The Tennessee Vols' offense was shut down by the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday.

It's the first time this season that UT's offense looked pedestrian.

Tennessee wasn't able to get much going against the Bulldogs' stout defense.

The main reason was because Georgia was able to consistently get pressure on quarterback Hendon Hooker.

Tennessee's quarterback was sacked six times. A couple of those sacks, however, could've been avoided.

There were several times against Georgia when Hooker was scanning the field and trying to find someone open. The Bulldogs' defensive line was mostly able to get pressure on Hooker and prevent him from finding a receiver down the field.

Hooker, instead of throwing the ball away, held onto the ball several times and was sacked.

If he had thrown the ball away a few of those times, Tennessee would've been in a more manageable situation on second and third down instead of a second-and-18 situation.

This is probably something Tennessee doesn't practice much. The Vols' offensive scheme is so effective that receivers are almost always open. And if they aren't open, Hooker can use his legs to get positive yards.

Against an elite team like Georgia, though, Hooker needs to know how to flush a bad play and throw the ball away. Trying to force some magic to happen won't work against a team that can cover and pursue like the Bulldogs.

If Tennessee is going to make noise in January — and they still have a really good shot at making the College Football Playoff — they're going to have to be better in these types of situations. The further the Vols go, the better the competition will be.

Hooker might not need to throw the ball away much in Tennessee's next three games (Missouri, South Carolina, and Vanderbilt), but it's something he needs to work on if the Vols are going to end their season with a trophy presentation.

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