Series History: Georgia leads 28-23-2.What’s at stake?
This is essentially a playoff game — especially for Georgia, which has no room for error after a 28-10 loss to Ole Miss knocked the Bulldogs out of the College Football Playoff’s provisional 12-team field. A win over the Volunteers would put them back on a likely path to the expanded postseason, presuming they can close out the regular season with wins over UMass and Georgia Tech. Tennessee is in a similar position, knowing another signature Southeastern Conference win would position the Volunteers for a likely playoff berth. Their road to the postseason gets much more precarious with a second loss.
Key matchup
Georgia QB Carson Beck vs. a Tennessee defense that has allowed just 12.6 points per game, ranking fifth nationally. Beck was supposed to be one of the nation’s biggest stars, but he’s thrown more interceptions (12) than touchdowns (10) over the last six games. The Bulldogs desperately need Beck to turn things around if they’re going to have any shot at winning their third national championship in four years. He needs better protection from the offensive line, which gave up five sacks a week ago against Ole Miss.
Players to watch
Tennessee: QB Nico Iamaleava was listed as questionable and reportedly in concussion protocol after being injured last week in a victory over Mississippi State. Going back to the second half of an Oct. 19 win over Alabama, Iamaleava has completed 65% of his passes for 1,879 yards, 11 TDs and four interceptions. If the redshirt freshman can’t go against the Bulldogs, it’s a big step down to fifth-year senior Gaston Moore.
Georgia: LB Jalon Walker has a team-high 4.5 sacks and 6.5 tackles for losses. The Bulldogs desperately need their hybrid backer to create the sort of havoc he displayed in a 30-15 upset of then-No. 1 Texas, when he had three sacks and seven tackles before halftime.
Facts & figures
Georgia has a seven-game winning streak in the series. Tennessee’s last victory was a 34-31 triumph in 2016, when the Vols completed a stunning Hail Mary pass for a touchdown on the final play. … Georgia is playing its first home game since Oct. 12. The Bulldogs close the regular season with three straight games at Sanford Stadium. Georgia has won a a school-record 28 consecutive home games, the longest active streak in FBS. … Tennessee RB Dylan Sampson has set a school record with 20 rushing touchdowns and leads the SEC with 1,129 yards on the ground. … Sampson has 11 rushing TDs in SEC games, which is more than 10 other conference schools. … The Vols are one of three teams with one SEC loss, joining Texas and Texas A&M. … Georgia hasn’t dropped consecutive games since the 2018 season, when a loss to Alabama in the SEC championship game was followed by a Sugar Bowl setback to Texas. … The Bulldogs are minus-3 in turnover margin, tied for 88th nationally.
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