Thursday March 28th, 2024 11:38AM

No. 5 Dogs hold on for 11th straight win over 'Cats

By The Associated Press

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Zamir White rushed for a carer-high 131 yards and a touchdown, Stetson Bennett also ran for a score and No. 5 Georgia beat Kentucky 14-3 on Saturday for its 11th straight win in the series.

Their scores opened both halves as the Bulldogs (4-1 Southeastern Conference) improved to 5-1 after byes under coach Kirby Smart. Georgia's 215 yards on the ground nearly outgained the Wildcats’ total yardage (229).

Bennett completed 9 of 13 passes for 131 yards with two interceptions.

White carried 26 times, also a career best, including a fourth-and-1 burst for an easy 22-yard TD and double-digit lead early in the third quarter. Bennett’s 2-yard score capped an 86-yard, 12-play initial drive that set the tone for Georgia's control of the line of scrimmage on its limited possessions.

“We came in with the mindset that we wanted to score every single possession we got the ball and do it by any means necessary,” Smart said. “Whether that was run the ball, throw the ball, we take what they give you and that's what we were doing.”

James Cook added 39 yards rushing on six carries and Kendall Milton 31 on eight attempts as Georgia earned its longest winning streak against Kentucky. The Bulldogs also bounced back from a loss at No. 2 Alabama two weeks ago.

Chris Rodriguez rushed 20 times for 108 yards for Kentucky (2-4), which only managed Matt Ruffolo’s 34-yard field goal in dropping its second in a row. Quarterback Joey Gatewood was 15 of 25 passing for 91 yards in his first start in place of Terry Wilson, who was out with an injured wrist.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Georgia was workmanlike but likely reinforced its top-five credentials with the win.

THE TAKEAWAY

Georgia was nothing if not efficient in opening both halves with impressive long touchdown drives on a day it had the ball for just 25 minutes. Bennett continued to struggle with interceptions, one of which was a tipped ball that stopped a chance to pad the lead just before halftime. Fortunately for the Bulldogs, their defense made sure Kentucky stayed primarily with the run before shutting it down at key times to keep the Wildcats out of the end zone. They also recorded four sacks despite losing several players to injury during the game.

Kentucky’s offense figured to stay on the ground in Gatewood’s first start, and the Wildcats had promising moments with Rodriguez and the QB running the ball. But a week after mustering just 145 yards at Missouri, they reached Georgia territory just twice and Gatewood fumbled away one solid opportunity at the 36. Getting only a field goal on a 19-play, 77-yard drive covering 10:28 demonstrated their offensive struggles.

“We’re playing physical enough on both sides of the line of scrimmage to win games like that,” coach Mark Stoops said. “We have to create opportunities for big plays, we have to get the ball in the end zone. The long drive we had in the second quarter, got three (points) out of it, you need to punch that in and put pressure on them. That was the big difference in the game.”

UP NEXT

Georgia faces No. 10 Florida on Saturday in the annual rivalry showdown in Jacksonville, Florida.

Kentucky has a bye before hosting Vanderbilt on Nov. 14.

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