Sports

Hello. I’m Robert Inskip and I’ll be taking care of our Live Blog coverage tonight. It’s Senior Night in Sanford Stadium tonight as the Dawgs play host to the Kentucky Wildcats. It’ll be the last time playing between the hedges for Jeff Owens, Geno Atkins, Kade Weston, Joe Cox, Prince Miller and eighteen other seniors. Whether or not this will be the last home game for Rennie Curran and Rashad Jones remains to be seen. It won’t be the last for A.J. Green, but the Dawgs will be without him tonight as he recovers from a shoulder injury suffered against Auburn last week. On defense the Dawgs will be without Bacarri Rambo, the redshirt freshman safety whose play has earned him more and more playing time as the season as progressed. He had not been playing nearly enough if you ask me. Rambo suffered a concussion on his touchdown saving hit in the final minutes against Auburn last week.

In Green’s absence, look for Israel Troupe to build on his breakout performance from last week. Also look for true freshman Rantavious Wooten to see increased action. In Rambo’s absence, Makiri Pugh and Quintin Banks could see more time.

For Kentucky, the top player to watch has to be Randall Cobb, who is one of the most versatile players in the SEC. The sophomore is officially listed as a wide receiver, but will sometimes take snaps at quarterback. He is also a punt and kick returner for the Cats, and serves as the holder for field goals and extra points. Sounds like Champ Bailey or Hines Ward when they were Dawgs. When Cobb isn’t taking the snaps, Kentucky’s quarterback will be true freshman Morgan Newton, a big and athletic player who was one of Kentucky’s top prizes in its recent recruiting class. On defense, watch cornerback Trevard Lindley, one of the best at his position in the conference. It would have been fun to see him and A.J. matchup. Also watch Micah Johnson, a linebacker for the Cats who like Lindley, is on the watch list for several national awards.

Both teams come into the game with 6-4 records, as both became bowl eligible with wins last week. For Dawgs, the Music City Bowl, Liberty Bowl, Chick-fil-A Bowl, and Outback Bowl all remain apparent possibilities. While the SEC division titles have been sewn up for a while, a lot is still up in the air in terms of bowl destinations for teams behind Bama and Florida.

Many fans have shown up in black to night to honor the UGA VII, who died suddenly of a heart attack this week. I already miss seeing a white bulldog strutting around down there before the game! A moment of silence was held in his honor.

I am permitted to update three times per quarter. Kickoff is at 7:45. Thank you for logging on to WUOG and enjoy the game!

On 2nd and 6, Newton keeps the ball and is tackled for a loss of three by Reshad Jones. UGA takes its second timeout of the half. The ball sits at the UK 3 yardline. On 3rd and 9, Locke takes the handoff and is forced out after a 5 yard gain, allowing the Dawgs to save their final timeout. Miller calls a fair catch at the UGA 47 yardline. Cox is intercepted on the first play of the drive by LB Sam Maxwell, who returns it four yards to the UGA 46 yard line.

Locke takes the handoff two yards up the middle. The Dawgs use their final timeout with 1:40 left in the game. Locke then takes a handoff up the left side nine yards for a UK first down. Newton takes a knee on the next play, as the Cats can now run out the clock. He then takes another knee, which is the final play of the game. Kentucky 34, Georgia 27. Final.

Boykin breaks a tackle and returns the ball 45 yards up to the UGA 47 before being pushed out on the UGA sideline. Ealey takes a handoff up the middle for a three yard gain up to midfield. On second down, Cox tries to pitch the ball put the pitch is deflected, resulting in a fumble. Cox is able to fall on it for UGA, bringing up a 3rd and 18. First a screen pass is intercepted then a PITCH is deflected. What the Sam hell is going on? On the following play Cox is hit as he throws and the pass falls incomplete. UK makes a fair catch at the UK 16.

