No. 1 Georgia narrowly secured a 13-12 victory over Kentucky in its SEC opener, improving to 3-0. The game was a close call for the Bulldogs, who struggled offensively with only 262 yards and trailed 9-6 after the third quarter. Carson Beck finished 15 of 24 for 160 yards without a touchdown, while running back Branson Robinson scored Georgia’s sole touchdown.
Trevor Etienne rushed for 79 yards on 19 carries, adding to ongoing concerns about offensive coordinator Mike Bobo among fans. This game followed Kentucky’s 31-6 defeat to South Carolina in Week 2, where former Georgia quarterback Brock Vandagriff had a subpar performance. However, on Saturday night, Vandagriff was more effective, completing 14 of 27 passes for 114 yards and adding 26 rushing yards, nearly matching Beck’s output.
Georgia’s performance revealed a lack of respect for a Kentucky team coming off a heavy home loss. In the postgame interview with ESPN’s Molly McGrath, Kirby Smart admitted the team might not have fully absorbed the week’s message.
“I’m not sure our guys listened to the message all week because this is a good football team,” Smart said, pointing to the Kentucky sideline.
Despite the close call, Georgia extended its regular season winning streak to 42 games and has now beaten Kentucky 15 times in a row, the longest streak against any single SEC opponent in program history. Smart found positives in the win, reflecting on past close games as examples of resilience.
“We’re resilient,” Smart told McGrath. “Three years ago, we almost lost at Missouri at night, we nearly lost at Auburn last year. You have to find ways to win these games, and that’s what we did.”
Smart also noted, “The best news is we can wake these guys up and get better because the No. 1 thing we have to do is improve.”
Meanwhile, No. 2 Texas dominated UTSA 56-7 with Arch Manning stepping up after Quinn Ewers’ injury, potentially positioning the Longhorns to surpass the Bulldogs in the AP poll and add further motivation for Smart’s team.
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