Georgia's Win: The Good, Bad and the Ugly

Georgia defeated the Kentucky Wildcats (14-3) in one of the least impressive victories in memory by the No. 5-ranked team in the country.

The University of Georgia came away with a less than impressive 14-3 victory over the Kentucky Wildcats. The game featured 82 rushing attempts and just 39 passing attempts in a game that looked like one from the 1920s.

That leads to this week's edition of the good, bad, and ugly.

The Good

Stetson Bennett's Still Confident

Following the win, quarterback Stetson Bennett told ESPN's Cole Cubelic he believed the offense played well. So, despite throwing five interceptions in the last two games, Stetson appears to be confident after the game. To its credit, Georgia came into the game with a plan to run the football. The game's opening scoring drive was 86 yards with all 86 yards gained on the ground and one pass play called on a 12-play possession.

Defense

As expected, despite Georgia's defense fighting through numerous injuries to key contributors, the Bulldogs played suffocating defense for the overwhelming majority of the game.

Offensive Line/Zamir White

Running back Zamir White had a career day against Kentucky. He rushed for 136 yards on a career-high 26 carries. That's a testament to the offensive line. White averaged 5.2 yards per carry and Georgia averaged 5.0 yards per carry as a team. The game plan was to run the ball, and they successfully did that Saturday afternoon.

The Bad

Rush defense

For the second straight week, Georgia allowed a 100-yard rusher. They allowed a 19-play scoring drive in which Kentucky ran the ball nine times for 48 yards. Those two numbers alone are something that hasn't happened very often under head coach Kirby Smart at Georgia.

Wide Receivers

Without George Pickens on the field, Kentucky was allowed to spread their attention evenly against Georgia's receiving threats. Granted, there were limited opportunities for them — considering there were just 14 passing attempts — but someone has to make a play. Georgia's longest reception in the game was from running back James Cook for 46 yards.

The Ugly

Injuries

Just seven days before they play a potentially divisional championship game against Florida,  Georgia has injuries to nearly a dozen key contributors.

  • WR George Pickens: DNP (Upper Body)
  • RB Kenny McIntosh: DNP (Knee)
  • G Ben Cleveland: Left game
  • LB Monty Rice: Foot
  • DT Julian Rochester: Shoulder
  • LB Quay Walker: Left game
  • S Lewis Cine: Left game
  • DB Tyrique Stevenson: Left game
  • CB DJ Daniel: DNP (Ankle)
  • DT Jordan Davis: Left game

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Brooks Austin
BROOKS AUSTIN

Brooks Austin is a former college football player turned journalist and broadcaster. Follow him on Twitter @BrooksAustinBA