It was another very productive night by Georgia tailback Todd Gurley, and not in the traditional sense.
The big sophomore has had one 100-yard rushing game since returning from a four-game absence because an ankle injury. But Gurley has been much more involved in the passing game since, and that trend continued Saturday.
Gurley caught five passes for 90 yards against Kentucky and two touchdowns, one for 24 yards and another for 16. Including 77 yards on eight rushes, he finished with 167 yards of offense on 13 touches.
“That’s one of the main things me and (Aaron) Murray wanted to work on this year,” Gurley said. “These last couple of games, he’s been looking for me. I’m usually one of the last options, but I’ve been able to do what I’m supposed to do and been able to catch the ball.”
Gurley also was Georgia’s leading receiver the previous game against Auburn, finishing with 77 yards on 10 catches. He had three catches each in games against Appalachian State and Florida, including a 73-yard touchdown jaunt against Florida.
That’s 21 catches in the past four games. He had four catches in the first four games of the season.
“I don’t know how many carries I got (against Kentucky), but it was a passing kind of game, and I’ll take that,” he said.
Gurley’s most dynamic play of the season came at the end of his 16-yard touchdown catch midway through the first quarter. Hauling in a screen pass on the left side of the field, Gurley appeared blocked from the goal line. But he launched himself into a Superman leap just inside the 5-yard line and sailed across the pylon while jutting the ball across the plane with his outstretched right hand.
The play was reminiscent of the touchdown Knowshon Moreno scored against Arizona State in 2008.
“I’ve seen his, but he jumped from like eight yards, though,” Gurley said. “His was better.”
Strong defense: Also lost in Georgia's offensive explosion Saturday night was the Bulldogs' best defensive effort of the season. Kentucky managed only 211 total yards. And it could have been better had Georgia not let running back Dyshawn Mobley squirt free up the middle for a 69-yard touchdown run at the end of the first quarter.
“This was our best game,” said senior defensive end Garrison Smith, who had seven tackles and two sacks. “We made a few mistakes, but we’ll correct them. We’re getting better every game. And this is a young defense. I’m excited to see them next season.”
Harvey-Clemons rebounds: Here's how Georgia coach Mark Richt said his talk went with Josh Harvey-Clemons in the wake of giving up the 73-yard, game-winning touchdown pass to Auburn.
Richt: “Have you learned anything?”
Harvey-Clemons: “Yeah, bat the ball down.”
Harvey-Clemons appeared to have recovered nicely. He had six tackles, two tackles for loss, forced a fumble and recovered two others Saturday.
No blackout: The Bulldogs ended up not "blacking out" Saturday's game, but their fans did. Murray and other seniors hinted that they would not be opposed to wearing black jerseys for the final home games of their careers. Richt said on his radio show this week they couldn't have a blackout because UGA didn't have the jerseys in stock and couldn't get them quickly enough. But he encouraged fans to wear black and promised to do so himself. He did, and they did.
Special-teams gaffe: The Bulldogs had another special-teams breakdown Saturday night. Leading 28-7 with about 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter, Reggie Davis muffed a punt return. Kentucky recovered at the Georgia 26 and converted the gaffe into a 24-yard field goal with 6:33 remaining in the first half.
Injury update: With 3:15 remaining in the first quarter, freshman safety Tray Matthews pulled himself out of the game. Minutes later he was talking with a UGA trainer and pointing to the back of his left thigh. Matthews has missed four games with a left hamstring strain. He returned briefly in the fourth quarter. Sophomore defensive end Sterling Bailey left the game in the second quarter with an ankle injury and did not return.
Etc.: Saturday's 3:30 p.m. game against Georgia Tech was chosen by ABC for a full national broadcast. … It was a real who's who on the Georgia sideline. Former Bulldog and pro wrestler Bill Goldberg served as honorary captain and accompanied Georgia's captains on the field for the pregame coin toss. Then current NFL players A.J. Green, Akeem Dent and John Jenkins watched the game from the Bulldogs' sideline. … Junior Adam Erickson handled Georgia's only punt of the game, and it went for 51 yards.
