The Georgia Bulldogs are hoping to create some explosive plays on Saturday when they visit Knoxville to take on the Tennessee Vols.

Georgia struggled to create explosive plays last weekend in a 28-6 win against Austin Peay. Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart, however, is hoping to see that change starting this week against Tennessee.

“It’s more about how people are playing us right now,” said Smart after Georgia’s win against Austin Peay. “And there’s two weeks in a row where there’s just a ton of cushion. I talked to you all about it before. If people want to play like that, you’ve got to take what they give you. And we had some really easy throws — we call it an extension of the run game.

“When you play in our league, those aren’t there. Nobody’s giving you that. So, if they don’t give you that, then you’ve got a chance to hit your shots. And it’ll be interesting to see as people creep up in our league, are we able to throw it beyond them?“

“He’s a problem” – Austin Peay head coach Jeff Faris points out the Georgia Bulldogs player that can be hard to stop

Austin Peay head coach Jeff Faris joined 104.5 The Zone’s Ramon and Will on Wednesday to discuss his program’s loss to the Bulldogs.

Faris, a former Duke safety who is from Knoxville, pointed out Bulldogs wide receiver Zachariah Branch as a player who’s a “problem”.

“We knew how talented they were on the outside,” said Faris of playing Georgia. “I think number one, Zachariah Branch, we played him at my previous school (UCLA) — he’s a problem. And to limit his effectiveness, not only as a receiver, but also in the punt return game, was huge for us.”

Branch, who started his career at USC before transferring to Georgia this past offseason, caught just three passes for 17 yards against Austin Peay (Branch caught three passes for 95 yards in Georgia’s season-opening win against Marshall).

Branch is a former five-star recruit who was rated by 247Sports as the No. 1 wide receiver in the 2023 recruiting class. He’s a dynamic athlete who is a threat to score every time he touches the ball.

I’m sure Tennessee has taken a close look at how Austin Peay limited Branch’s effectiveness last weekend. And I’m sure they’ll try to utilize some of those same strategies.

Georgia has talented athletes all over the field. Shutting down Branch, however, will be one of the Vols’ top priorities on Saturday when they take on the Bulldogs.

Tennessee Volunteers News

‘Georgia cut him loose’ – Vols insider explains why key Tennessee player could have added motivation in game against the Bulldogs

A key Tennessee Vols player should have some added motivation for this weekend’s matchup against the Georgia Bulldogs. VolQuest’s Austin Price joined 104.5 The Zone’s Ramon and Will on Tuesday and he detailed why Vols senior defensive lineman Tyre West could be extra motivated to beat Georgia on Saturday. Price explained that West was once […]

Zach Ragan