Georgia football had a tough task of taking on three ranked opponents for three straight weeks, and with the SEC East on the line, the Dawgs beat Kentucky 30-13.
This game lands at No. 5 in this ranking because Georgia made sure to keep control of their destiny to Atlanta, and it put them in the driver seat to do something they’d never done until this season.
Kentucky beat Florida the week prior, and they were confident to come in and ruin the No. 1 team’s chances at a perfect season. Instead, the Dawgs handled their business and went into the bye week a perfect 7-0.
The Wildcats gave the Dawgs a challenge and were the only SEC team outside of Tennessee during the regular season who made Georgia work for their win.
Both teams went scoreless through the first quarter, and then Georgia found their offense. The Dawgs led 14-7 at halftime and then put on the pressure.
Stetson Bennett went 14-of-20 for 250 yards and three touchdowns, but the Dawgs’ rush attack did a good job controlling the clock as they rushed for 166 yards and one score.
Kentucky scored twice on Georgia, but the Dawgs blocked the Wildcats’ second extra point to avoid having more than 13 points scored on them at that point in the season.
This game ranks over the Vols game because Kentucky could have beaten Georgia and taken control of the SEC East. Instead, Georgia wasn’t going to let that happen. The Dawgs proved to have a more talented team and one that had far more depth than the Wildcats.
The Dawgs had a solid win to get through the first part of the season and the confidence to finish out their schedule strong.