Dogs over Cats: Georgia wins wild one over Kentucky with game-winning field goal
It's the moment all kickers live for.
Georgia place-kicker Rodrigo Blankenship lined up for a chance to his his first career game-winning field goal. From 25 yards out and with five seconds on the clock, Blankenship connected and helped give Georgia a 27-24 win over Kentucky.
Georgia (5-4, 3-4 SEC) is now one win away from bowl eligibility, and Kentucky (5-4, 4-3) still has to win one more to secure a bowl trip.
Four who mattered
Blankenship: Remember when Georgia had place-kicking issues? Blankenship has since alleviated those concerns by making nine field goals in a row. He made three against Kentucky, from 25, 42 and 49 and 25 yards. The 49-yarder was the longest of Blankenship's career.
Georgia running back Sony Michel: Michel turned in Georgia's best rushing performance with 127 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. Michel had a 26-yard scamper to the right corner of the end zone in the fourth quarter that put Georgia ahead before Kentucky tied the game up with a field goal.
Kentucky running back Benny Snell Jr.: Snell was a handful for Georgia to bring down. The Wildcats showed the run and executed a lot of direct-snap plays to him, especially down the stretch. Snell had one of the best plays of the game by converting what looked to be a three yard loss into a first down on a third-and-short late in the fourth quarter. Snell finished with 114 yards and two touchdowns.
Kentucky running back Stanley "Boom" Williams: Williams had a good game as well and did most of his damage in the first half. He ran the ball 14 times for 77 yards and a touchdown.
Turning point
Blankenship's game-winner, considering the game was tied before the attempt.
Observations
Final drive a masterpiece for Georgia: After Kentucky tied the score thanks to an Austin MacGinnis field goal from 25 yards with 2:47 left to go, the Bulldogs executed a perfect game-winning drive. Twice, quarterback Jacob Eason found receiver Javon Wims for 12-yard gains. He hit Terry Godwin on a pass that he turned into a 16-yard gain. Then Sony Michel was able to get the ball inside the 10 for the final field goal try, which Blankenship connected on.
Run games find success: Both Georgia and Kentucky entered the game looking to establish the run. Georgia hasn't been able to of late and Kentucky had been dominant the the previous three weeks. Both teams were able to find some room to run in this one. Michel and Nick Chubb led Georgia to 215 rushing yards. Snell and Williams were a part of a crew that went for 186 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Eason fades before strong finish: Once again, quarterback Jacob Eason started 5-of-7 passing and accounted for an early 122 yards and a touchdown. From there, Eason's numbers dipped as he had plenty of overthrows and was the victim of his receivers dropping some passes. While he had an early 51-yard bomb to Javon Wims, Eason wasn't much of a threat as a downfield passer once again. But when it was all said and done, Eason did rebound with a string of completions during a final two-minute drill and finished 17-of-31 passing for 245 yards and a touchdown.
Worth mentioning
Two on the ground: In a rare display of poor ball-handling, Georgia running back Nick Chubb lost two fumbles against Kentucky. The first came in the third quarter on a play where Kentucky's Josh Allen jarred the ball loose. The second came in the fourth quarter on a play that was originally ruled confirmed before a late-arriving angle became available that showed the ball coming out.
Second game-winning drive: Eason put together his second game-winning drive of the season. First, it was against Missouri. On Saturday, Eason went 4-of-4 passing for 42 yards on the final drive before Blankenship hit the game-winning field goal.
Three injuries: Georgia lost Trent Thompson to a left hip injury in the first half but he should be OK, head coach Kirby Smart said afterward. In the fourth quarter, left tackle Tyler Catalina went down with what appeared to be a leg injury. Catalina was able to walk off the field under his own power. Reggie Davis sprained an AC joint in his shoulder.
They said it
Smart on Blankenship hitting four field goals, including the game-winner: "Who would've thought after the spring game and everything else that that guy would hit four field goals? I'm so happy for him because he has worked so hard. He's been drilling those things in practice lately so that's why we're willing to put him out there."
Georgia defensive back Maurice Smith on defending Kentucky's running backs: "We knew they were coming. I mean, you have got to give your hats off to them. They played great and they really gave us a challenge that was physical and I think we just outplayed them. Finally we showed that we could play and this is a good win for the team."
Kentucky's Williams on losing by a game-winning field goal: "It sucks very badly, especially when you lose to a last-second field goal. It is probably one of the worst ways you can lose besides a Hail Mary at the end of a game."
What’s next?
Georgia returns home and will host Auburn at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.
This story was originally published November 5, 2016 at 11:21 PM with the headline "Dogs over Cats: Georgia wins wild one over Kentucky with game-winning field goal ."