On the soggy Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium, Kentucky stayed right with Georgia until midway through the third quarter, then the dam burst.
Kentucky (3-4, 1-4) got 99 yards rushing from Lynn Bowden in his second start at quarterback, but the Wildcats' attack was one-dimensional. Bowden, Kentucky's third starting quarterback of the season, didn't complete a pass on his first nine attempts. He completed only 2 of 15 passes for 17 yards.
Bowden's 17 carries were not enough to offset Georgia tailback D'Andre Swift's big night, (179 yards and two toughdowns.) Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said he hopes this is the last time he has to face Swift, a junior.
"I just gave him a 'Congratulations' after the game and wished him 'Goodbye,' because he needs to go to the NFL," Stoops said. "He's an elite player."
Georgia's Jake Fromm did not have a turnover one week after throwing three interceptions and losing a fumble. He completed 9 of 12 passes for only 35 yards.
The Bulldogs grabbed control by taking advantage of two mistakes by the Wildcats.
A poor punt by Max Duffy went out of bounds at the Kentucky 39 early in the second half after carrying only 15 yards.
"I just shanked it," Duffy said. "It was just one of those things that I would like to take back and do over perfect."
The punt allowed Georgia to start a possession outside of its 20 for the first time in the game. Swift needed only one play to take advantage of the excellent field position.
Running behind right tackle Isaiah Wilson and right guard Cade Mays, Swift broke a tackle by safety Yusuf Corker on the 39-yard scoring run.
Bowden lost a fumble, caused by J.R. Reed, on the Wildcats' next possession. The ball was recovered by Georgia's Richard LeCounte at the Kentucky 31. Herrien's scoring run on his fourth straight carry pushed the Georgia lead to 14-0.
THE TAKEAWAY
Kentucky: The Wildcats clearly have a unique talent in Bowden, who was the team's leading receiver before last week's move to quarterback. Still, more work is needed to add balance to the offense. Bowden led the Wildcats to a 24-20 win over Arkansas last week in his debut at quarterback, but now opposing teams will be better prepared for his frequent runs.
UP NEXT
Kentucky: The Wildcats return home to play No. 22 Missouri next Saturday night. Kentucky scored 12 points in the fourth quarter to beat Missouri 15-14 last season.
Georgia: Following an off week, Georgia will look for its third straight win over No. 9 Florida on Nov. 2 in Jacksonville, Florida. The Bulldogs won last year's matchup of top-10 teams, 36-17.
