Georgia at bottom of bowls

Look at the anchovies falling from the sky.

Georgia's scant hopes of a balmy bowl destination were shattered Saturday night with a 34-27 loss to Kentucky, its first home defeat against the Wildcats in 32 years. The Bulldogs are now 6-5 entering this week's game at No. 7 Georgia Tech, and a loss to the Yellow Jackets could result in Georgia being at the bottom of the Southeastern Conference's postseason pool.

The Papajohns.com Bowl in Birmingham has the final selection of available SEC teams, one spot behind the AdvoCare Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La.

"I can promise you we'll be thankful wherever we get to go," Georgia coach Mark Richt said Sunday afternoon.

After a turnover-free performance and minimal penalties in a 31-24 win over Auburn, the Bulldogs had four second-half turnovers and five 15-yard flags against the Wildcats. Georgia, which has lost five games for the first time under Richt, ranks 119th out of 120 Bowl Subdivision teams in turnover ratio at minus-18 (minus-1.64 per game).

Opponents have scored 102 points off Georgia's 26 turnovers, while the Bulldogs have scored just 27 points off opposition miscues.

"The turnover thing has never been like this," Richt said. "That's really the thing that did us in. It's been frustrating no doubt. It looked like we had turned the corner a little last week."

Said quarterback Joe Cox: "Nothing has gone the way we wanted it to. It's just miserable."

The Bulldogs outgained the Wildcats 487-260 and had a chance to tie the game until Cox and freshman tailback Washaun Ealey botched an exchange at Kentucky's 1-yard line with 2:21 remaining. Richt said the call was a toss sweep but that Ealey was too close in his alignment and ran more of a downhill than an outside track.

Georgia is 9-7 in its last 16 games dating back to last season's 49-10 loss to Florida.

"All programs go through some cycles, and we've been on a pretty good upswing for quite some time," Richt said. "This year has certainly been a downturn when it comes to our record. Will we get it back on track and get back to the winning ways we're used to? I think so, and I don't think there is any doubt about it."

The Bulldogs finished 4-4 in SEC play and will tie for second in the East with the winner of Saturday's Kentucky-Tennessee game in Lexington.

"Kentucky has never finished second in the East since they expanded the league to 12 teams," Wildcats coach Rich Brooks said, "and this would be a significant step for us to climb that SEC ladder that we've talked so much about but haven't been able to accomplish up to this point. After we lost (Oct. 31) to Mississippi State, everybody had kind of given up on us, but now we've got a second chance."

Odds and ends

Richt is "pretty hopeful" of having receiver A.J. Green (shoulder) and safety Bacarri Rambo (concussion) on Saturday. ... Georgia students are not in class this week, so players do not have to adhere to the NCAA's 20-hour rule. ... The Bulldogs are No. 32 in total defense (allowing 327.36 yards per game) yet are No. 75 in scoring defense (26.64). ... Kentucky has defeated Auburn and Georgia in the same season for the first time, and the Wildcats have tallied seven or more wins four straight years for the first time since 1909-12.