Tennessee football jumped out to an early lead against Georgia but couldn’t sustain it as the Vols fell 31-17 in Athens on Saturday night. It marked Tennessee’s eighth straight loss in the series.
Here’s five critical moments from the defeat.
More From RTI: How Tennessee Football Graded Out Against Georgia According to PFF
The Last Man Standing Saves A Touchdown
Boo Carter made a number of Bulldogs miss near him before breaking out into the open field. Georgia punter Brett Thorson was the only person standing between freshman punt returner Boo Carter and the end zone.
But Jalen McMurray whiffed on a block and Thorson made the tackle at the Georgia 37-yard line. Carter may have still scored if he angled outside and tried to beat the punter to the corner but he definitely scores if McMurray makes the block.
Tennessee went three-and-out before Max Gilbert salvaged the opportunity by booting in a 52-yard field goal to give the Vols a 10-0 lead. But a 14-0 lead in the first quarter really feels like it would have changed the feel of the game in the first quarter.
Make no bones about it, Carter made a really nice return happen. It was just nearly a game changing one.
The Play That Flipped Georgia’s Offensive Fortunes
Georgia had 24 total yards when Carson Beck drew a Tennessee defender offsides before connecting with Dominic Lovett for a 38-yard gain on the final play of the first quarter. A third down stop on third-and-eight would have given Tennessee the ball back up 10-0 early in the second quarter. Instead, it started an avalanche for Georgia’s offense.
Even with the big play to end the quarter, Georgia had 62 total yards in the first quarter. The Bulldogs went for 391 total yards over the next three quarters.
After recording stops on Georgia’s first three drives of the night, Tennessee kept the Bulldogs from scoring just once on their final six drives. The Bulldogs’ offense may have sparked to life even without that play. But that was a clear and concise turning point.
Meaningful Offensive Answer
Georgia put together back-to-back touchdown drives to claim a 14-10 lead when Tennessee’s offense got the ball back with 6:36 to play in the first half.
Tennessee’s offense responded about as well as they have in a big moment all season, going 75 yards on 10 plays for a touchdown. The Vols also bled clock on the drive while largely leaning on their run game. Dylan Sampson popped a 27-yard touchdown run which kept Tennessee from running out the end of the first half.
But even with Georgia getting three points before the break, the touchdown kept Tennessee on solid footing despite a terrible second quarter from the defense.
Conservative Punt Backfires
Tennessee got the ball out of the halftime break and had a chance to go reclaim the lead and some momentum early in the third quarter. It was a strong drive to start with the Vols’ moving across midfield due in part to a a 17-yard pass from Nico Iamaleava to Squirrel White.
But Tennessee’s offense stalled out after two straight incompletions and faced fourth-and-six at the Georgia 36-yard line. Gilbert had already made a field goal just two yards shorter and it was a makable fourth down. But Heupel played it conservatively, opting to punt.
Georgia made him pay, marching the ball 87 yards on 12 plays to take a lead it wouldn’t relinquish. Not only would Tennessee never tie the game again, they never reached the Georgia 36-yard line again.
Third-and-Two Backbreaker
Josh Heupel was going to go for it on fourth down around midfield early in the fourth quarterback before a false start penalty on Lance Heard backed them up. Jackson Ross pinned Georgia at its own seven-yard line and Tennessee badly needed a stop to get the ball back down seven points in the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs had it third-and-two at its own 38-yard line. The right guard moved early but there was no call. Beck fired deep down the right side line and London Humphreys hauled in an incredibly contested catch on Jermod McCoy for a 28 yard gain.
It took Georgia eight more plays to find the end zone, but the game was essentially over at that point.
