Mark Stoops had taken his lumps since since taking over as Kentucky head coach back in 2012. Saturday night represented another pinnacle one for him and his program, an entity that's grown increasingly used to them over the years.
Fueled by a harrowing defense, timely scoring and the lively leg of kicker Alex Raynor, UK found itself on the brink of a potentially historic victory over one of college football's most preeminent brands, Georgia.
Things fell apart at the final hurdle, however. And after bizarrely giving the ball back to the Bulldogs with a little over the three minutes left, it was the Wildcats who were left heartbroken. UGA milked the clock, leaving the Wildcats with precious little time to mount much of anything. The result was a predictable one: Georgia found a way, vanquishing its SEC rivals 13-12 in enemy territory.
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Here's what you need to know about Stoops' controversial move to punt the ball back to the Bulldogs with precious little time left.
Mark Stoops' curious coaching decision proves fatal in Kentucky's loss to Georgia
Kentucky had the ball down 13-12 with three minutes to play facing a fourth-and-8 at the Georgia 47-yard line. Instead of going for it, Stoops punted it to Georgia, and didn't regain possession until eight seconds remained with the ball at the Kentucky 25-yard line.
The Wildcats fought fire with fire on Saturday night, responding to Georgia's overwhelming physicality with some of their own. When unstoppable force meets immovable object, what happens? A low-scoring, hard-nosed game that left few players unscathed.
Kentucky held the Bulldogs to just 53 yards on 23 plays in the first half, stifling the Travis Etienne- and Carson Beck-led offense. All Georgia could muster was a measly three points via field goal, a far cry from the 41.0 it averaged prior to Saturday's game.
When the Wildcats got the ball back, they weren't all that effective with it. They failed to find pay dirt at any point in the game's opening three quarters, struggling to penetrate Georgia's formidable backline.
What the Stoops-helmed side lacked in offensive firepower, it made up for in precision, however. Kentucky converted nine of its 16 third downs, finding success when the chips were down. Consequently, Wildcats kicker Alex Raynor was able to line up a quartet of field goals, including a 55-yard pearler to push his team out in front.
Things looked a bit hairy after Etienne scampered into pay dirt to give the Bulldogs a lead early in the fourth quarter. But Kentucky kept its composure, kept limiting Georgia's chances and found brief flits of verve when tasked with possessing the ball.
With 6:25 left on the clock, the Wildcats began their search for a go-ahead score. A trio of first downs brought Kentucky up to UGA's 47-yard line just as the clock approached three minutes. It was then that Stoops made what turned out to be his costly decision.
One can see the logic in Stoops' move. After all, Kentucky's front seven had its way with the Bulldog' offensive line up to that point. UGA recorded just 262 yards of total offense. By comparison, Kentucky — whose offense was similarly turgid — racked up 284 yards.
With just 12 first downs to its name through the opening 57 minutes of football, it seems Stoops was banking on his defense to make a quick stop, force the Bulldogs into a punt and set up another opportunity for his Wildcats offense to take the lead.
Such a proposal was always a risky one, especially for a side so desperate for a statement win. It soon backfired on Stoops and his staff. Beck found wideout Dominic Lovett for a 33-yard gain on the second play of the subsequent drive. Ty Bryant added to the heartbreak two plays later, wrangling Oscar Delp's fumble across the first down line to further eat into the clock.
UK's defense would hold, sparking the late-game offensive drive Stoops was craving. However, Kentucky had a mere eight seconds to operate. With no timeouts and 80 yards to go, the cards were firmly stacked against Stoops and Co. And despite his players' best wishes, the Wildcats couldn't get the job done, extending their losing streak vs. Georgia to a whopping 15 games.
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