LEXINGTON, Ky. — Branson Robinson rushed for a 3-yard, go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter, and top-ranked Georgia rebounded from a lackluster performance to beat Kentucky 13-12 on Saturday night.

The Bulldogs (3-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) struggled to find consistency on both sides of the ball, falling behind 9-3 early in the third quarter to a Wildcats team determined to rebound from their own flat effort in a 31-6 home loss to conference rival South Carolina. Peyton Woodring’s 30-yard field goal late in the third quarter pulled Georgia within three before the Dawgs followed with their longest drive of the night at just the right time.

Trevor Etienne’s 12-yard run, 11-yard reception and 8-yard rush brought the Bulldogs to the Kentucky 29. The Florida transfer then broke to his right for a 17-yard run to the 11, stepping out of bounds as he tiptoed along the sideline to reach the end zone. Robinson took over three plays later for Georgia’s first lead at 13-9.

The Wildcats weren’t done yet, and they answered with Alex Raynor’s 51-yard field goal to pull within a point. His school-record 55-yard kick gave Kentucky an early lead, and he added two more of 32 and 40 yards for an advantage that lasted more than three quarters — but not enough to put Georgia away. Kentucky (1-2, 0-2) got the ball one final time on its 20 with 9 seconds left.

Etienne rushed 19 times for 79 yards, and Robinson, a sophomore who was sidelined last season with a torn ACL, had 5 yards on 2 carries. Quarterback Carson Beck completed 15 of 24 passes for 160 yards, including his longest completion of 33 yards to Dominic Lovett with 2:45 left. That put the Bulldogs in midfield and gave them breathing room in a game where nothing was easy.

Kentucky was the aggressor for the first 30 minutes, building a 6-3 halftime lead thanks to Raynor’s first two field goals. The Wildcats also outscored the Bulldogs 130-63 at halftime, not great, but a vast improvement over last week’s lackluster 183-yard outing. Most notably, their defense forced the Bulldogs into four punts before Woodring’s 34-yard field goal late in the second quarter tied the score at 3-3.

Georgia then plays No. 4 Alabama on September 28 in a rematch of last season’s SEC championship, which the Crimson Tide won 27-24.