No. 1 Georgia dominates No. 20 Kentucky in 51-13 win

Nick Bromberg
·Senior writer
Updated ·3-min read

Georgia finally showed why it’s the No. 1 team in the country with a convincing 51-13 win over No. 20 Kentucky on Saturday night.

The Bulldogs jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the second quarter and led 34-7 at halftime as QB Carson Beck completed his first 12 passes. His 11th completion of the night was a phenomenal catch by Rara Thomas for the Mississippi State transfer’s first TD grab as a Bulldog.

Georgia did everything it wanted against a Kentucky team that was addled by penalties throughout the first half. The Wildcats had the Bulldogs finally stopped on a third down while trailing 14-0, but Georgia got an automatic first down after Deone Walker committed an inexplicable unnecessary roughness penalty after an incomplete pass.

The Bulldogs then stretched the lead to three touchdowns on what turned out to be a 95-yard touchdown drive. And the game was over at that point. The win is the 23rd in a row for the two-time defending national champions as they look to be the first team since Minnesota from 1934-36 to win three consecutive national titles.

Carson Beck has his best game as a starter

Beck had been solid but not spectacular in his first season succeeding Stetson Bennett as Georgia’s starter. He entered the game completing 72% of his passes and had thrown for 1,497 yards but had thrown just one touchdown in his two games against SEC opponents as Georgia won its first two conference games by a combined 17 points.

He quintupled that number Saturday night as Georgia’s first three scores were all passing touchdowns. Beck had his best game of the season and was 28-of-35 for 389 yards with four touchdowns and an interception.

Georgia and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo made it clear from the start that Beck was going to throw the ball all over Kentucky’s defense. The drive that resulted in Thomas’ TD catch didn’t include a run play.

If Beck continues to play like he did Saturday night, it’s hard to see when Georgia's win streak is going to end.

Devin Leary continues to struggle

Former NC State QB Devin Leary came to Kentucky as a ready-made starter to replace Will Levis. And it’s safe to say that Leary has not met expectations so far this season.

Leary entered the game completing less than 58% of his passes and his completion percentage declined with his performance on Saturday night. Leary was off the mark from the start — he missed a wide-open throw on Kentucky’s first drive and never seemed comfortable. He finished just 10-of-26 passing for 128 yards and two touchdowns.

Kentucky beat Florida a week ago on the shoulders of an epic rushing performance from RB Ray Davis. But the Wildcats will need Leary to improve over the second half of the season if they want to finish second in the East to Georgia or even beat Missouri next week. The 5-1 Tigers travel to Lexington in Week 7 for a game that could be massive.

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