LEXINGTON, Ky. — Branson Robinson rushed for a 3-yard, go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter, and top-ranked Georgia overcame a lethargic performance to rally past and then hold off Kentucky 13-12 on Saturday night.
The Bulldogs (3-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) struggled to find continuity on either side of the ball and trailed 9-3 early in the third quarter to a Wildcats squad intent on rebounding from its own flat effort in a 31-6 home loss to conference rival South Carolina. Peyton Woodring’s 30-yard field goal late in the third quarter pulled Georgia to within three before the Dawgs followed with their longest drive of the night at just the right time.
Trevor Etienne’s 12-yard run, 11-yard reception and 8-yard rush got the Bulldogs to the Kentucky 29. The Florida transfer then broke right for a 17-yard run to the 11, stepping out of bounds as he tip-toed down the sideline trying to reach the end zone. Robinson took it in from there three plays later for Georgia’s first lead at 13-9.
The Wildcats weren’t done, answering with Alex Raynor’s 51-yard field goal to get to within a point. His school-record 55-yard kick gave Kentucky an early lead, and he added two more from 32 and 40 yards for an advantage that held for more than three quarters — though not enough to put away Georgia. Kentucky (1-2, 0-2) got the ball a final time at its 20 with 9 seconds left.
Etienne rushed 19 times for 79 yards, and Robinson, a sophomore who sat out last season because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament, had 5 yards on 2 carries. Quarterback Carson Beck completed 15 of 24 passes for 160 yards, including with his longest completion of 33 yards to Dominic Lovett with 2:45 left. That put the Bulldogs at midfield and provided breathing room in a game where nothing came easy.
Kentucky was the aggressor for the first 30-plus minutes, building a 6-3 halftime lead from Raynor’s first two field goals. The Wildcats also outgained the Bulldogs 130-63 by the break, nothing great, but a huge improvement over last week’s lackluster 183-yard outing. Most notably, their defense forced the Bulldogs into four punts before Woodring’s 34-yard field goal late in the second quarter to tie the score at 3-3.
Up next, Georgia visits No. 4 Alabama on Sept. 28 in a rematch of last season’s SEC championship won by the Crimson Tide 27-24.