LEXINGTON, Ky. --- Georgia wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi stood on the sideline after fumbling for the second time in the fourth quarter against Kentucky and tried to give himself a little pep talk.

"You just have to have a short memory after that," Massaquoi said. "I knew I had to keep my composure."

Massaquoi atoned for the miscues with a 78-yard reception that set up the game- winning touchdown in the then 14th-ranked Bulldogs' 42-38 win, a victory that helped keep the preseason No. 1's disappointing fall from teetering on collapse.

"It wasn't a perfect game," said defensive end Demarcus Dobbs, whose interception with 46 seconds left ended Kentucky's last chance at pulling the upset.

The Bulldogs (8-2, 5-2 Southeastern Conference) were hardly dominant against the inspired Wildcats (6-4, 2-4), but a week after an embarrassing loss to Florida, Georgia coach Mark Richt knew he didn't have room to be picky.

"These kinds of victories aren't so bad," Richt said.

Massaquoi did a little soul-searching on the bench after his second fumble in a five-minute span gave the Wildcats another opportunity to knock off Georgia for the second time in three years.

"The protection broke down and he started scrambling late and I wasn't real happy there initially," Richt said of quarterback Matthew Stafford, who threw for a career-high 376 yards. "But when I saw the results, I was thinking the kid's a genius."

So, in a way, was Massaquoi, whose mental toughness helped the Bulldogs avoid disaster.

"To (Massaquoi), a chance to redeem himself was such a blessing for that kid," Richt said. "I'm sure he would have forgiven himself one day, but it would have taken a long time."