KNOXVILLE – In one of the more bizarre games you'll see, Georgia came out on top at Rocky Top, defeating a resilient Tennessee team 20-12. The critical SEC win came before 102,455 at Neyland Stadium on Saturday night.
The victory was the fourth in a row for the Bulldogs (4-2, 3-1 SEC), who find themselves tied with South Carolina for the SEC East lead. It was Georgia's first win at Neyland Stadium since 2005. They'll be back in the Volunteer State next Saturday to face Vanderbilt (3-2, 1-2)
Tennessee falls to 3-2 and 0-2 in the SEC.
Georgia broke open the game -- coach Mark Richt's 100th career victory -- with a pair of touchdown runs by Isaiah Crowell in the third quarter. The Bulldogs' defense, which has played so well in recent weeks, made it stand.
Crowell finished with 58 yards on 18 carries. Quarterback Aaron Murray was 15-of-25 passing for 227 yards. Georgia's defense held Tennessee to minus-20 yards rushing on 23 carries.
Georgia was able to overcome some sloppy play in the fourth quarter, in which it was penalized five times for 57 yards after reaching the Tennessee 23-yard line. Instead of at least getting a field goal that would have forged a three-score lead, the Bulldogs had to punt from their own 31 on fourth-and-57.
Tennessee scored on a 1-yard sneak by Matt Simms with 2:45 to play. It was just the second touchdown Georgia's defense had allowed in the past 16 quarters. But Shawn Williams blocked the ensuing point-after attempts, and the Bulldogs took over at the Tennessee 35 after the Vols' onside kick went out of bounds.
With Tennessee out of timeouts, Georgia was able to run out clock before punting with 18 seconds remaining. The Vols took over at their own 20 and the game ended with Jarvis Jones sacking Simms, who was in the game because starting quarterback Tyler Bray had been sidelined with a hand injury on the previous possession.
Georgia's fortunes turned on a controversial play midway through the third quarter. Marlin Lane was awarded a touchdown on a 66-yard catch-and-run on third-and-long. But a protracted video review by officials determined that Lane's knee was down on a tackle by linebacker Michael Gilliard at the Tennessee 47, three yards shy of a first down.
So instead of a touchdown, the Vols punted and Georgia took over at its own 7-yard line. Three plays later, the Bulldogs went ahead 20-6 on a 17-yard run by Crowell. The score was set up by a 73-yard pass from Aaron Murray to Malcolm Mitchell on first down.
Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, Mitchell pulled a hamstring mid-route and hobbled off the field immediately after the play. The freshman did not return to the game and finished with 128 yards on three catches.
Georgia had a great opportunity to put the game away after reaching the Tennessee 23-yard line on a first-down catch by Tavarres King. But that led to one of the more bizarre stretches of penalties in college football annals.
The Bulldogs committed five penalties in the next eight plays, six if you count two penalties that were called on one play. Among them were three holding calls and a facemask penalty.
That backed up the Bulldogs all the way to their own 31, where they eventually faced fourth-and-57. They were flagged again for a late hit out of bounds on the ensuing punt return.
But the Georgia defense, so effective in recent weeks, made certain it did not turn into a disastrous chain of events. Michael Gilliard sacked Tyler Bray on first down and Bray was called for intentional grounding. The Vols ended up punting on fourth-and-15 from midfield with nine minutes to play.
Georgia forged ahead 13-6 on its first possession of the second half on a Crowell 1-yard run at the 8:19 mark of the third quarter. Crowell, largely ineffective in the first half, carried the ball seven times on the 38-yard drive. The drive was extended with an interference call on Darryl Vereen defending Orson Charles in the end zone.
Georgia and Tennessee traded long drives and short field goals to go into halftime tied 6-6.
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