Former head coach has strong take on what would've happened if Tennessee played Georgia again in 2023
A former college football head coach turned analyst had a strong take this week at SEC Media Days on what would've happened if the Tennessee Vols would've had a rematch with the Georgia Bulldogs last season. Tennessee lost to Georgia 27-13 last season in Athens. It was the Vols' first loss of the season and […]
A former college football head coach turned analyst had a strong take this week at SEC Media Days on what would've happened if the Tennessee Vols would've had a rematch with the Georgia Bulldogs last season.
Tennessee lost to Georgia 27-13 last season in Athens. It was the Vols' first loss of the season and it made Tennessee's road to the playoff a bit more difficult (ultimately, the loss to South Carolina in November sunk the Vols' playoff hopes).
There's no doubt that Georgia was the better team last season when the two programs met.
Former UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel, however, thinks the outcome would've been different if the two programs had played a second time last season.
"I think as Josh Heupel looked at that film, and Hendon Hooker looked at that film — now later, Hendon Hooker would get hurt so he wouldn't have been available should that rematch have occurred — but they both would've said 'we know how to attack this defense," said Neuheisel during an appearance on Off the Hook Sports. "Certainly Kirby (Smart) would've made some adjustments. And there would've been some defensive changes. But I thought based on what the film showed, the the Georgia crowd was as much responsible for that victory as was the great effort of the Georgia football team. Because Tennessee could not get to the plays that were offered based on the look. And it wasn't because it was disguised, it was because of the inability to communicate."
I'm sure Georgia fans won't love that comment, but it's hard to deny that UGA's crowd played a big role in the win over Tennessee.
The dead ball penalties were no one's fault but Tennessee's — they had essentially nothing to do with Georgia. It was simply the Vols' inability to handle the noise. If you take that aspect out, it's a different game in Athens last season.
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Featured image via Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
