Tennessee got into a spot to finally beat Georgia, but they didn’t go and take it
A tough pill for Vol fans to swallow.
For the first time in a very long time, the Tennessee Volunteers were in position to defeat the Georgia Bulldogs. Tennessee had fought, scratched, and clawed their way into the driver’s seat in multiple occasions in the fourth quarter.
But, with the opportunity to finally slay their own personal dragon, they didn’t swing their swords. Not with any real malice, at least.
Tennessee didn’t go for the throat with two chances to put the game away in the fourth quarter
The first opportunity came with a little over 8 minutes left in the game. With Tennessee ahead 35-30, Joshua Josephs sacked Gunner Stockton, who fumbled. Bryson Eason fell on the football at the Georgia 34-yard line. Tennessee had the opportunity to at last deliver the kill shot to the Bulldogs with a touchdown.
Instead, Tennessee started with a false start to back up 5 yards. From there, they had a very conservative game paly, running three times to get to the Georgia 30. From there, Max Gilbert banged a field goal through to up the lead to 38-30. A great spot to be in, but not an infallible one.
And, of course, Georgia flipped that strategy on its head, as they drove 75 yards in 9 plays and just over 4 minutes to tie the game at 38. A fourth down 28-yard fade pass to London Humphreys brought Georgia to within 2, and a ridiculously wide-open Zachariah Branch took in the two-point pass to tie it.
But Tennessee had one more chance to take the victory on their final regulation drive. Tennessee went 50 yards on 14 plays, inching their way to the Georgia 20 with 7 seconds left. A good spot to be in, but not a chip shot. From there, Tennessee went backwards 5 yards on a false start, and Heupel had enough and sent Gilbert on from 42. The kick sailed wide right. And overtime went just as you’d expect for Tennessee from there: quickly and not in their favor.
If Tennessee had pushed for the end zone up 35-30 or made more of an effort to get either into chip shot field goal range or the end zone on the final drive in regulation, we don’t know for sure it would have paid off. But with the way Tennessee’s passing attack was clicking on Saturday – Joey Aguilar had 371 passing yards on 24/36 attempts – there’s a very solid chance they could have gotten a chunk play to deliver the knockout blow.
Instead, it’s wait ’til next year again for the Vols. And perhaps next time, they’ll try to take the head off the dragon when they have the chance.
Tennessee Volunteers News
Georgia’s Kirby Smart confirms what Tennessee fans already knew about Vols’ overtime loss to the Bulldogs
Neyland Stadium was the site of an incredible game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Tennessee Vols on Saturday afternoon. It was also the site of a heartbreaking 44-41 overtime loss for the Volunteers. Tennessee had a chance to beat Georgia for the first time since 2016, but a Max Gilbert field goal that sailed […]
