ATHENS -- Being on the bad end of a Georgia blowout is nothing new for Derek Dooley.
He was on Nick Saban’s staff at LSU in 2004 when the Bulldogs handed the defending BCS national champs a 45-16 defeat in Sanford Stadium.
“It was like déjà vu,” Dooley said. “In 2004, we were here with LSU and Georgia was an angry, veteran team. I think it might have even been the same score.”
It wasn’t the exact result, but Saturday’s score was close to that margin of defeat as Georgia defeated Tennessee 41-14 in Dooley’s first game in Athens as the Volunteers’ coach.
With his mother, Barbara, in her box demonstrating her split allegiance with a strange combination of red pants and an orange top, and his father, Vince, watching the game from their nearby home, Dooley's team appeared to still be hung over from last week’s emotional last-second loss at LSU.
The Volunteers turned the ball over twice in the first quarter, and Georgia scored on both opportunities for a 17-0 lead. A fumbled fair catch helped the Bulldogs take a 24-7 second-quarter advantage.
“I thought our energy level was there, but we didn't start very well,” Dooley said. “They were hungry and ready and looked like it. I was disappointed in how we competed, especially how we came out in the second half. We didn't compete the way we needed to.”
Dooley’s first season at Tennessee has been tough. The Volunteers’ lack of depth -- they’ve played 15 freshmen -- and inexperienced offensive line has caused problems.
Tennessee, which is off next weekend before hosting Alabama on Oct. 23, played well for a half against Oregon, before losing 48-13. The Volunteers hung tough in a 31-17 loss against Florida and then needed two overtimes to knock off UAB 32-29.
Last week it appeared Tennessee had defeated LSU, but a defensive penalty on the last play of the game gave the Tigers another chance, and they turned it into a game-winning touchdown.
Tennessee quarterback Matt Simms has been sacked 23 times this season after Georgia got to him four times, and the Volunteers finished with three turnovers after going two games without any. They also had a bad snap that resulted in a 23-yard loss.
“Our growing pains reared their ugly head today,” Dooley said. “[Georgia] started drives on our side of the field, and we didn’t handle that well. We are just not stopping anybody right now. I’m not sure if that’s just growing pains. I just think we are not very good right now.”
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