Another special-teams gaffe gave Georgia’s opponent momentum on Saturday.
UGA fullback Quayvon Hicks, playing the up-back on the Bulldogs’ kickoff return team, let Kentucky’s bloop kickoff bounce first before decided to step up and catch it. He then was obliterated by Kentucky coverage team and the ball was knocked loose. Kentucky’s J.D. Harmon recovered at the Bulldogs’ 23-yard line.
Georgia’s defense, coming off a 16-play scoring series by the Wildcats, was able to bow up and limit the damage. A holding penalty and a four-yard tackle for loss by Georgia’s Lorenzo Carter forced a Kentucky to settle for a 38-yard field goal. That kept the Bulldogs ahead with 9:46 remaining in the second quarter.
On the subsequent kickoff, Georgia’s Jordan Jenkins fumbled an attempted fair catch on another bloop kick but recovered it himself.
On the following kickoff return, Hicks made another bad decision. Running backward more than 10 yards he caught a short kick that freshman returner Isaiah McKenzie was trying to field around the 10-yard line. Hicks knocked down McKenzie, who appeared to hurt his leg on the play, then returned the ball 16 yards to the 26.
