Kentucky loses close battle with Georgia: 4 things to know and postgame banter

The Kentucky Wildcats welcomed the Georgia Bulldogs to a chilly Kroger Field on Saturday afternoon, and they would fall just short as the Dawgs hung on for a 16-6 victory.

A hectic start on the opening kickoff handed Kentucky the ball on their own 4-yard line. But beside a great third down throw from Will Levis early in the first quarter, the offense couldn't get rolling against this stacked Georgia defense.

Much like every other game this season however, Brad White had his “bend don’t break” defense working to perfection in the first half. So much so they held UGA to three field goals on the first three red zone possessions of the game for Stetson Bennett and their offense, as Georgia took the lead to the locker room 9-0.

Jordan Lovett started off the second half with a huge interception, but in true Kentucky fashion the offense couldn't get a first down.

From that point on the talented Georgia offensive line began to control the line of scrimmage, allowing the UGA offense to do whatever they wanted for the remainder of the game.

Isn't much to say after this one. Georgia is awesome, and Kentucky is middle of the road currently. But one thing that we can't argue is the effort from this team to the finish.

Now let’s take a look at several things to know from today’s loss against the Dawgs.

Bend Don’t Break

The story of this game is going to be the defense once again. Especially the play of the defensive line.

Each week Mark Stoops and Brad White have this unit ready to go, and that was the case against Georgia today. Unfortunately this defensive unit got left out to dry by the offense once again. We always hear coaches talk about complimentary football... well I wouldn't be shocked if they use UK as the example of how not to do it.

Nevertheless, another solid effort by the defense without DeAndre Square and Jacquez Jones.

This was also another reminder that Brad White will and deserves to get head-coaching looks in the coming weeks.

O-Line takes a positive step

Despite the rest of the offense stinking up the place, the O-line actually played well against a talented Georgia defensive line.

The ground game produced several nice runs, while the pass protection held up well for four quarters against a stout Georgia frontline.

They have struggled all season, but they seemed to start putting it together some after a terrible game against Vanderbilt. Saying this, offensive line coach Zach Yenser likely needs his unit to have another good performance next vs. Louisville to feel good about his chances of being back next season.

Barion Brown balls out

What a performance from true freshman wideout Barion Brown, who was nearly uncoverable in this one, racking up 10 catches for 145 yards and a touchdown against arguably the best defense in all of college football.

We already knew Brown has a very bright future, but this game showed why he has the potential to become one of the nation’s best wideouts.

Here’s to hoping he’s doing it in Lexington until his eventual jump to the NFL.

Special Teams

It’s unfortunate to bring this up for what feels like the millionth time this season, but the special teams came up short again in a close loss.

The big headline was the horrible snap late in the game that led to a missed field goal that would have made it a seven-point game.

There was also the fair catch snafu on the opening kickoff that led to Kentucky starting its first possession at its own goal line, though they still managed to have a long drive into Georgia territory before being stopped on fourth down.

Story of the season, unfortunately.