Kentucky vs. Georgia: Grading the Bulldogs' Win over the Wildcats

It was the final SEC game of the regular season for the Bulldogs, and while they did not dominate like they did last week against Auburn, they found a way to beat the Kentucky Wildcats and clinched the SEC East title.

At this point of the season, it's not about style points. Georgia did what they had to do to win the ballgame.

And while they had their mistakes, the Bulldogs still did some good things, especially on defense and special teams.

Here some grades for the Bulldogs in their win against the Wildcats.

Quarterback: C+

Aaron Murray did not have the same success against Kentucky as he did against Auburn, but he did enough in the second half to get the job done.

After completing 9-of-18 passes in the first half, he was able to go 7-of-8 in the second half, including a TD pass to Marlon Brown in the fourth quarter to give the Bulldogs a more comfortable lead.

To Murray's defense, the running game got off to a slow start, and that led to Kentucky adding more emphasis to make sure Murray did not go wild.

Running Backs: C-

At the end of the day Brandon Horton rushed for 107 yards on 23 carries.

However, he did fumble twice, which could have killed the Bulldogs if Kentucky's offense could have gotten anything going.

The reason Horton had that many carries is because Isaiah Crowell got injured in the first quarter, and Carlton Thomas did not play due to personal reasons.

Crowell is as talented as any running back to ever wear the red and black, but he has got to get mentally tough if he wants to be a successful running back in the SEC.

Wide Receivers: C

This was a game where the receivers were taken out of the game so they did not make any huge plays. Malcolm Mitchell led the team with four receptions, but only had 26 yards. He was double-covered throughout the entire game.

Marlon Brown did catch an important touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, and Chris Conley did have a big 30-yard reception. Orson Charles had a solid day with three receptions for 40 yards.

Offensive Line: C

The offensive line struggled with Kentucky's front seven at the start of the game, but once they settled down and figured out what they were doing, they started to play better in the second half.

The one thing the Bulldogs have to make sure they get corrected is picking up the blitz. Kentucky was effective with it, so there is a good chance Georgia Tech will try to do the same thing.

Defensive Line: A

This was another strong game for the defensive line, as they dominated Kentucky's offensive line all game long. John Jenkins was dominant, as well as Abry Jones.

Jenkins got a half sack and Jones tallied four tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss. Garrison Smith also got into the mix, and DeAngelo Tyson was playing fundamentally sound as usual.

Linebackers: A+

Like the defensive line, the linebackers played strong, led by Jarvis Jones and Alec Ogletree. Jones notched 2.5 sacks, and Ogletree tallied a sack and eight total tackles.

Michael Gilliard also played well, totaling five tackles and one sack, and Christian Robinson forced a fumble.

Defensive Backs: A-

Brandon Boykin gave up a big pass play in the first quarter that led to a Kentucky field goal, but he made up for it when he picked off Maxwell Smith later in the game.

Branden Smith also picked off a Smith pass that led to points, and Shawn Williams was all over the field once again. Baccari Rambo had a solid day, as he racked up seven tackles.

Overall, the unit held the Wildcats to 142 yards through the air.

Special Teams: A

Blair Walsh had his best game this season, as he knocked down four field goals and did not miss one attempt.

Boykin was also strong in the return game with a 22-yard punt return, and Smith had a 21-yard kick return.

It was just another day at the office for Drew Butler, as he punted the ball four times and averaged 47 yards per punt.

But the kickoff coverage was strong because they only allowed the Wildcats 21 yards per return.

Looks like having starters playing on special teams was the right call.