WATCH: Mark Stoops going crazy on officials after potential game-altering flag
Kentucky was very nearly penalized in a critical situation in its comeback bid against No. 1 Georgia, to the point that video cameras showed coach Mark Stoops going crazy on officials.
Facing a third-and-13 from the Georgia 20-yard line, quarterback Will Levis threw a pass toward the left sideline, attempting to get it out of play while under pressure from the Georgia pass rush. The ball fluttered as it came out.
Meanwhile, as Levis was in the middle of his throw, a Kentucky receiver in the area got tangled up and went down.
Because of the bang-bang play, officials initially threw a flag for intentional grounding, which would have backed Kentucky up considerably and made for a difficult field goal attempt. Kentucky trailed 16-6 at the time, needing to score a touchdown and a field goal, at minimum, to get back into the game.
Thus Mark Stoops going crazy on the officials.
But following a brief back-and-forth between Stoops and the officials, the referees picked up the flag and ruled the pass incomplete. It didn’t end up mattering much, as Kentucky kicker Matt Ruffolo missed wide left from 38 yards out on the ensuing field goal attempt.
Even after that, Kentucky’s defense came up with a stop to give the offense the ball back. However, Levis and the offense were stopped on downs, turning it back over to Georgia with 1:17 to play.
The Bulldogs kneeled on it to close out the 16-6 win.
Kentucky managed to stay in the game by eating the clock, particularly in the first half. Both teams had only three possessions in the first half, and Georgia led 9-0 at the break after failing to convert in the red zone early on.
Georgia finished with a 363-295 advantage in total yardage in the contest.