UGA Football: No. 1 Georgia vs. Tennessee Postgame Notes

Undefeated SEC Regular Season: With today’s 41-17 victory, top-ranked Georgia (10-0, 8-0 SEC) posted a perfect 8-0 mark in the league for the first time in school history. The average margin of victory in these games was 31.9 points. Georgia now has completed league play undefeated eight times, and this is the first 8-0 mark since the SEC split into divisions in 1992. This is the third time that Georgia has gone 6-0 in the SEC East under Kirby Smart. Since 2017, Georgia is 27-2 against the East. Georgia is now 10-0 for the first time since 1982 when it went 11-0. The Bulldogs also started out 10-0 in 1980 and 1946. The 2011 team began the year 0-2 and then won 10 straight games to close out the regular season.

Defensive Review: Top-ranked Georgia, the national leader in Scoring Defense (6.6 ppg), held Tennessee to 10 points in the first half as the Vols ran 41 plays for 184 yards (159 yards came in the first quarter and only 25 yards in the 2nd quarter). UT added a TD in the 4th quarter to finish with 17 points as the Vols were averaging 38.2 ppg. Georgia opponents have scored just 76 points, and that tally through 10 games is the lowest in a season at this point since 1950 when it allowed 58.

Junior Nakobe Dean led the team with 11 tackles, 2 TFL and a sack. UT took opening kick and scored a TD, going 77 yards on 10 plays in 3:11. Georgia trailed 7-0 with 11:43 in first quarter. Then with 1:38 left in the first quarter, UT took a 10-7 lead on a 24-yard field goal. In the 2nd quarter, Georgia tied the game at 10 with 9:42 left. Also In the second quarter, seniorDerion Kendrick notched his second interception, the other came versus USC. It led to a TD. Georgia is +3 in turnover margin this season and has scored 80 points off 14 turnovers.

In the second half on its first possession, UT went for it on 4th and 4 from the UT17 and the defense forced an incompletion. The Vols turned it over on downs again on their next possesion at the UT 40 on a sack by Channing Tindall, and the Bulldogs eventually added a TD for a 34-10 edge. Tindall added a sack/forced a fumble to thwart a red zone opportunity when UT had advanced to the 7 yard line. He had eight tackles and three sacks, both career highs. UT got its final score with 3:38 left to make it 41-17. It ended a 34-0 run by the Bulldogs who trailed 10-7 with 1:39 left in the first quarter.

Bennett Leads Bulldogs: Senior QB Stetson Bennett finished 17-for-29 for 213 yards and one TD plus one TD rushing as he improved to 10-2 as a starter including 7-0 this year. He got the start for the sixth straight week and seventh time overall this year. He had a 10-yard rushing TD for the team’s first lead at 17-10 with 7:24 left in the first half. It capped a five-play, 40-yard drive in 1:32. He directed an 11-play, 90-yard drive in 3:05 to make it 24-10 with 37 seconds left in the first half. It was Georgia’s fourth 11-play drive of the year, which ties a season-high. The others came against USC (90), Arkansas (93) and Mizzou (75).

Top Targets: Nine different Bulldogs caught a pass. Freshman AD Mitchell led the team with a career-high five catches for 65 yards. Junior Kearis Jackson had two for 32 yards. Senior RB James Cook (3-for-43) caught a 23-yarder for a TD that made it 24-10.

Rushing Highlights: Georgia tallied 274 rushing yards on 42 attempts and 2 TDs. Senior James Cook had a career-high 104 yards on 10 carries including two TDs. Cook capped the first drive with a 39-yard TD to tie the game at 7. He has 13 career rushing TDs. Cook also had a 23-yard receiving TD. Cook posted 147 all-purpose yards. This was his second career 100-yard rushing game. He had 104 versus USC in 2020. This was his third career game with three total scores.

Special Teams Summary: Senior punter Jake Camarda had five punts for a 50.8 average. Junior Jack Podlesny had five PATs plus went 2-for-2 on field goals. He made a 40-yarder to tie the game at 10 with 9:42 left and added a 26-yarder in the 2ndhalf. This year, he is now 16-for-20 on field goals and 47-for-48 on PATs.

Game Captains/Coin Toss: The captains were seniors James Cook (RB) and Quay Walker (ILB) and junior Nakobe Dean (ILB). Georgia won the toss and deferred the football until the second half.

Series History/Up Next:  Georgia now leads the UT series 26-23-2 including 5-1 under Kirby Smart. Up next, Georgia plays host to Charleston Southern (4-5) on Nov. 20 at noon (SECN+).