On 2nd and 4, a diving Melillo is unable to pull in Newton’s pass. Newton calls UK’s first timeout of the half before the next play. On 3rd and 4, Newton lobs a high pass down the right sideline intended for Cobb but it falls incomplete as Miller’s coverage is solid. Cox then throws a beautiful pass down the right sideline to Tavarres King, who is tackled after a gain of 38 yards. Cox’s 2nd down pass intended for Wooten is deflected by Lindley. Then, in an unbelievably conservative play call, the Dawgs handoff to Caleb King who gains one yard. The Dawgs go for it on 4th and 9, and Cox finds Caleb King in the middle of the field for first down yardage. On 2nd down, Cox hands off to Ealey out of the shotgun, who gains 14 yards down to the UK 6 bringing up 1st and Goal. King then takes a handoff for no gain up the middle. Brandon Smith takes the next snap and brings it down to the one. Let’s keep using him like that! On the next play, Cox pitches the ball to Ealey but he never catches it, as UK recovers the fumble at the two-yard line.

Connor gains 3 yards on first down. A player is injured for UK. UGA takes its first timeout of the half as the UK player is helped off the field. Kentucky 34, Georgia 27. 2:11 4th Quarter.

Boykin fumbles on the kickoff return, but it is recovered by UGA LB Christian Robinson at the UGA 27. Caleb King takes the handoff up the middle for a one-yard gain. On 2nd down, Cox tried to hit Caleb King down the UGA sideline but a leaping King can’t come down with it. Cox attempts a screen pass on the next play but it is intercepted by DT Shane McCord and returned to the UGA 8.

Cobb takes the snap on 1st down, runs right, and takes the ball down to the one-yard line. Cobb takes the next snap as well but is stopped for no gain. He stays in at QB on third down, and this time is ale to push the ball across the goal line to give the Cats the lead. The play is reviewed but it stands as called. Kentucky 34, Georgia 27. 9:55 4th Quarter.

Ealey grinds out four yards up the middle on first down. He takes the handoff on 2nd down as well. He runs right and tries to cut back to the middle but is tackled after a gain of two. That is the final play of the 3rd quarter.

On 3rd down, Cox tries to hit Troupe, who dives near the first down line but does not come up with it. Butler’s punt is blocked. FB Sean Chaupas picks up the ball and runs for first down yardage down the right sideline, but the play is nullified by a facemask penalty on UGA. This brings up a 4th and 20. Cobb fields the punt and returns it 11 yards to the UK 36 yard line.

Locke takes the handoff right for a gain of four yards. Newton then finds Melillo for an eleven yard gain into UGA territory. On 2nd and 11, Newton scrambles and ends up with a short gain, but UK is flagged for holding, which brings up 2nd and 21. Newton then dumps off a screen pass to Locke, who takes it 60 yards down the UK sideline for a touchdown. The PAT ties up the game. How big is that botched UK PAT after their first touchdown now? Kentucky 27, Georgia 27. 12:22 4th Quarter.

Craig McIntosh’s kickoff bounces out-of-bounds, which will give UGA the ball at their 40-yard line. Caleb King gains three with a handoff on the left side. He takes another handoff up the left side, this time busting loose for a gain of twelve into UK territory. On play action again, Cox tried to hit Tavarres King but puts it too far in front of King, who was running towards the UGA sideline. On 3rd down, Cox tried to find Tavarres King again, this time down the UK sideline. The pass sails long. Butler blasts a high punt that bounces out at the UK six-yard line. Cobb takes the snap, runs the option, and pitches to Locke, who gains ten up the left sideline. Newton keeps the ball on the next play and gains four. On 2nd down, Newton tries to hit Locke on the right side but overthrows him. Newton’s next pass is almost intercepted by CB Vance Cuff, as he tips the ball out-of-bounds. Miller makes a fair catch of the UK punt at the UGA 33 yardline. Kentucky 20, Georgia 27. 1:02 3rd Quarter.

Cox again uses play action for a big gain. This time he hits Tavarres King down the right side for a 37-yard gain before King is pushed out. On the very next play, Cox hits Wooten for a 33 yard touchdown in the middle of the field. The ball may have been tipped by the Kentucky DB, but Wooten was able to pull it in as he crossed the goal line. It’s great to see Wooten rising to the occasion in Green’s absence. He’s got great potential.

Walsh’s kickoff is a strange one. It is returned 20 yards to the UGA 49. This kick was too short to even be called a squib kick. Not sure what that was about. On second down, UK uses a reverse pass, as WR Gene McCaskill tries to hit Mathews in the endzone with a WR pass. The pass falls incomplete but Evans is called for pass interference, moving the ball down to the UGA 24. On 2nd down, Newton finds La’Rod King, who makes an exceptional one-handed gab and then runs about 10 more yards for a touchdown. It is King’s first career touchdown. Kentucky 20, Georgia 27. 4:48 3rd Quarter.

