Tennessee 38, No. 19 Georgia 31
A quarter-by-quarter look at Tennessee’s 38-31 victory over Georgia before 102,455 fans Saturday at Neyland Stadium:
FIRST QUARTER
Big play: A Tennessee scoring threat was reversed when Georgia linebacker Leonard Floyd recovered a fumble by Vols running back Jalen Hurd at the UGA 4-yard line and returned it 96 yards for a touchdown that put Georgia ahead 7-0 with 6:14 left in the quarter. The fumble was forced by linebacker Davin Bellamy.
Turning point: The game got off to a horrific start when, on the first play from scrimmage, the Bulldogs lost star tailback Nick Chubb to a left knee injury.
The takeaway: A cloud was cast over the game by Chubb's ugly injury.
Score: Georgia 7, Tennessee 3
SECOND QUARTER
Big play: On the first play of the second quarter, Georgia quarterback Greyson Lambert made a perfect throw and wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell an outstanding catch for a 28-yard touchdown and a 14-3 lead. The play completed a five-play, 75-yard drive that began late in the first quarter after a Tennessee field goal.
Turning point: After a Marshall Morgan field goal and a 70-yard Reggie Davis punt return for a touchdown stretched Georgia's lead to a seemingly commanding 24-3 with 3:27 left in the half, Tennessee reversed the momentum by scoring two touchdowns within 37 seconds. The first, set up by a 46-yard kickoff return by Evan Berry, came on a 39-yard pass on fourth-and-8 from quarterback Joshua Dobbs to wide receiver Josh Smith. Then, on the ensuing kickoff return, Tennessee recovered a Sony Michel fumble at the Georgia 25-yard line, leading to a touchdown five plays later.
The takeaway: Amazing, how fast Georgia's 21-point lead became a seven-point lead.
Score: Georgia 24, Tennessee 17
THIRD QUARTER
Big play: Hurd, limited to 22 yards on 11 carries in the first half, broke loose for 20 yards to the Georgia 2 about six minutes into the third quarter. The Vols proceeded to score to tie the score at 24-24.
Turning point: Tennessee took its first lead of the game with 1:26 left in the quarter. A poor punt by Georgia's Collin Barber gave the Vols excellent field position at its own 44-yard line. A 26-yard keeper by Dobbs was the big play on a drive that ended with a 2-yard pass from Dobbs to Alvin Kamara.
The takeaway: From late in the second quarter through the third, Tennessee scored 28 consecutive points.
Score: Tennessee 31, Georgia 24
FOURTH QUARTER
Big play: On the first play of the fourth quarter, Lambert threw a deep pass to Davis for a 48-yard touchdown. Once again, the score was tied. The touchdown was Davis' second of the game. (But he failed to score for a third time later in the quarter, dropping what would have been a long touchdown pass.)
Turning point: Tennessee moved the ball at will against Georgia's defense on an eight-play, 78-yard drive to regain the lead, 38-31, with 5:48 remaining. Dobbs hit wide-open receivers on 34- and 24-yard passes and ran the ball into the end zone for the final five yards. That proved to be the winning score, although the suspense continued until Tennessee broke up a Lambert pass intended for Mitchell in the end zone on the final play.
The takeaway: It was a costly loss for Georgia and a huge win for Tennessee. Georgia had no answer for Dobbs, who passed for 312 yards and ran for 118.
Score: Tennessee 38, Georgia 31
About the Author
Tim Tucker, a long-time AJC sports reporter, often writes about the business side of the games. He also had stints as the AJC's Braves beat writer, UGA beat writer, sports notes columnist and executive sports editor. He was deputy managing editor of America's first all-sports newspaper, The National Sports Daily.
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