Postgame News and Notes

LEXINGTON, KY – Although the environment certainly was not solely to blame for Georgia’s offensive scuffles during Saturday’s 16-6 win, it did have an effect.

Specifically, the wind.

Although the game was played in the mid-upper 30s, it was the wind that caused havoc with both teams.

“It was 16 to 18 (mph) with gusts of 25, so it was windy, but it was more about what you can and can't do in those conditions,” head coach Kirby Smart said. “Again, I think it affected Kentucky. It affected us. The wind is blowing one way; you have to figure out when you're passing it, when you're throwing it. We do studies all the time about how it affects games when the wind gets up to around 20 miles per hour. It's very different in the way you play the game. You've got to be methodical. You've got to be smart. You're not going to get many possessions.”

Running back Kenny McIntosh agreed.

"The wind was blowing hard, so we wanted to keep the ball on the ground," running back Kenny McIntosh said. "It was hard, especially going against the win. Fortunately, we were able to do enough to help this team win."

Give Kentucky some credit, too.

Earlier in the week, Wildcat head coach Mark Stoops talked about how the best way to have a chance against Georgia was to keep the Bulldogs’ offense off the field.

Kentucky did about as well as it could have hoped.

Despite failing to score, the Wildcats held the ball for 17:47 of the first half, compared to 12:13 for the Bulldogs, who like Kentucky, only had the ball three times in the first half.

Georgia would convert all three into field goals by Jack Podlesny, but with no touchdowns, Kentucky found itself still very much in the game. It wasn’t until the Bulldogs forced the Wildcats to turn the football over on downs with just under two minutes to play that the Bulldogs could take a deep breath.

“We talked about the limited number of plays that we carry, being good at what we do, and be efficient. The efficiency was there other than the red area. It was tough in the red area. They do a good job,” Smarts said. “They jam-pack you down there. They don’t pressure a lot, and they have lots of levels in their defense. Our inability to probably run it in the red area probably hurt us more than anything. It gave Pod a chance to be clutch, and he was. Those are not easy kicks, when you’ve got 16, 17 miles an hour wind.”

…Devin Willock earned the start at right guard due to a shoulder subluxation injury to Tate Ratledge.

…Javon Bullard (lower leg contusion) not only played after suffering his injury last week against Mississippi State, but he started.

…Wide receiver De’Nylon Morrissette did not travel due to a hamstring issue.

…Wide receiver AD Mitchell (ankle) did not travel.

Kelee Ringo’s second-quarter pick was his second of the year and came in a big spot.

Up 3-0, Kentucky was inside Georgia’s red zone when Will Levis lofted a pass. Ringo made a great read and snagged the football inside the Bulldog 5.

Ringo returned the ball 45 yards to the 47 to set up Podlesny’s second field goal.

His other interception came during Georgia’s win over Tennessee, when he intercepted a long pass from Hendon Hooker in the end zone.

The interception was the eighth by Georgia this season.

…With the win, Georgia has won 13 straight over Kentucky.

… Podlesny’s three first-half field goals made him 20 of 22 on the year.

...With their fourth-down stop in the first quarter, opponents this season have converted just 8 of 22 attempts.

…With a scoreless first quarter, Georgia's defense has allowed only nine points in the opening stanza through 11 games.

… The 2022 senior class has matched the school record for wins now with a 45-5 mark. The 2021 class posted a 45-8 mark.

… Georgia’s average margin of victory in its SEC games was 25.5. For the 2021 club, it was 31.9 points. … The Bulldogs now have won 26 straight regular season games, including their last 19 SEC games in that span.

… Smart is 7-0 against Kentucky and 77-15 overall.

… Georgia is 11-0 for the second straight year, Before the 2021 season, the last time Georgia was 11-0 was 1982.

… With Saturday’s win, Georgia improves to 7-2 all-time as the No. 1 ranked CFP team including 2-0 in 2022.

… Georgia came in ranked 2nd nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 11.6 points a game, while Kentucky came in scoring 23.3 ppg. Kentucky finished the first half with no points, with 119 yards of total offense on 21 plays, holding the ball for 17:47. The Wildcats finished with 295 yards of offense on 56 plays. UK did have a 99-yard TD drive in nine plays in the 4th quarter.

… Georgia has posted 24 scoreless quarters this season, and this was its fifth first-half shutout of the year.

… The leading tackler was sophomore Smael Mondon, who tallied 11, while sophomore Jamon Dumas-Johnson and freshman Malaki Starks were next with eight apiece.

… Georgia came in averaging 40.6 points per game and 509.6 yards of offense. The Bulldogs had just three possessions in the first half, running 31 plays and settling for three field goals with 161 yards of offense. They finished the contest with 16 points on nine drives with 363 yards of offense on 65 plays.

… Kenny McIntosh posted a career-high 143 yards on a career-high 19 carries and one touchdown, plus two catches for 19 yards.

...To start the 4th quarter, Georgia had a 4th-and-1 from the UK1 and was stopped. The Bulldogs are 9-for-11 on 4th down this year.

… On its opening drive, Georgia managed a 27-yard field goal after going 58 yards on 13 plays in 5:07 for a 3-0 lead.

…. Georgia’s lone TD drive came in the 3rd quarter, going 58 yards on eight plays in 3:50, and after the PAT it was 16-0.

… Stetson Bennett finished 13-for-19 for 116 yards, 0 touchdowns, and one interception. In the first half, he was 10-for-15 for 74 yards.

… Kentucky went 1-for-3 in the red zone (interception by Kelee Ringo plus a TD and a missed field goal). Coming in today, Georgia ranked 3rd nationally in Red Zone Defense, and now have limited opponents to scoring just 63 percent (15-of-24) of the time.

… Brett Thorson had his first punt with 6:55 left in the 4th quarter, and it went 48 yards, going out of bounds at the UK 10. He finished with two for a 50.5 average.

… Kelee Ringo had a first-half interception while Stetson Bennett threw an interception in the 3rd quarter. UK’s turnover led to a field goal. Georgia has scored 44 points off 12 turnovers. UK turned the UGA miscue into no points, going minus six yards in three plays. The opponents have 36 points off 14 turnovers. Captains & Coin Toss: Junior Jalen Carter (DL), senior Kearis Jackson (WR), junior Nazir Stackhouse (DL), and redshirt sophomore Sedrick Van Pran were captains.

Are you a displaced corporate executive or want to put your career in your own hands? Or are you an experienced entrepreneur wanting to diversify? Well, Andy Luedecke can help!

Andy is a longtime Rival board member, diehard college football fan and franchise veteran. He owns multiple franchises and businesses and uses his expertise to help others find their American Dream through a very thorough and FREE consultation process.

Call Andy, put your life and career in your own hands. 100% free, so what do you have to lose?!!

Find Your Perfect Franchise at MyPerfectFranchise.Net

Contact Andy Luedecke anytime at:

andy@myperfectfranchise.net

(404) 973-9901