LEXINGTON, Kentucky — Top-ranked Georgia football’s rugged road schedule this season looks like a Murderer’s Row with three top 5 opponents starting in late September.

Kentucky was considered in a class well below, especially after it was trucked at home last week by South Carolina.

The Wildcats, like they often do in Lexington, gave Georgia all they could handle and then some.

Georgia went into the half trailing by a field goal and their offense failing to launch.

The Bulldogs pulled ahead in the fourth quarter and left with a 13-12 victory in their SEC opener. They will head into the first of two open dates on the schedule before a much-anticipated matchup at No. 4 Alabama.

Georgia won its 15^th straight game against Kentucky (1-2, 0-2 SEC) and notched its 42nd straight regular season win.

Here are three takeaways as the Bulldogs went to 3-0, 1-0:

Trevor Etienne to the rescue in the second half

Trevor Etienne left the game in the first half with a shoulder injury.

He then put Georgia’s offense on its shoulders to take its first lead of the game.

The Florida transfer was the focal point of a 10-play, 68-yard drive.

Etienne went 12 yards running left. He caught a pass in the flat and picked up 11. A run to the right side went for 8.

Then on a third-and-1, Etienne went right and broke a tackle for a 17-yard gain.

Three plays later, Branson Robinson, the 5-foot-10, 220-pound redshirt sophomore, powered in with a 3-yard touchdown to put Georgia up 13-9 with 12:20 to go.

Etienne finished with 79 yards on 19 carries.

Carson Beck overcomes slow start in QB matchup with Brock Vandagriff

Carson Beck beat out former Prince Avenue Christian quarterback Brock Vandagriff for the starting job in the lead-up to the 2023 season, but the Kentucky transfer nearly doubled Beck’s passing yards in the first half and made plays with his feet.

Vandagriff completed 9 of 14 passes for 59 yards and rushed for gains of 17, 15, 7 and 6 in the first half. He finished 14 of 27 for 114 yards and had 26 rushing yards on 13 carries.

Beck meanwhile was just 5 of 11 for 32 yards with just one completion more than seven yards until he hit Dominic Lovett in the middle of the field in the third quarter for a 33-yard gain and then connected with Dillon Bell for 20 yards, but a third-down pass went off Etienne’s hands.

Beck had passed for at least 250 yards in every SEC regular season game he’s started but finished 15 of 24 for 160 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.

Georgia went three-and-out in the fourth quarter on a possession when Beck couldn’t handle what seemed to be a decent snap.

The Bulldogs managed just 63 first-half yards and averaged 2.7 yards per play.

Vandagriff wasn’t treated any differently than any other opposing quarterback. Defensive lineman Nazir Stackhouse delivered a punishing hit at the end of a run near the Georgia sideline in the first half, but the drive continued due to a Bulldog holding penalty.

Georgia outgained but limited Wildcats to field goals

Georgia’s defense did not allow a touchdown for a fourth straight game, but still found itself trailing into the fourth quarter.

Inside Linebacker Raylen Wilson sacked Vandagriff and outside linebacker Damon Wilson recovered to set Georgia up with great field position, but the Bulldogs settled for a 34-yard Peyton Woodring field goal.

Kentucky got four field goals from Alex Raynor: a school-record 55-yarder and others from 32, 40 and 51.

The Wildcats ran the ball on all but two plays in its 11-play, 61-yard opening drive of the second half before Raynor connected on a 40-yard field goal.

Demie Sumo-Karngbe rushed for 98 yards on 22 carries.

Kentucky outgained Georgia in total yards 284-262.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: No. 1 Georgia football hangs on, holds off Kentucky's upset bid