UGA surges past Tennessee and into SEC East lead. Up next is showdown with Alabama
So far in 2020, the only team that can beat No. 3 Georgia is Georgia.
The Bulldogs (3-0) overcame plenty of early miscues to rally and beat Tennessee, pulling away late for a 44-21 victory in Sanford Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The loss ended an eight-game winning streak for the No. 14 Vols (2-1) dating back to 2019.
Georgia is in first place in the SEC East after No. 4 Florida lost on the road Saturday to Texas A&M. The Bulldogs now face their biggest regular season test with a road trip to Tuscaloosa and No. 2 Alabama. A win next weekend would firmly cement Georgia as a College Football Playoff contender.
On Saturday, the tide turned early for the Bulldogs in the second half. Georgia forced the Volunteers into their first two turnovers of the year, first a strip-sack fumble recovery by redshirt sophomore outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari and then an interception by junior corner Eric Stokes.
The offense failed to cash those into touchdowns, but two field goals from redshirt sophomore Jack Podlesny gave the Bulldogs a 23-21 lead.
“We come out and gain all momentum back, and then we let them get momentum back by holding us to a field goal,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said after the game. “Got a chance to put somebody away, that’s what good teams do, man. They get momentum and they just run with it. We didn’t do that.”
Following more defensive dominance, the offense kicked it into gear. A pair of touchdown drives followed two Tennessee 3-and-outs, with the second culminating in a play-action touchdown pass from junior quarterback Stetson Bennett to freshman defensive lineman Jalen Carter, who had lined up as a fullback.
The victory started inauspiciously for the Bulldogs. A snap from senior center Trey Hill sailed into the end zone on the second play of the game, and Tennessee recovered to take an early 7-0 lead.
The Bulldogs took a 14-7 advantage later in the first half after a pair of touchdown drives. After Tennessee surged ahead to a 21-17 lead on the strength of touchdown passes of 27 and 36 yards from senior quarterback Jarrett Guarantano, the Volunteers stoned Georgia on the goal line late in the first half to take that lead into the locker room.
“We knew that they were beating us because of stuff that we had done,” Bennett said. “It wasn’t anything that they had done, we had just shot ourselves in the foot. We knew that if we just cleaned it up, it was going to end up how it ended up.”
The defense started the second-half rally, and the offense eventually capitalized. The knockout blow came from senior linebacker Monty Rice, who stripped the ball from Guarantano after a sack and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown to make it 44-21.
3 UGA stars of the game
Jack Podlesny — The offense struggled to cash in Tennessee mistakes early in the second half. However, Podlesny came through with the biggest game of his young Georgia career.
After converting a 47-yard field goal in the first half, Podlesny nailed kicks of 34 and 51 yards on the first two possessions after halftime. These turned a 21-17 deficit into a 23-17 lead, an advantage the Bulldogs never relinquished.
Stetson Bennett — Bennett didn’t have his best game under center. But when his team needed him after halftime, he delivered.
He connected on 7-of-12 passes in the final 30 minutes, adding 110 yards and a pair of touchdowns to extend the Georgia advantage. He managed the game and made perfect throws when needed, including a beautiful 33-yard strike to redshirt sophomore Kearis Jackson to set up the second score of the half.
He will face his toughest test in Tuscaloosa next week, but Bennett continues to shine for the Bulldogs.
Monty Rice — Rice fulfilled every defensive player’s dream on Saturday. He sacked Guarantano and stripped the ball, then scooped it up and returned it 20 yards for the touchdown that put the game out of reach.
That was just the highlight of a solid day for the defensive leader. He led the team with eight tackles and contributed two tackles for loss, stifling the Tennessee offense all day.
Georgia vs. Alabama football game info
Who: Georgia (3-0, 3-0 SEC) at Alabama (3-0, 3-0 SEC)
Where: Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa
When: 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17
TV channel: CBS
The series: Georgia has lost five straight to the Crimson Tide
Georgia vs Tennessee scoring plays, game stats
First Quarter
TEN—K.Bennett 0 fumble return (Cimaglia kick), 14:17.
UGA—White 1 run (Podlesny kick), 6:38.
Second Quarter
UGA—S.Bennett 8 run (Podlesny kick), 11:42.
TEN—Palmer 36 pass from Guarantano (Cimaglia kick), 6:40.
UGA—FG Podlesny 47, 4:49.
TEN—Palmer 27 pass from Guarantano (Cimaglia kick), 3:08.
Third Quarter
UGA—FG Podlesny 34, 12:00.
UGA—FG Podlesny 51, 10:11.
UGA—K.Jackson 21 pass from S.Bennett (Podlesny kick), :35.
Fourth Quarter
UGA—Carter 1 pass from S.Bennett (Podlesny kick), 10:31.
UGA—Rice 17 fumble return (Podlesny kick), 9:56.
A—20,524.
TEAM STATS
- Time of possession: UGA 36:38 to 23:22
- First downs: 24 to 13
- Rush yards: UGA 193 to minus-4
- Pass yardsc235 to 215
INDIVIDUAL STATS
- RUSHING—Tennessee, Gray 8-25, Chandler 8-11, Hyatt 1-3, Guarantano 10-(minus 43). Georgia, Milton 8-56, White 22-50, McIntosh 8-45, Burton 1-43, S.Bennett 6-22, D.Edwards 4-7, (Team) 1-(minus 30).
- PASSING—Tennessee, Guarantano 23-36-1-215. Georgia, S.Bennett 16-27-0-235.
- RECEIVING—Tennessee, Gray 8-54, Palmer 4-71, B.Johnson 3-28, Keyton 2-29, Chandler 2-19, Fant 1-9, Tillman 1-6, Warren 1-5, Hyatt 1-(minus 6). Georgia, K.Jackson 4-91, McKitty 2-47, McIntosh 2-36, Burton 2-26, Pickens 2-14, Robertson 1-14, FitzPatrick 1-3, D.Edwards 1-3, Carter 1-1.
- MISSED FIELD GOALS—None.
UGA football 2020 schedule
Sept. 26: Georgia 37, Arkansas 10
Oct. 3: Georgia 27, Auburn 6
Oct. 10: Georgia 44, Tennessee 21
Oct. 17: at Alabama, 8 pm (CBS)
Oct. 24: at Kentucky
Oct. 31: OPEN
Nov. 7: vs. Florida in Jacksonville, 3:30 pm (CBS)
Nov. 14: at Missouri
Nov. 21: vs. Mississippi State
Nov. 28: at South Carolina
Dec. 5: vs. Vanderbilt
This story was originally published October 10, 2020 at 7:12 PM.