Arian Smith, Branson Robinson make MVP plays for Georgia Bulldogs in ugly win over Kentucky

It was far from pretty, but the Georgia Bulldogs (3-0) pulled off a 13-12 road win over the Kentucky Wildcats (1-2) on Saturday night at Kroger Field, marking their first SEC victory of the 2024 college football season.

Georgia's defense showed up, however, it was Carson Beck and the offense that struggled to get the ball rolling. But thanks to two turning point plays late in the game from wide receiver Arian Smith and running back Branson Robinson, the Dawgs were able to come out on top.

Robinson's play came first in the fourth quarter when he punched in a much-needed three-yard touchdown to put the Bulldogs ahead 13-9.

The touchdown marked Robinson's second one since returning to the field after bouncing back from a 2023 season-ending knee injury.

Robinson finished the night rushing only two times for five yards and a score, but his presence was felt.

As for Smith, his moment came when there were just two minutes left in the fourth.

Beck completed an 8-yard pass to tight end Oscar Delp who fumbled the ball but Smith recovered it for a first down to keep the offense alive. Kentucky got the ball back with nine seconds remaining on the clock, though it wasn't quite enough time to pull off an upset.

The win marked Georgia's 15th straight over Kentucky and 42nd straight regular-season victory.

“When you play on the road in the SEC, people don’t respect that," head coach Kirby Smart told ESPN's Molly McGrath after the game. "And I’m not sure our guys listened to the message all week because this is a good football team. You don’t judge SEC football teams on one week."

Georgia will get the next week off to correct their mistakes before hitting the road in Week 5 for another SEC showdown against the Alabama Crimson Tide.

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