Mark Stoops talks about 13-12 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs

Kentucky had an offensive coordinator Mike Bobostar quarterback Carson Beckand the rest of the Georgia offense was completely out of shape in the first half. In their first three possessions, Georgia gained just 27 yards and gave up three punts. The Wildcats had a chance to take control of the game and build a double-digit lead that might have been insurmountable with the way the home team was running and defending the ball.

Unfortunately, Kentucky missed the chance to deliver a knockdown punch in the second quarter.

KSR reflects on UGA’s 13-12 win over the visiting team by taking a closer look at the three biggest plays of the night. Two turnover swings in the second quarter went in favor of the away team before a second-and-long pass call led to a controversial punt call by Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops.

The missed interception that no one talks about

I feel like I could write a 2,000 word column on the replay official’s decision to turn what appeared to be a clear catch and bobble by Dominic Lovett into an incomplete pass, resulting in an interception. How they got to that result still amazes me, erasing a pick-six by Zion Children’s Res That would have given Kentucky a two-possession lead midway through the second quarter.

But we shouldn’t have even been in that situation. On third-and-2 at their own 30, Georgia went for a dropback pass, and Carson Beck made a mistake. Kentucky couldn’t capitalize.

Kentucky’s three-man rush is enough to get Beck off the platform, and it takes his eyes off the secondary for a moment. The veteran quarterback tries Dominic Lovett over the middle but just doesn’t see any safety Jordan Lovett lurking over the route. The redshirt junior jumps over the route but lets an interception slip through his fingers.

Instead of getting another scoring opportunity that could have ended in a touchdown — or at least a field goal — Georgia moved the ball closer to midfield and was able to flip field position. The Bulldogs took advantage of the controversial pick-six overturn, but the game comes to that point when Lovett finishes the play.

Lost fumble earns Georgia points

Finally, Kentucky came off the field on Georgia’s fourth possession and forced a punt. Unfortunately, missed interceptions allowed the Bulldogs to pin the Wildcats inside their own 10. But a questionable roughing the passer penalty on third down got the home team’s drive started.

Three plays later, a Brock Vandagriff scramble set up a first-and-10 at Kentucky’s own 44. Then disaster struck. A first-down sack created an obvious passing down. Georgia’s pass rush came home on second down, and Vandagriff made his biggest mistake of the game.

The Wildcats use a play-action fake, but boundary linebacker Raylen Wilson comes on a delayed blitz once Vandagriff reaches the top of his drop. UGA gets a free runner on the Kentucky quarterback as a result, and the redshirt junior fails to protect the ball.

If Vandagriff eats the sack, it sets up a third-and-long, but Kentucky can play the field position game with less than four minutes left in the second quarter. Instead, the game’s first turnover gives a struggling UGA offense the ball at the Kentucky 23.

The Wildcats held the Bulldogs to three points, but the Big Blue lost a couple of key moments in the second quarter. Those changes ultimately allowed Georgia to weather the first-half storm instead of falling into a two-possession hole that had been inevitable Saturday night as two defenses tried to outplay each other.

The missed second down call

Mark Stoops’ decision to punt the ball on a fourth-and-8 at the Georgia 47 with under three minutes remaining will be questioned all week. But the Wildcats were truly in no man’s land against Georgia’s pass rush. The second-down call is where everyone should be focused.

Rather than opting for a second down run to potentially create a third-and-medium situation where Bush Hamdan’s offense would automatically get two downs to move the chains, Kentucky decided to go aggressive one down early.

The Wildcats returned to their jet sweep series with a play-action concept looking for tight end Khamari Anderson up the seam. Unfortunately, Georgia had covered it up and forced Brock Vandagriff into his checkdown. Anthony Brown-Stephens was wide open as a release option and likely creates at least a third-and-short, but Kentucky’s offensive line couldn’t handle the pass rush.

Georgia brings seven rushers, and Kentucky only has a six-man protection. The ball has to come out quickly. Linebacker Smael Mondon hits the middle Eli Coxand defensive tackle Nazir Stackhouse beats left guard tackle Brands Cox in a slide protection very quickly. That leads to a batted ball and a third-and-ight.

Kentucky got aggressive, but Georgia’s aggressive call won in a monumental spot and eventually forced a run. At key moments, the Wildcats just couldn’t hold on in protection, and that likely led to Stoops’ decision to run with three timeouts and the two-minute warning in his back pocket.

The Wildcats did some good things in Week 3, but pass protection remains a major issue.