The 2024 college football season has been filled with unexpected upsets and those that came close to being such. But hardly anyone would have predicted that Kentucky, which suffered a 25-point loss at home last week, would have held a candle to the No. 1-ranked Georgia Bulldogs.
Instead, the Wildcats came close to pulling off the unthinkable, exposing some issues that the Bulldogs need to fix if they are to hold onto their top status for the remainder of the season after controversially failing to make it into the College Football Playoff last year.
Outside of Texas, Georgia will face one of its toughest opponents, the Alabama Crimson Tide, on the road on Sept. 28, but will have an open date before that. Alabama also has a chance to rest, coming off a 42-10 victory over the Wisconsin Badgers.
Here’s a look at four things we took away from the matchup against Kentucky.
Related: 4 takeaways from Alabama Crimson Tide’s’s 42-10 win over Wisconsin
1. Not the outcome they wanted, but don’t doubt the Wildcats
Many people were down on Kentucky after how dismal things looked in the 31-6 loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks just one week ago at home. The same team that fell in that game is the same one that led the best team in the nation, 9-6 when both of them walked into the locker room at halftime after Kentucky was projected to lose the game by at least three scores.
“I’m really proud of our players, the way they competed. Very challenging week… (I’m) proud of the players for picking up themselves up off the mat after a performance we weren’t very proud of.”
Kentucky coach Mark Stoops
Related: 4 takeaways from LSU Tigers’ 36-33 victory over South Carolina
2. QB Brock Vandagriff shows improvement
One of the interesting storylines within this game was former Georgia quarterback Brock Vandagriff taking the field against his old team. Vandagriff had a rough outing in the loss to South Carolina last week, ending that contest completing 3-of-10 passes for 30 yards with one interception. There was more that played into Kentucky’s offensive woes in that one than Vandagriff’s own mistakes while he was also dealing with injury, surrounded by an offensive line that didn’t do him any favors.
Vandagriff looked more decisive and improved in this game, praised for the toughness he showed while the offensive line still had its down moments
“He played like we would expect him to,” Stoops said after game.
Vandagriff finished out the contest 14-for-27 passing for 114 yards. He also carried the ball 13 times for 26 yards. He and the Kentucky offense outgained, Georgia 284-262.
Related: Winners, losers from College Football Week 3
3. Key injuries continue to plague Georgia Bulldogs
The Bulldogs lost standout edge rusher Mykel Williams in Week 1 to an ankle injury, with defensive tackle Warren Brinson sidelined for the same thing. In this game, star offensive lineman Tate Ratledge was forced to leave the game early in the second quarter with an ankle and knee injury, carted off the field before Micah Morris took his place at right guard.
This could prove a major loss for the Bulldogs in one of their most important pieces in keeping quarterback Carson Beck upright as well as one of the team’s strongest leadership figures.
Related: Week 4 college football rankings
4. Second-half offense ignites… again
It wasn’t the same, but something about this game was a bit reminiscent of the season-opener against the Clemson Tigers.
And what that was, was the way the Bulldog seemed to hit their stride when they needed to offensively after some sputtering in the first half against a stout Kentucky defensive line. Georgia’s offense didn’t come alive the same way that it did when the Bulldogs went on a 28-3 run in the final two quarters against Clemson, but Georgia did look more into a rhythm on that side of the ball as time progressed.
The Bulldogs seemed to find more balance offensively and generated more explosive plays, gaining more yards on their first drive of the third quarter than they did in six possessions in the first half. Keeping the momentum rolling consistently through four quarters will be important to beating Alabama in Week 4.
Related: Heisman Watch 2024