Kentucky Georgia Stoops

ATHENS — The last time Georgia saw Kentucky on the football field the Wildcats were punching the ball into the end zone at Vince Dooley Field with 4 seconds remaining to cap a physical, 22-play drive.

The Bulldogs won the game, 30-13, but Mark Stoops’ program had sent a message of sorts about his program’s toughness and determination by calling timeouts and executing on fourth downs to pierce Georgia’s end zone and deflate the home crowd as they cheered loudly for what will be remembered as a legendary defense.

Stoops will need his current Kentucky football team to show the same sort of resolve on the heels of one of the program’s most embarrassing home defeated, a 24-21 setback to Vanderbilt.

It was the Commodores’ first road win in league play since defeating an Arkansas team coached by Chad Morris in 2018 — the same season Stoops was awarded SEC Coach of the Year after going 10-3 and 5-3 in conference play.

This season’s Kentucky team is 6-4 overall and 3-4 in the league, but Stoops is confident they can compete with No 1-ranked Georgia (10-0, 7-0) in the 3:30 p.m. game on Saturday at Kroger Field.

“I believe in our players, I believe in our team, I still believe in them,” Stoops said this week. “Nobody’s giving up. We do have a very good team.”

Stoops indicated he expects the same sort of physical battles his Wildcats have had with the Bulldogs the past two seasons.

“With Georgia, you’re not going to have the quarterback run game (like Vanderbilt), but you’re going to have a lot of weapons and a good scheme where they continue to push on you,” Stoops said.

“They are one of those teams that are big and strong and will come at you with a bunch of backs that are big and strong and talented. An offensive line that will push on you and push on you and push on you.”

Indeed, Georgia’s offensive line was named a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award, which is awarded annually to the nation’s best O-Line.

Coach Kirby Smart has talked recently about the patience needed in the run game, so that 3- and 4-yard runs came become 5- and 6-yard runs later in the game.

Stoops has seen it first hand when watching tape of Georgia games.

“You may see teams lingering around, lingering around, lingering around,” Stoops said, “then all of a sudden, their depth and their strength take over so you have to be able to handle that.”

Georgia’s defense lost eight players in the most recent NFL draft, including a league-record five first-rounders, yet ranks second in the nation in scoring defense.

“No, that doesn’t surprise me,” Stoops said with a chuckle. “I mean that as a compliment. No. It doesn’t surprise me. You just reload.”

And yet, Stoops has confidence his Kentucky football team can compete in Lexington on Saturday.

It’s just a matter of preparation, and execution, the Wildcats’ all-time winningest head coach said.

“We all understand it’s a real challenge, it’s a team that’s very deep and very physical,” Stoops said. “Obviously, getting your team and getting their minds right to go out and have a very good week of preparations is where it starts.”