5 things to know ahead of Georgia-Tennessee

ATHENS — It’s No. 1 vs. No. 1.

That’s one way of looking at Saturday’s monumental matchup between Georgia and Tennessee at Sanford Stadium. The undefeated, defending national champion Bulldogs (8-0, 5-0 SEC) have been ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll for most of the season, including the past three weeks. Meanwhile, the Volunteers (8-0, 4-0) were designated the nation’s top team in the first College Football Playoff ranking released Tuesday night. That’s the more pertinent distinction as the selection committee eventually will determine what four teams participate in college football’s playoff. They deemed Georgia as No. 3 based on a less impressive schedule to date.

SEC East rivals Georgia and Tennessee meet again in the latest "Game of the Century."

Credit: ArLuther Lee

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Credit: ArLuther Lee

By any measure, Saturday’s matchup will be the biggest game to be played in the 93-year history of Georgia’s Sanford Stadium, based on rankings.

“The team knows what we’re about to get into,” Georgia wideout Kearis Jackson said. “We’ve heard all the hype. This is pretty much an elimination game for us.”

Here are five things to know about Saturday’s contest:

Topping them all

The biggest game previously played in Sanford Stadium based on rankings was when No. 3 Auburn faced the No. 4 Bulldogs in 1983. The Tigers won 13-7, snapping Georgia’s streak of SEC championships at three and a 23-game SEC win streak.

The Bulldogs have never faced a No. 1 team on their home field. Georgia Tech was No. 2 in 1942 when No. 5-ranked Georgia overran the Yellow Jackets 34-0 on the way to the Rose Bowl and the Bulldogs’ first national championship. Tennessee was ranked third when it beat No. 11 Georgia 17-3 in 1969, and the Vols were fifth when they beat the No. 7 Bulldogs in 1998.

No. 20 Georgia knocked off No. 2 Clemson 26-23 on Kevin Butler’s 60-yard field goal in 1984.

There also have been some fairly lofty collisions in Athens in the playoff era. No. 1 Georgia beat No. 11 Kentucky on Oct. 16 last year, after the No. 2-ranked Bulldogs defeated No. 8 Arkansas 37-0 two weeks earlier. In 2020, No. 3 Georgia thumped the 14th-ranked Vols 44-21 between the hedges.

As for sheer hype, few games can top the Aaron Murray vs. Zach Mettenberger game of 2013. The No. 9-ranked Bulldogs outlasted No. 6 LSU that day. No. 3 Georgia edged No. 7 Notre Dame on Sept. 21, 2019, in front of the largest crowd at Sanford Stadium. With Georgia bringing in 500 temporary seats to accommodate the contractual agreement with the Fighting Irish, capacity that night was 93,246.

The Georgia crowd registered 115 decibels on the scoreboard. The highest ever recorded was 118 in last year’s game against Arkansas. The Bulldogs have been using their social media accounts this week to encourage fans to be loud enough to top that mark.

Honoring Vince Dooley

Outside of the colossal matchup, Saturday will be an emotional day for Georgia fans. The Bulldogs will honor former coach and athletic director Vince Dooley, who died Oct. 28 and was buried next to Sanford Stadium in Oconee Hill Cemetery on Thursday. He was 90.

On Saturday, there will be a moment of silence for Dooley before the game. A special video tribute will be shown on the videoboard before kickoff, and the players will wear a special patch on their uniforms. Special markings also have been painted on Dooley Field.

A private funeral for Dooley was held Thursday at the Catholic Center at UGA. A flyover conducted by U.S. Air Force pilots in F16 jets highlighted the interment.

It has been a tough few weeks for the Bulldog Nation. Hall of Fame running back Charley Trippi died at the age of 100 on Oct. 19. The team now wears a No. 62 decal on its helmets in honor of Trippi.

Also this week, the Bulldogs were mourning the death of Athens resident Ernie Battinelli. He had provided catering services to the UGA Athletic Association for more than two decades.

Offensive clash

The narrative for Saturday’s game is that Georgia’s defense of national renown will have to find a way to slow the Vols’ high-powered offense. And there is merit to that storyline.

Despite having lost eight defensive players to this year’s NFL draft – including five first-rounders – the Bulldogs enter the game ranked second in FBS in points allowed per game, at 10.5. Georgia’s 2021 defense gave up only 10.2 ppg last season.

Meanwhile, Tennessee coach Josh Heupel’s high-tempo offense, led by quarterback Hendon Hooker and receivers Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman, leads the nation in scoring (49.4 ppg), total yards (553 pg) and pass efficiency (198.5).

What often is left out of that conversation is the proficiency of Georgia’s offense. While the Bulldogs go about their business in a different way, they’re still averaging 41.8 points and 530.1 yards per game. Georgia ranks second only to Tennessee in passing yards, and the Bulldogs have attempted more passes (300 to 251).

Throwing shorter passes to tight ends and running backs, Georgia has piled up more first downs than the Vols, 217 to 209. Likewise, the Bulldogs possess the football for far longer, 35 minutes per game compared with 26.12.

“They have a great offense, and so do we,” Jackson said. “Most guys overlook that because of how we do things. We do it differently here. But when you’re able to average over 500 yards a game, that’s a big deal, in my opinion. … We don’t really think about what everybody else does. We just know what we’re capable of doing.”

Filling voids

Georgia’s defense took a hit Saturday against Florida when the Bulldogs lost starting outside linebacker and unofficial defensive captain Nolan Smith to a torn pectoral muscle. A senior from Savannah and the team sack leader, Smith underwent outpatient surgery Thursday and is out for the season.

Smith likely will be replaced in the starting lineup by sixth-year senior Robert Beal. The 6-foot-4, 250-pound Beal has played in every game, with one start, and ranks third among current players with 10 quarterback pressures. But coach Kirby Smart indicated Smith’s role very much will be filled by committee.

Beal played 53 snaps and sophomore Chaz Chambliss 30 in Smith’s absence for the last three quarters of the Florida game. Former five-star prospects Mekhail Sherman, a junior, and Marvin Jones, a freshman, also are being prepped to take on larger roles.

Meantime, the outspoken Smith will continue to be present in a support role.

“I asked him to help lift spirits and push us,” Smart said of Smith. “That has been his role in practice, so I don’t want him to change now. He is out there flying around and helping us out.”

Jalen Carter’s impact

While Smith is out, junior Jalen Carter is very much in. A 6-3, 300-pound junior from Apopka, Fla., Carter returned against Florida after sitting out four weeks with a sprained knee. While playing only on third downs against the Gators, Carter had one tackle and four quarterback pressures. He’s expected to play more on first and second down against the Vols, whose quick-tempo style does not allow for much substitution.

Carter had two tackles and a quarterback hurry when Georgia won 41-17 last year in Knoxville. Carter had three tackles and a hurry – plus a touchdown catch – when the Bulldogs beat Tennessee 44-21 in Athens in 2020.