Georgia Bulldogs rally to defeat Kentucky Wildcats.

 

**LEXINGTON, Ky.** -- Branson Robinson scored a crucial 3-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter, helping top-ranked Georgia overcome a sluggish start to edge past Kentucky 13-12 on Saturday night.

The Bulldogs (3-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) struggled offensively and defensively, falling behind 9-3 early in the third quarter against a Wildcats team looking to bounce back from a disappointing 31-6 loss to South Carolina. Late in the third quarter, Peyton Woodring's 30-yard field goal narrowed Georgia's deficit to three points, setting the stage for their longest drive of the night at a vital moment.

Trevor Etienne contributed significantly with a 12-yard run, an 11-yard reception, and an 8-yard rush to advance to the Kentucky 29-yard line. The Florida transfer then dashed for a 17-yard run to the 11-yard line before stepping out of bounds. Three plays later, Robinson scored to give Georgia its first lead at 13-9.

Kentucky responded with Alex Raynor's impressive 51-yard field goal, pulling within one point. Raynor had previously set a school record with a 55-yard field goal to take the lead and added two more from 32 and 40 yards to maintain an advantage for more than three quarters. However, they couldn’t put Georgia away. With just 9 seconds remaining, Kentucky took over at their own 20 but managed only 17 yards on two plays before time expired.

"I’m so proud of the resilience our kids showed," said Georgia coach Kirby Smart, whose team secured their 15th consecutive victory over Kentucky. "They never flinched. We expected this to be a back-and-forth game. We emphasized throughout the week that it was about taking hits and delivering more than we received. Sometimes it takes 272 axe chops to fell a tree, and tonight it took every one of those."

Etienne carried the ball 19 times for 79 yards, while Robinson, a sophomore who missed last season due to a torn ACL, managed 5 yards on two attempts. Quarterback Carson Beck completed 15 of 24 passes for 160 yards, highlighted by a 33-yard completion to Dominic Lovett with 2:45 remaining, which moved the Bulldogs to midfield and provided some much-needed breathing room in a challenging game.

Kentucky quarterback Brock Vandagriff, who transferred from Georgia after serving as a backup to Beck last season and Stetson Bennett during the Bulldogs’ back-to-back national title runs, completed 14 of 27 passes for 114 yards but was sacked three times. Two of those sacks occurred back-to-back in the second quarter, with the latter resulting in a strip fumble by Raylen Wilson that was recovered by Damon Wilson II at the Kentucky 23, allowing Woodring to tie the game with a 34-yard field goal.

For the first 30 minutes, Kentucky took control, leading 6-3 at halftime thanks to Raynor's two field goals. By that point, the Wildcats had outgained the Bulldogs 130-63, a significant improvement from their lackluster 183-yard total in the previous game. However, they were outgained 199-124 in the second half.

"Give them credit. They made more plays than us," said Kentucky coach Mark Stoops. "We played hard and thought we had opportunities to win the game."