no scores. The better Quarterback was Will Levis. I was very impressed with his skill set of throws. Georgia made it hard to find open targets, and the numbers are also deceiving, as there were several drops along the way.
Both defenses played very physically and flew around the field. Big plays defined the second half, but this game was very close for quite a while. The Bulldogs front seven once again was the story, though, creating havoc in the Wildcats backfield. Jordan Davis, Devonte Wyatt, and Jalen Carter blocked two kicks, a field goal, and an extra point. All in all, this was an outstanding performance for the Dawgs defense again. This was a pound-for-pound kind of game, and Kentucky’s defense fell off in the second half as fatigue set in.
You won’t have to look hard for a player of the game; Tight End Brock Bowers stole the show yet again. Bowers ended the day with five catches for 101 yards and two touchdowns. He had one touchdown called back by penalty, which was avenged later in the drive. He moves extremely well in space for a kid his size and has progressed very well in finding the soft spot in zone coverage. For Kentucky, their player of the game would be Will Levis, and I stated earlier how impressive he looked against very tight coverage. The Bulldogs have a bye week before traveling to Jacksonville for the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party and the Florida Gators, who again had a let-down game against a team many feel they should have beaten.