Branden Smith is hit on the kickoff and fumbles the ball. The Cats recover at the UGA 14. On 1st down, Cobb takes the snap and gains two. He takes the next snap as well and runs around the right side for a twelve-yard touchdown run. He just about walked in.

Boykin’s return reaches only the UGA 13 yard line after great coverage by UK. Ealey gains six up the right side on first down. He takes the handoff on second down but there is no room and he is stopped for a loss of one. Cox hits Troupe for a seventeen-yard gain on 3rd down.  King takes a handoff and weaves his way up the right side for a nine-yard gain. He then takes another handoff and picks up six. Cox tries to find Wooten down the left sideline but the pass sails high and out of bounds. King gains two on the next play. Cox’s pass intended for White is incomplete. The coverage team can’t stop Butler’s punt from reaching the endzone, and the Cats will take over at their own 20.

Newton’s pass is complete to Cobb up to the UGA 39. Cobb really is an amazing athlete. Locke gains eight on a handoff. Newton keeps the ball on 2nd and two, and picks up four yards before running out of bounds on the UGA sideline. His pass on first down sails long, after he tried to his Locke down the right sideline. Newton keeps the ball on 3rd down but gains only one on the right side. On third down, Newton’s pass is incomplete, as Melillo leaped but could not come down with it. The punt rolls into the endzone for a touchback. Kentucky 13, Georgia 20. 7:43 3rd Quarter.

Locke brings the ball out to the UK 25 on the kickoff. Smith pushed him out on the UGA sideline. Newton’s pass on 1st down is complete to TE Nick Melillo for a first down. Locke then takes a handoff up the right side for a seven-yard gain. UK calls its second timeout of the half. On 2nd down, Newton throws the ball away after being pressured. Locke takes the handoff for a short gain which is ruled a first down after measurement. TB Moncell Allen takes a flair pass to the left but is forced out after gaining one yard. Newton then throws a screen pass to Allen but he is tackled immediately for a six-yard loss. That is the final play of the half. Kentucky 6, Georgia 20. 0:00 2nd Quarter.

The kickoff is returned 11 yards up to the UK 30. Newton’s pass on first down is incomplete into the UGA sideline. On 2nd Down, A QB draw by Newton goes for no gain. On 3rd down, Weston and Houston team up to tackle Newton for a loss. UGA calls their second timeout of the half. The entire scoreboard seems to be frozen now. It is difficult to understand the ref’s time updates due to the poor mic sound quality. The UK punt is high but short. It bounces out at the UGA 42.

Caleb King gains eight up the left side on a handoff. He then takes a handoff up the middle for a five-yard gain. On 1st down, Cox’s pass intended for Wooten is batted down. Ealey takes a handoff out of the shotgun for a six-yard gain. King then takes a delayed handoff for four yards and a first down. Cox’s pass intended for King is incomplete. King then takes a handoff up the UGA sideline for a gain of seven. Cox’s pass on third down is batted down at the line. Walsh then hits a 45 yard field goal. The clock and scoreboard are working now. Kentucky 6, Georgia 20. 1:22 2nd Quarter.

Branden Smith gains 16 on a handoff out of the shotgun. A long run by Ealey is nullified by holding and clipping penalties on the Dawgs. UK accepts the clipping penalty, bringing the ball back to the UGA 16. On 1st and 25, Caleb King gains six up the middle. Then, Cox hits Tavarres King for a 34 yard gain down the UGA sideline. Caleb King is then tackled for a two-yard loss. The game clocks are screwing up again and the official’s microphone is as well to further complicate matters. On 3rd and 6, Cox find Michael Moore for a fifteen-yard gain down the middle of the field. Cox then finds Charles on the left side for a touchdown. Charles dives into the endzone. The refs are able to control themselves and not pretend that the dive was unnecessary. No flags! Kentucky 6, Georgia 17. 5:15 2nd Quarter.

