KNOXVILLE – On September 29^th the Tennessee Volunteers  (2-3, 0-2) lost to the Georgia Bulldogs 38-12 at Samford Stadium in Athens Georgia. Tennessee came within 12 points with 4 minutes left in the 4^th quarter but couldn’t hold on as Georgia (5-0, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) scored effectively ending the game.

Georgia nearly doubled Tennessee’s total yards with 441 yards to a mere 209. Georgia backup quarterback Justin Fields ran for 2 touchdowns and 54 yards coming off the bench.

Nashville Native Ty Chandler had 5 carries for 27 yards and also caught 4 passes for 53 yards. As well as a 35 yard TD pass bringing Tennessee within 12 in the 4^th quarter.

Tennessee drops to 2-3 on the season as they enter the bulk of the season in the upcoming weeks with Auburn, Alabama, and South Carolina in the coming weeks.

Coach Jeremy Pruitt was excited from his team’s effort saying, “I learned we’ve got fight in us that we’re not going to quit. It kind of gets me excited. I’m proud of them and the way they fought”

The Bulldogs mixed it up between two quarterbacks and that may have been the most notable action in No. 2 Georgia’s 38-12 victory over the Vols on Saturday.

Fromm’s backup, freshman Justin Fields, played a bigger role, coming onto the field in each of the final three quarters. After Fields had scoring runs of 12 and 15 yards, coach Kirby Smart was asked about his plans at quarterback the remainder of the season.

“The plan is there is no plan,” Smart said. He repeated the “no plan” line when asked a follow-up question.

The real plan may be to run the ball. Georgia outrushed Tennessee 251-66.

Georgia moves on in their schedule remaining undefeated at 5-0 and in prime position to win the SEC East and move to the SEC Championship Game.

Georgia scored touchdowns on its last drive of the first half and the opening possession after halftime but otherwise couldn’t maintain momentum.

Tennessee was held to 209 yards. The Vols finally scored on Jarrett Guarantano’s 37-yard pass to Josh Palmer late in the third quarter. Guarantano’s 35-yard scoring pass to Ty Chandler about four minutes into the final quarter cut Georgia’s lead to 24-1

Takeaways: 

Positives:  There were many bright spots for Tennessee including starting QB Jarrett Guarantano who threw for 143 yards and 2 TDs in the losing effort in addition Hillsboro Alum Kyle Phillips has 7 tackles as the starting Defensive Lineman comes in to his own as a senior

Negatives: Some negative takeaways include Tennessee’s run defense or lack thereof giving up 241 yards on the ground and allowing 4 Georgia rushing touchdowns. The offense is also at fault only converting 2-10 of 3^rd downs which simply can’t happen to beat a team like Georgia.

Tennessee is off on their bye week this  week but play Auburn this coming week and Alabama the following week meaning these coming weeks will decide exactly what kind of team Tennessee will be.

In terms of injuries Tennessee is injury free and looking to move on to next week against Auburn

On The Air

October 13, 2018 at 11:00 am at Auburn

The game can be watched on the UT Sports broadcasting online Here

Game Time and Broadcast info for Tennessee-Alabama Set
Tennessee and Alabama’s annual rivalry game on The Third Saturday in October will kickoff at 3:30 p.m. ET and be televised nationally as the SEC on CBS Game of the Week on Oct. 20 at Neyland Stadium.

Tickets are still available for the game at AllVols.com or by calling 1-800-332-VOLS.