For likely the last time, Georgia and Tennessee meet in Ob-Knoxville on Saturday as yearly SEC rivals. Before 1992, there really was no rivalry as the 2 programs only met when the planets aligned to the point where you wouldn’t be called dumb to think they weren’t in the same conference for football. That quickly changed as Tennessee dominated the 1990s, but since 2001, the Dawgs have owned the series. Let’s get to the first look.
Series record
Georgia leads 29-23-2 and owns an 8-game winning streak in the rivalry.
Last meeting
Georgia spotted Tennessee a 10-0 lead before roaring back to win 31-17 as Carson Beck played one of his best games at Georgia and the defense took over the game. The defense rang up 5 sacks of Nico and completely controlled the Vowels’ passing game in a result that wasn’t as close as the score indicated.
Gambling degenerate facts
After opening as a 6.5 point favorite, the Dawgs still are a 3.5 point favorite with a 49.5 point total. Georgia is a -290 favorite on the money line.
Interesting statistic: 13 (average points scored by Tennessee during this winning streak)
Can the Dawgs defense which has not been tested to date hold Tennessee to 13? Probably not. Can the defense keep the Vols at 20 or less? If they play well and get any help with the offense possessing the ball, I see that as a reasonable goal. That’s definitely a path to victory.
Early outlook
This game comes down to the lines of scrimmage. If the Georgia offensive line plays like they did this past Saturday, it’s going to be difficult to pull out a win. If the Georgia defensive front 7 plays as they have the last 2 weeks, they are going to be tough to beat without help from the Georgia offense.
Right now, nothing would surprise me other than a Tennessee blowout win, and that’s because Tennessee hasn’t handled the Georgia front consistently since 2017. The Dawgs have won handily the last 2 years without a dominant player in the front 7.
Right now, I’m leaning to the good guys to get it done again. Kirby needs to show video of the Kneeland crowd throwing the goal post into the water after Alabama game 3 years ago.
You don’t want that on Saturday.
Anything that makes Junior and Lulu leave unhappy sounds good to me.
An empty box of those delish hot n fresh finger rings leaves LuLu and Junior in a very foul moooood, two empty boxes and the whole Krispy Kreme world is at defcon 4….GO DAWGS!!
Foul mood? Just think, Cade Mays’ Pa will be one doughnut short and it breaks my heart – deep down inside where I’m soft like an Alabama Locker Room Tickity Tock Dancer.
“owns an 8-game winning streak in the rivalry.”
That’s: owns an 8-game by TWO touchdowns winning streak, thank you.
To explain it in Hillbilly parlance – that’s kissing your sister if she has a cojoined twin. I went there.
#GoDawgs
That rumor about the checker board stadium down sizing the seat dimensions as to expand ticket sales only affected LuLu and Junior tickets purchase by one seat, they already owned 4 seats…one seat for each cheek, one seat for the storage of those hot n fresh glazed treats…GO DAWGS!!
My inner Munson is screaming gunner can’t overcome the poor play calling and inconsistent OL play. If I had never experienced the Joe Cox foot placement debacle I would think bobo is setting up plays off the WR screen. Sadly I put the over under on WR screens thrown at 11.5.
Munson’s pessimism was just for dramatic effect. We are now at a point when people believed Munson when he poor mouthed about our chances. Those same people would have believed the Gator Bowl actually fell down when Lindsay Scott scored.
As far as gambling degeneracy: I’m bummed Draft Kings won’t give me a Gunnar +35 yds rushing prop bet (I think he tucks and runs a couple times and doesn’t lose too many yards if sacked a couple times). I think I will play him for a rushing TD and Branch a TD. What do y’all think?
As far as the game – I know MANY of you will throw this out there (down field not behind the line): 3rd downs! If we can 3 and out them more than they do us everything will fall into place.
If we win, it won’t be because of the offense. I think we can all agree on that (most of us anyway).
If we win, it will be because the team played complementary football. Both sides doing their part … as they did last year in Sanford against these guys or what they did in Austin.
Not what they did in Oxford or the first half of the Bama game.
Thank you.
Does Tennessee have a winning SEC record this century yet?
Yes. As a matter of fact, they were pretty good thru 2007. After Phil left in the downfall began. The fan base seemed to make the coaching hires thru Dooley, Pruitt and Jones….the program destroyed itself from 08′ tfor the next ten years or so. It was schadenfreud on a grand scale! What a time to be a vawl hater! Once they hired Huepel, he at least got them somewhat respectable. Still though, FTMF
No. From 2000 through 2024 they are 100-102 in conference games on the field. Some of those 100 wins have been vacated.
Here is to hoping Kirby maintains his ppg average in Kneeland. He is averaging 40.75ppg on offense and giving up 17ppg on defense.
Having had Knox as a sales territory since 2015, had countless members of my wifes family being vawls, plus I live in north Georgia… I have to see that ugly ass orange T everywhere. I have developed a hate for the vols like you can not imagine. FTMF
As someone who matriculated through Athens in the late 90s, it is crazy, yet satisfying, to see this series turned. 1998 (I’m pretty sure) was a visit to Athens by the GameDay crew, and we laid an egg on the field. Might have been the first time GameDay was in Athens? Was fun other than the game.
I think with Goldberg on site for part of the hype and possibly the instance where Chris Fowler dropped the “Over-dressed, over-served Frat boy” comment.
I like the defense to hold Tennessee’s run game in check again. Feel like they’ll give up a couple long passes but Tenn will have to work hard for points. Hoping we don’t give them any freebies from turnovers. I like our chances. Tenn ain’t played nobody either!