3 things the Tennessee Vols have to do to beat the Georgia Bulldogs in Knoxville in 2023
The Tennessee Vols' goal in 2023 will be the same as it was in 2022 — win the SEC East. For the Vols to reach that goal, they'll almost certainly need to beat the Georgia Bulldogs this fall. And that obviously won't be an easy task. Georgia has won the last two national championships and […]
The Tennessee Vols' goal in 2023 will be the same as it was in 2022 — win the SEC East.
For the Vols to reach that goal, they'll almost certainly need to beat the Georgia Bulldogs this fall.
And that obviously won't be an easy task.
Georgia has won the last two national championships and they've won six games in a row against Tennessee. Five of those wins came by at least 23 points. The Bulldogs beat the Vols by only 14 points last season, but the game wasn't as close as the final score indicated.
Even with an uncertain quarterback situation in Athens, the Bulldogs are the better team. I don't think anyone will debate that (and remember, the Vols have a new quarterback in Joe Milton in 2023, too).
It's not impossible for the Vols to beat the Bulldogs — Georgia looked mortal at times in 2022 (specifically against Kent State, Missouri, and Kentucky) — but it would be a massive upset if it happens. And it would likely require Tennessee to essentially play a perfect game.
The Vols will obviously need to do everything at a high level to beat the Bulldogs. But there are three specific things they absolutely have to do to have a chance at getting the win.
(If you're reading this, there's a decent chance you read my recent article about Tennessee being set up better for longterm success than Alabama or Georgia. Stick with me until the end and I'll add some context to my thoughts and respond to some of the criticism from opposing fan bases, writers, etc.)
3 things the Tennessee Vols have to do to beat the Georgia Bulldogs in Knoxville in 2023
1. Offensive line has to play a perfect game and protect the QB
Tennessee's up-tempo offense is known for confusing defenses and creating mismatches. The Vols' offense has been described by critics as "simple", but Georgia was the only team in 2022 that was able to shut Tennessee's offense down.
The reason the Bulldogs were able to stop the Vols isn't a big secret — Georgia dominated the line of scrimmage.
UGA finished the game in 2022 with six sacks and eight tackles for loss. They were also able to consistently pressure Hendon Hooker even when they didn't sack him. Hooker didn't have a lot of time to get the ball down the field due to Georgia's pressure.
If Tennessee's offensive line can't stave off Georgia's pass rush (and I'm just talking about their front four), then the Vols won't stand a chance. This won't be easy as the Vols are losing two of their best offensive linemen from 2022 in right tackle Darnell Wright (a potential first-round draft pick) and left guard Jerome Carvin.
NCAA transfer portal additions John Campbell (from Miami) and Andrej Karic (Texas) have big shoes to fill. And they'll have to play better than Carvin and Wright did in 2022 for the Vols to win in 2023. That's asking a lot. Which is why this aspect of the game will be key for Tennessee.
2. No pre-snap penalties
Tennessee had nine penalties against Georgia in 2022. Eight of those infractions were pre-snap penalties (seven false starts and one illegal formation).
Many of those penalties were due to the Vols not handling the crowd noise at Sanford Stadium very well. Crowd noise obviously won't be an issue in Knoxville in 2023.
But avoiding the pre-snap penalties is still critical. Tennessee's offense operates best when it picks up the first first down on a drive and then can start using tempo to dictate the drive. That's when the Vols have success. When they get behind the chains — because of sacks or pre-snap penalties — it can be disastrous for UT. So even without the crowd noise as a major factor, Tennessee still has to make sure to avoid any pre-snap penalties.
Tennessee and Georgia play late in the 2023 season. If the Vols have another good season, this game could determine the winner of the SEC East. Tennessee will have all the pressure on them in that scenario. If they play tight and make mental mistakes that lead to pre-snap penalties, it will derail their chances of pulling the upset.
3. Joe Milton has to have pinpoint accuracy
Georgia's secondary did a tremendous job of defending Tennessee's wide receivers in last season's matchup (Kelee Ringo's interception on a pass intended for Cedric Tillman was one of the best plays I saw made by a defensive back all season).
But it's not like the Vols failed to get guys open. Tennessee had several chances to hit wide-open receivers against the Bulldogs last season. Several times, Hooker just didn't have time to get the ball down the field because of the Bulldogs' pressure. On the few occasions where he did, he wasn't as accurate as he was in other games. Hooker missed at least three potential touchdown throws because of poor throws (one to tight end Princeton Fant, one to wide receiver Bru McCoy, and one to wide receiver Jalin Hyatt).
If Tennessee is going to beat Georgia, they can't miss those deep shots. Even if the Vols play well up front — avoid penalties and protect the quarterback — they still have to actually execute the play. They can't afford to miss a single downfield opportunity against the Bulldogs because they probably won't have as many of those chances as they do against less elite teams.
Milton has struggled with accuracy at times. He looked much better last season in the chances he received, but we still haven't seen how consistent he can be for a whole season. He'll have to be perfect against Georgia.
Addressing "Tennessee being set up better for longterm success than Alabama or Georgia"
Alright, so let's just dive right into this.
Earlier this week, I wrote that Tennessee is set up better for longterm success than Alabama or Georgia.
I think a lot of folks are misinterpreting what I was trying to say, though perhaps I could've included some better context.
In no way am I predicting that Tennessee is about to take over college football. I have no idea what the future holds. No one does. Everyone makes predictions — including some of the writers who took a shot at me (good for them I guess?) — and rarely do those predictions pan out. They're just for fun. And folks tend to take them way too seriously.
But back to the article. I suggested that Georgia is a special team at the moment because they have an elite offense and an elite defense. Their offense was incredibly underrated and overshadowed by their defense. But that offense is what truly made Georgia a juggernaut. It's why they didn't lose against LSU in the SEC Championship game or Ohio State in the College Football Playoff semifinal.
With Kirby Smart leading the program as a defensive-minded guy, he's reliant on someone else running that offense. The same goes for Alabama and Nick Saban.
Tennessee, however, isn't. Josh Heupel is always going to run the offense in Knoxville as long as he's the head coach. There will be no risk of a bad offensive coordinator.
Now, obviously, that same concept applies to Georgia/Alabama when it comes to defense. They'll never have to worry about who runs the defense.
Essentially, my belief is that offense is more important than defense in college football. Maybe other folks disagree or believe my thinking is flawed. That's fine. I don't have all the answers (and neither does anyone else). That's just how I view the sport moving forward.
With that said, I'm not predicting Tennessee's imminent rise or Georgia's downfall. I also think success, at least for now, is defined differently for all three programs.
For the Vols, success is an 11-win season. Stacking those types of seasons on top of each other is something Tennessee has to do before they even think about getting to Alabama's level or Georgia's level.
But for Bama and UGA, success is a national championship.
The Vols and the Crimson Tide both finished 11-2. Bama fans see it as a failure. Tennessee fans see it as the best season the program's had in over 20 years.
Success isn't the same at all three places (again, for now…the Vols want that to change eventually).
I think Tennessee can sustain what they're doing right now easier than Georgia can sustain 15-0 seasons.
Is that absurd to say? I don't think so. There have been a lot more 11-2 seasons than 15-0 seasons.
It's all about context. And admittedly, I could've done better at including that context originally.
But hey, that would've prevented a litany of insults from being hurled my way. And what fun would that be? I can handle it. I've been doing this for a long time with the only goal being to spark a conversation. While the context could've been better, at least it created some talking points for folks in mid-February.
Featured image via Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
