No. 12 Georgia bounces back from first loss of the season to beat Kentucky 35-14

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) – Gunner Stockton and the No. 12 Georgia Bulldogs wasted no time showing they had moved on from a tough loss to Alabama.

Stockton and Dillon Bell each had a pair of touchdown runs, leading the Bulldogs to a 35-14 victory over Kentucky on Saturday.

Georgia (4-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) finally got off to a quick start, capping its first two possessions with scoring runs from quarterback Stockton.

There were no signs of anyone still pouting about what happened a week ago, when Alabama won 24-21 to snap Georgia’s 33-game home winning streak.

“I wasn’t shocked at all by the response of the team,” coach Kirby Smart said. “If we continue to get better, we’ll be where we need to be.”

Stockton had 48 yards on six carries. He completed 15 of 23 passes for 196 yards, including a 16-yard scoring play to Cash Jones.

Bell, a receiver who also has played running back, tacked on a pair of 3-yard TD runs with an end around and a reverse. He set up the scoring pass to Jones with a 33-yard catch.

Cutter Boley had 225 yards passing with a couple of touchdowns for Kentucky (2-3, 0-3), but it wasn’t nearly enough to prevent Georgia from winning its 16th straight game in the series.

The Bulldogs haven’t lost to Kentucky since 2009.

“I’m excited about our guys getting off to a fast start. That was the goal. That’s always the goal,” Smart said. “We still have a long way to improve to get where we need to go. But we are physical and we are resilient. That’s gonna keep you competitive.”

Georgia had trailed at halftime in its two previous games. No such issues in this one.

The Bulldogs took the opening kickoff and went 75 yards in 12 plays, capped by Stockton diving at the pylon for a 7-yard scoring run.

Georgia went nearly the length of the field on its next possession – 96 yards over 13 plays – and Stockton finished it off again. He trotted in for a 6-yard TD after a nifty fake on linebacker Sam Greene.

Kentucky coach Mark Stoops, the longest-tenured coach in the SEC, angrily denied that he has talked with school officials about a possible buyout.

“I’d hate to give anything like that legs,” he said. “There’s zero chance I’m walking away. There’s no quit in me, so that’s unequivocally 100% false. Anyone who tells you that is lying.”

In his 13th season, Stoops has a record of 69-76 overall and 28-65 in the SEC.

“I don’t want to address that crap no more,” he added.

Kentucky: The Wildcats simply made too many mistakes to have any chance of an upset. Poor time management at the end of the first half and a fumble on their first possession of the third quarter allowed the Bulldogs to pull away. And Jacob Kauwe missed a 26-yard field goal to end the first half. Kentucky has now gone 3-9 since a huge upset at Mississippi early last season, with no wins against Power Four opponents.

Georgia: The Bulldogs haven’t lost back-to-back games in the regular season since 2016. They turned in another strong performance in the trenches, despite losing left tackle Monroe Freeling with a leg injury. Chauncey Bowens ran for 70 yards and Georgia finished with 180 rushing overall. On the other side of the line, the Bulldogs limited Kentucky to 45 yards running the ball and collected their first fumble recovery of the season.

Receiver London Humphreys set up Georgia’s third touchdown with a brilliant play on special teams.

Brett Thorson sent a booming punt toward the left pylon and Humphreys tiptoed along the goal line to bat it out of bounds at Kentucky 1.

The Wildcats went three-and-out after Thorson’s 60-yard punt, and Georgia got the ball back at the Kentucky 40.

Taking advantage of the short field, the Bulldogs needed only six plays to reach the end zone on Bell’s first TD run.

Kentucky had an opportunity to cut into Georgia’s two-touchdown lead before halftime, only to squander a prime scoring chance.

After driving across midfield, the Wildcats wasted more than 20 seconds trying to get lined up before finally being forced to call their second timeout to avoid a delay penalty.

They could have used that extra time with a first-and-goal at the Georgia 8 but could only take one shot at the end zone. Boley threw it away when he couldn’t find anyone open, and Kauwe yanked the chip-shot field goal wide of the left upright.

Kentucky: After an off week, it’s another stiff challenge when the Wildcats host No. 9 Texas on Oct. 18.

Georgia: Travels to Auburn next Saturday for the renewal of the Deep South’s oldest rivalry.