ATHENS, Ga. - The final seconds were meaningless. Except to the Georgia defense.
For the first time all season, the fearsome Bulldogs gave up two touchdowns in a game. It didn't really matter as they romped to another victory - their first as the nation's new No. 1 team - with a 30-13 triumph Saturday over No. 11 Kentucky.
Still, their desire to keep Kentucky from scoring at the end, and the lengths the Wildcats went to for their second touchdown, epitomized where Georgia's at right now.
The Bulldogs (7-0, 5-0 Southeastern Conference) aren't content just to win. They want to bury opponents.
"There may only be four seconds left in the fourth quarter, but we still don't want anybody in our end zone," linebacker Adam Anderson said. "I'm still hurting right now."
Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett, starting his third straight game in place of the injured JT Daniels, threw for 250 yards and three touchdown passes, two of them to freshman tight end Brock Bowers.
With the game decided, Kentucky (6-1, 4-1) drove to a first down at the Georgia 1-yard line in the final minute. Will Levis was stuffed on a quarterback sneak. JuTahn McClain was stopped for no gain. Instead of letting the clock run out, the Wildcats called their final timeout.
Finally, they scored. Levis delivered a quick slant to Wan'Dale Robinson, who dove into the end zone with four seconds remaining as what was left of the crowd at Sanford Stadium booed loudly.
Georgia's defense had given up only two touchdowns all season. Kentucky managed to double that total - and scored a touchdown against Georgia for the first time since 2018 - though the Bulldogs weren't done yet. Clearly angry, they blocked the PAT to keep one last point off the board.
"It's just pride," said coach Kirby Smart, whose team has surrendered a minuscule 6.6 points a game. "When you're competing at the highest levels to be the best in the country, that doesn't change - regardless of the scoreboard or the time on the clock."
The Bulldogs limited Kentucky to 243 total yards, and they also blocked a field-goal attempt on the final play of the third quarter to help secure their 12th straight win in the one-sided series.
"They're a great defense," Levis said. "I think we were able to do some things that we're going to be proud of looking at the tape, but could've had opportunities to do a little more."
AP photo by Butch Dill / Kentucky quarterback Will Levis (7) is stopped short of the goal line by Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean (17) during the second half of Saturday's game in Athens, Ga. Kentucky scored two touchdowns in a 30-13 loss. Georgia's defense had given up only two touchdowns all season before Saturday.Sitting at 6-0 for the first time since 1950, the Wildcats pulled out all the stops, even running a hook-and-lateral play. But they followed up 330 rushing yards in a win over LSU with a mere 51 yards on the ground against Georgia.
After leading only 14-7 at halftime, the Bulldogs took the second-half kickoff and drove 75 yards in six plays to effectively finish off the Wildcats and gain a stranglehold on the SEC East Division race. An apparent 59-yard touchdown pass to Bowers was negated by a holding penalty, but Bennett connected again with the freshman in the right corner of the end zone for a 27-yard score that did stand.
Bowers had another touchdown on a 20-yard play with about 11 1/2 minutes remaining to make it 30-7. He finished with five catches for 101 yards.
After a scoreless first quarter, Georgia scored on back-to-back possessions. James Cook took a short pass 19 yards to the end zone, and Zamir White followed with a 24-yard touchdown burst right up the middle.
Late in the first half, Kentucky finally got something going. Catching a break when a video review overturned a fumble call, the Wildcats covered 75 yards in 13 plays, converting three times on third down. Levis capped it with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Justin Rigg.
Georgia's record streak of 363 extra-point kicks made ended when Jack Podlesny pushed a PAT wide right after Bowers' second touchdown catch. The NCAA mark stretched back to 2014 and involved six kickers: Marshall Morgan, Patrick Beless, William Ham, David Marvin, Rodrigo Blankenship and Podlesny, who had been perfect on 71 PATs before his miss.
Last Sunday, Georgia rose to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the first time since the preseason poll in 2008. That year, the Bulldogs won their opening game but a lackluster performance caused them to slip to No. 2.
No chance of that happening this time. Georgia was a unanimous choice for the top spot and will likely keep all those votes when the new poll is released Sunday.
The Bulldogs have an open date next weekend before facing rival Florida at the annual World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party on Oct. 30 in Jacksonville. Then they'll finish their SEC schedule with a trip to Missouri and a visit from Tennessee before nonconference games against Charleston Southern and at Georgia Tech to close the regular season.
With plenty of confidence in Bennett, the Bulldogs were able to give Daniels two more weeks of rest before their next game. That should ensure he is fully recovered from a lat muscle injury when it's time to take on the Gators.