The game clocks have started working again. Branden Smith gains 31 yards on a handoff, bringing the ball down to the UK 20. This is another guy we need to use more often, regardless of what his official position is. Georgia then uses its first timeout of the half. One 1st down, Cox’s pass is incomplete, intended for King. Aron White then drops what would have been probably been a 9 or 10 yard gain 2nd down. On third down, Wooten catches his first career touchdown. Wooten was tackled at the goal line immediately after making the catch but falls into the endzone. “WOOOOOOO” chants ensue.

Locke returns the kickoff all the way up to the UK 49. He also takes the handoff on 1st down but is tackled for a loss of six. Cobb takes the snap, fakes a handoff, and runs for a gain of 9 up the middle. On 3rd and 7, Locke gains 10 yards before being pushed out along the UK sideline. He takes another handoff on 1st down, gaining nine up the left side. A false start on UK makes it 2nd and 6. Locke takes the handoff again but is stopped for no gain up the middle. Newton tries to run right out of the shotgun but is gang tackled for a loss of four. Logan Gray makes a fair catch of the UK punt at the UGA 14. Kentucky 6, UGA 10. 9:54 2nd Quarter.

The clocks at the stadium are malfunctioning. The officials keep giving time updates by microphone. Alfonso Smith returns the ball 31 yards up to the UK 37. Locke is forced out of bounds and loses a yard on 1st down. He takes another handoff on 2nd down and gains 2. On 3rd and 9, Jeff Owens sacks Newton for a loss of 7 yards. On the punt return, Miller makes some nice moves but is tackled by the punter after a 22 yard gain. King takes a handoff on the left side but apparently fumbles the ball. Georgia recovers, but after review it is ruled that King was down anyways. The run gained 4 yards. Cox throws a lateral to Ealey on 2nd down for a 9 yard gain and a 1st down. A dead ball personal foul on the Dawgs moves the ball back to the UGA 37. On 1st down, Ealey gains four on a handoff on the left side. Cox hands off to King out of the shotgun. King gains 5, bringing up 3rd and very short. Cox keeps the ball on a QB sneak and picks up the first down on a two yard gain. That is the final play of the 1st quarter. Kentucky 6, Georgia 3. 0:00 1st Quarter.

Boykin returns the kickoff out to the UGA 22. On second down, Cox hits a wide-open Orson Charles on a play action pass. Charles takes the ball up the UGA sideline and is pushed out just short of midfield. After several short gains on the ground, Cox uses a QB sneak to gain another first down on 4th and inches. On the next play, Cox finds Charles again on PA pass for a gain of 13. It looks eerily similar to the play Tennessee ran against us 700 times. Washaun Ealey gains four on a run to the right on 1st down. Charles then makes a diving catch at the 11 after a 16-yard pass from Cox. Ealey then takes a handoff up the middle for a tough 9-yard gain. On 2nd down, Cox tries PA again but the Cats are not fooled and he is forced to throw it away. On 3rd and 1, Ealey is hit for a loss of 1. Walsh comes in and makes a 21 yard field goal. Kentucky 6, Georgia 3. 4:23 1st Quarter.

All of the Georgia seniors head out to midfield for the coin toss. Georgia wins the toss and defers to the second half. Blair Walsh’s kickoff bounces at the 25 and is returned to the UK 36. Don’t ask me why we can’t kick to the end zone instead. Derrick Locke gains 7 on a handoff on the first play from scrimmage. On 2nd and 3, defensive end Justin Houston sacks Newton for a loss of four. Newton uses Kentucky’s first timeout before the next play. On 3rd and 7, Newton finds WR Chris Matthews in the middle of the field but Matthews is gang tackled after no gain. Prince Miller makes a fair catch on the UK punt at the UGA 23 yard line.

On 1st down, Cox tries to hit Tavarres King on a fly route down the UK sideline but it is batted away. On 2nd down, Caleb King gains three yards up the middle. Cox’s pass intended for Aron White is incomplete on 3rd and 7. Cobb returns Drew Butler’s 42-yard punt for 22 yards up to the UGA 48.

On 1st down, Newton runs right and gains nine. Bryan Evans hits him late out of bounds, adding 15 yards to the end of the run. Fullback John Connor gains one up the middle on 1st down. Cobb takes the snap on 2nd down and gains three. Newton finds Locke in the middle of the field, and Locke avoids several UGA tacklers before taking it in to the endzone for the game’s first score. The PAT is unsuccessful after trouble on the snap. Kentucky 6, UGA 0. 10:09 1st Quarter.