WBN Live Drive Blog: Kentucky Wildcats vs. #11 Georgia Bulldogs

Sept 29, 2012; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats quarterback Jalen Whitlow (13) passes the ball against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Commonwealth Stadium. Credit: Mark Zerof-US PRESSWIRE

Good Evening Big Blue Nation! We’re just moments away from kick-off at Commonwealth Stadium as the Kentucky Wildcats host the 11th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs as the Cats look to end a five-game losing-streak and give football fans hope for a brighter future with as amny as 14 true freshman potentially playing to go along with a number of redshirt freshman and true sophomores playing.

As expected, Patrick Towels will not play tonight. We still plan to see Jalen Whitlow starting at QB with Morgan Newton potentially getting playing time as his back up.

Georgia junior OLB Jarvis Jones will not play due to a groin injury. Make sure to check out our article on how big a loss for Georgia that is. In just five of a possible six games this season, he ranks third in the Southeastern Conference in tackles for loss (9.5) and sacks (5.5) and ranks fourth in the FBS in forced fumbles (3) to go with nine quarterback hurries.

Kickoff is slated for 7:10 PM. Make sure to check out our Where to Watch article for where to watch and listen to the game.

First-Quarter

UK Ball

After receiving the opening kickoff, the Cats got back-to-back big runs by Jonathan George, gaining two first downs on their first three plays.

Facing a 3rd-and-7, George broke off a 21 yarder to the UGA-39.

After back-to-back first-downs by Raymond Sanders got the Cats down to the UGA-10, the Cats were faced a 3rd-and-3 at the UGA-5, Morgan Newton came in and threw a 5-yard strike to Aaron Boyd to put the Cats up 7-0 on the Cat’s first offensive possession.

UGA Ball

The Dawgs opened the game with five straight runs to the UK-48 before Taylor Wyndham sacked Aaron Murry on 3rd-down to force a UGA punt to the UK-20.

Whitlow is sacked by Kwame Geathers to kill the drive and UK is forced to punt, but Landon Foster booted it down to the UGA-3.

UK Ball

Facing a 3rd-and-4, Jalen Whitlow scrambles 14 yards for a first down.

UGA Ball

UGA gets out of the shadow of it’s endzone after Aaron Murray completes a pass to Marlon Brown for 16 yards to the UGA-19 for a first down

Murray later hits Tavarres King for a 66-yard TD to tie the game at 7-7.

Second-Quarter

UK Ball

UK continues to run the ball behind the legs of George, who is in all-out best mode tonight. Nearly two minute into the second-quarter, the Cats have already rushed for 100 yards, more than their season average.

UK throws a reverse pass to DeMarco Robinson, who then throws it back to Whitlow who 33 yards runs all the way down to the UGA 2. Newton then comes in to run it in tho put the Cats back up 14-7. Regardless of whatever the final score is, the Cats are clearly ready to take it to Georgia and give them all they can handle on homecoming night.

UGA Ball

The Cats give up a first down on 3rd-and-3 to open the drive, and Murray makes them pay by again hitting Tavarres King deep for 48 yards to the UK 3. Murray then hits King on a slant route in the endzone for the score, but Georgia’s kicker misses the PAT leaving the Carts up 14-13.

UK Ball

The Cats get nothing on their first two plays, and a pass to Daryl Collins comes up one yard short and UK punts it down to the UGA 19. That’s the second time the Cats have had a 4th-and-1 and didn’t go for it. Joker must feel his job is pretty secure.

UGA Ball

Murray continues to pick apart the UK secondary who are without starting safeties Neolms and Benton. The Cats do get UGA into a 3rd-and-14 after a false start penalty, and the Dawgs opt for a draw play and punt it to the UK 23.

UK Ball

The Cats get nothing again on their first two downs, and a 9-yard draw play on 3rd-down leaves the Cats again with a 4th-and-1. After mulling it over during a timeout, Joker opts to punt it AGAIN, and the Dawgs get the ball at their own 29 with 1:15 left in the first-half.

UGA Ball

The Dawgs get a couple of short completions to the UK 35, but Eric Dixon comes off a corner blitz and nails Murray to force the Dawgs into a 3rd-and-14.  A dumpoff pass to Todd Gurley gets Georgia down to the UK 30 with 7 seconds left. After 10 seconds are added back onto the clock, Murray drives the Dawgs down to the 3, where kicker Marshall Morgan bags in a 26-yard field goal off the upright and in to give Georgia a 16-14 halftime advantage.

Third-Quarter

UGA Ball

The Cats defense storms out of locker room and forces a UGA three-and-out after stopping three-straight Todd Gurley runs and the Cats get the ball at their own 35.

UK Ball

Whitlow hits Collins on a 13-yard pass to start the drive. George then pounds out 10 yards and draws a late hit out of bounds penalty that puts the ball at the UGA 20. The drive stalls and Craig McCintosh converts a 37-yard field goal to put the Cats back up by 1.

UGA Ball

After an incomplete pass and a tackles for loss by Ashley Lowry, the Dawgs are left with a 3rd-and-14 that Murray completes to King 1 yard short of the first down. The Dawgs run a fake to Malcolm Mitchell on 4th down that goes for 33 yards, but is called back for an illegal formation penalty and the Dawgs punt to the UK 24.

UK Ball

George continues to punish the Dawgs defense as he’s hit for a 1-yard gain, but powers through defenders for an additional 5 yards. After a Sander run for just two, Whitlow misses an open Boyd on third-down, and the Cats punt it to the UGA 38.

UGA Ball

The Dawgs are now going strictly with the pass to take advantage of UK’s banged-up secondary as Murray completes 4/5 passes for 57 yards and his third TD pass, but the two-pointer is no good as UGA takes a 22-17 lead. Murray is now 20/26 for 314 yards and has the Dawg’s only three touchdowns.

UK Ball

With Morgan Newton in at QB, the Cats offense begins reasserting themselves in the running game again, calling four runs in their first five plays as they drive to the UGA 32, and on third-and-five, the Cats run a reverse to Robinson that is snuffed out by Alec Ogletree and the Cats are forced to punt to the UGA 7.

UGA Ball

Murray hits King for 16 yards on the first play, but Donte Rumph comes in on the next play to sack Murray, and two plays later on 3rd-and-12, Murray hits King 3 yards hort of the first down as the third-quarter ends.

FOURTH-QUARTER

Georgia punts it and the Cats get the ball at their own 35, and it appears Whitlow is injured now that Newton is getting all of the QB snaps.

UK BALL

Two straight runs go for nothing and on third-and-8, Newton hits a wide-open Aaron Boyd who drops the ball, but he would have been short anyway, and the Cats punt it to the UGA 11.

UGA Ball

After stuffing the Dawgs on two straight runs, the Cats again stop Georgia on a third-and-8 after Blaylock nails Gurley 2 yards shy of the first-down marker, but a running-into-the-kicker penalty gives the Dawgs the ball back, and Murray hits his tight end for 23 yards into UK territory. Murray continues to pick apart the seconday, and on 3rd-and-6 form the UK 11, Murray hits Arthur Lynch for the score and the Dawgs go up 29-17, likely ending any hopes of a UK victory.

UK Ball

With the Dawgs playing the pass, the Cats opt to run the ball as they drive down the field and score to cut the lead to 29-24, but eat up 4 minutes of game clock, and are unable to get the ball back after a failed onside kick, and Georgia converts two first downs to run the clock down to 10 seconds remaining and the Cats get one last shot.

The Cats get one play off for just a 13 yard pass to LaRod King as time expires and the Cats lose a heartbreaker, 29-24.

Thank you everyone for joining us tonight. Have a blessed weekend.