Vicky Graff Photo
By Jordan Abrams, Contributing Writer
Kentucky is coming off an embarrassing loss to Vanderbilt and very well may be one of the worst losses of the Mark Stoops era. The Wildcats were able to run the ball on Vanderbilt thanks to Chris Rodriguez, but Mike Wright decided to return the favor and run all over a Kentucky defense that ranked top-20 in the country.
This week becomes a whole new challenge for the Wildcats as the No. 1 team in the country, the Georgia Bulldogs, comes to Lexington. Georgia is by far the favorite to win the National Championship and what a story it would be to watch the Wildcats win on Saturday. But that will be a massive task for this struggling Kentucky football team. The Wildcats are 22-point underdogs to the Bulldogs but this came could be close. Let’s get into how Kentucky could upset Georgia in Lexington.
1. Control the Clock
Last season, the Wildcats were able to have a 14-play drive against the Bulldogs to close the game and that’s what they need to do a couple of times on Saturday to keep the ball out away from Georgia’s offense, which ranks No. 3 behind Tennessee and Oregon. Personally, I believe they have the best offense. Kentucky has the best running back in the SEC on their team and I expect the Wildcats to use him. Rodriguez has had an incredible season after missing the first four games of the year. Georgia has the best defense in the country, so Saturday won’t be easy for him. The Wildcats’ offensive line has to prove the world wrong tomorrow and Kentucky’s offense as a whole has to find a way to move the ball to even have a shot at the Bulldogs.
2. Win First and Second Down on Defense
Georgia has a great running back in Dejuan Edwards and an incredible quarterback in Stetson Bennett who, in my opinion, is massively underrated. Bennett has passed for over 2,800 yards this season, so the Wildcats have to find a way to make a stop on first and second down to make Bennett have to try and make plays down the field. Bennett is really good, but if you can keep him in the pocket and put pressure in his face, he and the Georgia offense are stoppable. Lastly, you have to find a way to keep an eye on Brock Bowers, who is one of the best tight ends to come through college football in a long time. Kentucky at least has a shot if they can get Georgia off the field a few times and make them punt.
3. Win the Turnover Battle
Kentucky has been better this year by not turning the ball over, but Saturday has to be the cleanest game they have played this season. The one thing Georgia isn’t amazing at is turning the ball over. Georgia is ranked 89th in the nation for turnover margin as they have a -0.3 turnover rate. Stetson has thrown 5 interceptions and if you Kentucky make him throw two, maybe they have a shot at winning the game. By the way, Kentucky is ranked 81st in the nation, so they have a shot.
To sum everything up, I am not going to predict Kentucky will win, just because I have made terrible predictions all season. But I am going to be optimistic if they can slow Georgia down and make plays. Stetson Bennett is great and Georgia is likely going to win the national championship. Kentucky just needs to keep it close and respectable.
Prediction: Georgia 27, Kentucky 13
