Through the Appalachian mountains, Knoxville, and up to Kentucky, the drive was a sight to see. The first true road game of the season was one to remember. It felt like one of the strangest games in recent history. Yet, the Dawgs still came out on top. The environment was shockingly active. I can’t speak for games in the past, but the so-called basketball school that resides in Lexington, Kentucky had quite the football crowd. Kroger Field’s capacity of 60,000 fans was filled to the brim. 

The opening two performances against Clemson and Tennessee Tech left Georgia fans with confidence in their teams’ ability. The first half against the Wildcats felt similar to that of Clemson. The offense could not find their rhythm, but the defense was holding their own. A few penalties struck the defense before they could get off the field. Jalon Walker’s roughing the passer call felt clean from just a few yards behind where the penalty occurred. The thought at halftime was, alright, now let’s go out there and open up the playbook in the second half. Unfortunately, not much offensive success arose after mid-game adjustments. Thankfully, one big drive put just enough points on the board to eventually win the game. Down one, Kentucky was given two opportunities to take the lead. Security surrounded the field in case of an unranked upset over the nation’s number one team. The field staff was hopeful, but after getting the ball into UGA territory, Coach Stoops elected to punt on 4th down. Once returning this punt, Carson Beck led Georgia to an eight play, 2:49 minute drive, giving the Cats the ball back with only nine seconds to spare. Following three unsuccessful plays, the clock struck zero.

The previous two matchups on the road against the Wildcats resulted in similar outcomes. In 2020, Georgia won 14-3, and in 2022, the Bulldogs won 16-6. However, until September 14th, there was never a true fear of a potential loss once the games commenced. The Dawgs did not take a lead in this year’s game until early into the fourth quarter, when Branson Robinson bruised his way into the end zone for a three-yard score. As Georgia celebrated, a lineman walked his way up closer to the goal post and yelled at Kentucky fans to: “shut up.” There may have also been a few other words included in that sentence that will remain unwritten… The Dawgs have their work cut out for them. After a much needed bye week, it will be time to head to T-Town to take on the Crimson Tide.