GAME BREAKDOWN
KEY MATCHUP: LBs Josh Allen, Jordan Jones and Jamar Watson hold the key to slowing a Georgia passing game that has produced 236.1 yards a game. Allen and Watson have combined for 14 sacks and Watson has been credited with 1.5 sacks. “He’s what you want when you design a three-four defense,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said of Allen, who leads the country in sacks with 10. “He’s your prototype guy, and he has been disruptive to everyone in this conference.” Georgia has surrendered only 13 sacks this season.
DRAFT SLANT
–LB Josh Allen continues to improve his draft stock with his all-around play. He had two sacks in the win over Missouri to give him 10 for the season and 24.5 for his career. Two more and he’ll have the school record. He needs just three more tackles for loss to get to the school record for the category shared by Bud Dupree, Vincent Burns and Marlon McCree. Coach Mark Stoops expected nothing less from Allen who decided to return for his senior season instead of entering the NFL draft. “I did,” Stoops said. “The stats, you don’t put numbers on that, like X amount of stats for him or anything like that, but I did expect him to come back and be a dominant player. I truly knew in my heart that he was a first-round draft pick. I don’t think there’s any question about that now.”
ROSTER REPORT:
–LB Josh Allen was named a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award that goes to the nation’s outstanding defensive player and the Butkus Award as the top linebacker. He also was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week after his performance against Missouri. “He’s the total package,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said.
–WR/PR Lynn Bowden earned SEC Special Teams Player of the Week after his big 67-yard punt return against Missouri.
–RB Benny Snell rushed for 67 yards against Missouri, moving him into second place among Kentucky’s all-time rushers with 3,359 yards.
–LB Jordan Jones had a season-high 10 tackles against the Tigers, the sixth double-digit tackle game of the senior’s career.
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