Georgia Silences Critics for Now with Dominating Win over Kentucky

In the hours before Saturday afternoon's kickoff in Athens between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Kentucky Wildcats, rumors were swirling around the Bulldog program. 

Mark Richt was on the hot seat, as was his defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt, per Seth Emerson and Chip Towers of DawgNation.com. 

Last week on Twitter, talk surrounding the idea that Richt should be fired reached a boiling point. 

Richt even had to tweet that Pruitt was, in fact, still employed under him earlier this week. 

But then a torrential rain washed over the Bulldogs' home field on Saturday morning, and it seemed to wash away the growing concerns and loudening whispers at least for a week. 

Georgia pounded the ball, played unbelievably stout defense and calmly routed the Kentucky Wildcats—a team very much trending upwards under Mark Stoops in recent years—27-3 to gain bowl eligibility. 

Logan Booker of Cox Media Group indicated that the win, according to Richt, was the perfect solution to a very tumultuous week. 

While the scoreboard reads that it was just a three-score game, and the Bulldogs offense admittedly looked inconsistent at times, this win was total domination in an SEC game. 

The Wildcats were limited to just 180 yards of total offense, while the Bulldogs just wore down the front lines by running the ball 52 times. 

It was the type of dominant, old-school victory that has the ability to reset a program's mindset. 

With that reset comes a new dimension to Georgia's offense: The Wild Dawg, piloted by Terry Godwin. 

Essentially Georgia's version of the Wildcat formation, Godwin injected energy into a dying offense on Saturday. It was Godwin's 28-yard touchdown run in the first quarter that broke a touchdown-less streak that spanned over two games. 

A freshman with burner speed but limited by Georgia's quarterback struggles, Godwin adds a much-needed new look for opponents to scout as the Bulldogs look to salvage the season—this team can still win 10 games, by the way. 

Richt seemed pleased with the added emphasis on the Wild Dawg this week, per Booker, and even added that he's capable of passing the ball out of the formation: 

"

Richt says you can expect some throws coming from Godwin in the future, too.

— Logan Booker (@LoganMBooker) November 7, 2015"

It was running back Sony Michel who ultimately was Georgia's brightest light under gloomy skies. He finished with 165 yards on 24 carries—nearly half of his squad's workload on the ground. That mark set a career high. 

This was despite wearing a cast on one hand that limited him to carrying the ball with just the other. 

The Bulldogs' problems, particularly at quarterback, aren't over. Greyson Lambert and Brice Ramsey combined for just 10-of-19 passing for 90 yards and one touchdown, although it's admittedly a relatively moot point against Kentucky, considering the Bulldogs racked up 300 yards on the ground. 

But Georgia, nonetheless, needs better play out of at least one of its gunslingers. Hell, fans are so desperate for it that some Bulldogs fans actually flew from Georgia to Seattle, Washington to catch top quarterback recruit Jacob Eason play, per the Seattle Times. 

Still, the remaining schedule for Georgia is very, very winnable. They play a fledging Auburn, followed by Georgia Southern then capped off with a rivalry matchup against Georgia Tech. Wins in those three games give the Bulldogs a 9-3 season—respectable by most barometers—and a chance to notch their 10th victory in a decent bowl game.