Flashback: Kentucky vs. Georgia

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. The Kentucky Wildcats football team has almost pulled off a couple of SEC victories this year, but almost only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades. Time is running out for the Cats to pull off a signature win in Mark Stoops’ first season as head coach — the best chances have passed, and as the season winds down teams are even more focused to seal their bowl fate. Georgia is coming off an unbelievable ending to a game that found them on the losing end of a ridiculous Hail Mary catch and nearly regaining the lead with just a few ticks left. The Overall, Bulldogs have suffered a disappointing season so you can bet they’ll come out fired up for Senior Day and Aaron Murray’s final game Between the Hedges. LAST MATCHUP It is recent tradition that Kentucky plays Georgia close. Whether it’s at home or on the road, in the last handful of years the Bulldogs have never been able to pull away from Kentucky like they do against so many others. Despite the Cats entering the game with a 1-6 record and Georgia ranked No. 11 and 6-1 on the season, it was just five points that separated the two teams at the final whistle. The game was an even affair through the 1st quarter as the Cats scored on their opening possession in Commonwealth Stadium thanks to a 13-play, 84-yard drive with big chunks of yards picked up by Jonathan George. After a Dawgs punt, Aaron Murray answered on his next possession with a 97-yard drive capped off by a 66-yard strike to Tavarres King to make it 7-7. But Kentucky and Morgan Newton didn’t back down. He led the Cats on a 9-play, 58-yard drive the next time out to give the Cats a lead early in the 2nd quarter. But that was all the good news until the middle of the 4th as the Cats punted on five of their next six possessions, with a field goal sandwiched in between. Georgia would extend its lead as wide as 29-17 before the Cats finally found the end zone again to make things interesting — a Raymond Sanders 3-yard rush after a 75-yard drive with just under four minutes to play in the game. It was a five-point game and time was running out; the only option was an onside kick. It failed and Georgia killed the clock. The Cats almost knocked off the Dawgs at home while Georgia QB Aaron Murray set a school record for passing touchdowns in his career. SERIES OVERVIEW Kentucky and Georgia football never played before becoming members of the Southeastern Conference in 1932. The inaugural meeting between the two teams occurred in 1939, a 13-6 win for the Wildcats. In 1940 the teams tied 7-7, and in ’42 Georgia won 7-6. The teams have played uninterrupted since 1956, and as you might expect, the win-loss record for the Cats isn’t all that favorable. Kentucky is 9-47 against Georgia since the 1950s and the average score of those games is 27-16 in favor of the Dawgs. Kentucky has won just two games in the series since 1997. ALL-TIME GREATS Washaun Ealey (UGA, 2010) — It was 157 yards on 28 carries for Georgia tailback Washaun Ealey — a performance more noted for his five rushing touchdowns on the night. It set a school record that still stands. The Bulldogs were 4-4 on the season and looking to surge forward in the SEC East. The Cats turned the ball over four times and Ealey could not be stopped. Aside from a kickoff return for a touchdown and a 4th-quarter field goal, his 30 points were all the scoring for the Bulldogs. And all they needed, extra points included. BIGGEST MOMENT FOR UK Kentucky had lost eight straight SEC games entering the 1988 season, and the 11th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs were poised to be the ninth. Kentucky had just lost back-to-back heartbreakers to No. 12 Alabama by four points and No. 19 LSU by three. At that point in the season, the Jerry Claiborne-led Wildcats could have easily folded. But they stunned the Bulldogs to the tune of a 16-10 victory, just the third of the season. UK tailback Alfred Rawls ran for 128 yards and linebacker Randy Holleran racked up 13 tackles. This was the best win of the Claiborne era. (Thanks to Mark Story for providing these statistics) TRENDS “Should I stay or should I go now?” must be the theme of Mark Richt and Bulldog fans everywhere. It seems every year he’s on the hot seat to start the season, pulls off some nice wins, cools down, and in the end always winds up leading a season that falls below expectations. Maybe they’re the most unlucky team around, or maybe Richt just doesn’t quite have what it takes to get the program over the hump. For Kentucky, you can do worse than playing Georgia in the SEC all the time. No disrespect to the Dawgs, but the Cats always seem to play them well, especially recently when you consider how bad the Wildcats have actually been. As Mark Stoops continues to build his program in Lexington, it is a safe bet to expect the skill gap to narrow between here and Athens, and the final scores to remain tight. @StuartHammerKSR