Washaun Ealey's record night leads UGA to win over Kentucky

Ealey called the record "a great honor" but gave the credit to the offensive line and fullback Shaun Chapas. "They blocked hard all night and were more physical than Kentucky was," he said. As for his own performance: "I feel like I played up to my potential, and I have to keep doing it."

The five-TD game came three weeks after Ealey briefly lost his starting job because of costly fumbles in losses to South Carolina and Mississippi State. He regained the position last week after the suspension of fellow tailback Caleb King.

A sophomore from Stillmore, Ealey finished with 157 yards rushing -- and no fumbles -- on 28 carries Saturday. Georgia threw only 12 passes, with Aaron Murray completing nine for 113 yards.

"It was a great day for the offense," Murray said. "This is Georgia football right here.

"The offensive line had a tremendous day opening the holes. Washaun, I think, pretty much had his best game of his career. ... I think everyone is happy and pumped up about what we did."

Ealey's five touchdowns equaled his career total before this game; he had three last season and two previously this season.

His turnaround mirrors the Georgia team's.

After losing four consecutive games for the first time under coach Mark Richt, Georgia has scored 40-plus points in each of three consecutive victories against Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Kentucky.  Saturday's victory was Georgia's first in four tries this season on the road.

"We're very, very excited about winning a game somewhere besides Athens," Richt said afterward. "We've caught a good little bit of momentum, and I was really proud of how we came out ready to play again."

The Bulldogs, who are a half-game game behind first-place South Carolina in the SEC East standings, will take a 4-4 record (3-3 SEC) into next Saturday's game against Florida in Jacksonville.

The Bulldogs built a 28-10 first-half lead against Kentucky, converting three Wildcats turnovers into 14 points and a stop on fourth-and-inches into another seven points. Thanks to the turnovers and the fourth-down stop, Georgia had first-half drives start at the Kentucky 23-, 33-, 39- and 5-yard lines.

Ealey scored three of his touchdowns in the opening half on runs of 3, 2 and 2 yards and added a 2-yard score early in the third quarter and a 1-yard score early in the fourth. He left the game twice late in the fourth quarter because, he said, he "tweaked" his knee, but he indicated it's fine.

The first half was reminiscent of the second half of last year's Georgia-Kentucky game, albeit with roles reversed. Last year, Georgia committed four second-half turnovers to blow a 20-6 lead and lose to the Wildcats 34-27. Saturday night, Kentucky fumbled the ball away three times in the first half.

The Wildcats' fourth turnover came midway through the third quarter on an interception in the end zone by Georgia cornerback Sanders Commings. By that point, the Bulldogs led 34-10.

"If you want to be a great defense, you have to cause turnovers. And that's what we want to be," said Georgia outside linebacker Justin Houston, who forced one fumble, recovered another and had 2 1/2 sacks.

The tone for the game was established on the opening series. Kentucky quarterback Mike Hartline fumbled after being hit by Houston and DeAngelo Tyson. Cornelius Washington recovered for Georgia at the Kentucky 23. Four plays later, the Bulldogs took the lead for good on the first of Ealey's touchdowns.

Kentucky answered with a long drive that culminated in a 41-yard field goal, but Brandon Boykin's 100-yard return on the subsequent kickoff -- the third 100-yard return of his career -- stretched Georgia's lead to 14-3.

Then, on Kentucky's next offensive play, another turnover. Hartline completed a pass over the middle to La'Rod King, whose fumble at the Georgia 46 was forced by Bacarri Rambo and recovered by Commings and returned to the Kentucky 33. Georgia didn't get any points from that turnover as Blair Walsh missed a 47-yard field goal.

But Georgia expanded its lead to 21-3 early in the second quarter after its defense, led by linebacker Akeem Dent, stopped Hartline on a fourth-and-inches keeper from the Kentucky 39. Seven plays later, Ealey scored again.

Georgia's next score followed another Kentucky turnover. With the Wildcats backed up by a 56-yard Drew Butler punt, tailback Donald Russell fumbled a pitch from Hartline, and Houston recovered at the Wildcats' 5-yard line. Ealey scored on a pitch from Murray.

Kentucky scored its first touchdown late in the first half when King got open for a 35-yard pass from Hartline. That created an interesting halftime score: Georgia 28, Kentucky 10. That was the identical margin by which Kentucky trailed South Carolina one week earlier before rallying to beat the Gamecocks 31-28.

But there was no comeback this time.

Georgia drove 70 yards in seven plays to start the second half, increasing its lead to 34-10.  Ealey capped the drive with his fourth touchdown of the night.

Scoring to start the second half  "was huge," Murray said, "just because at halftime we talked about what happened last week [in the Kentucky-South Carolina game]. ... That first drive really set us up for the rest of the half."

Georgia led 41-17 after Ealey's fifth touchdown, which came  a minute into the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs were up 44-25  before Kentucky added a touchdown with just over a minute to play.

"We have to look past this game," Ealey said late Saturday night. "This game is over. We have to start getting prepared for Florida this week. ... Right now we're on a roll, and hopefully we can stay that way."