The No. 11 Georgia Bulldogs (7-2) return home Between the Hedges this week after three straight tough road matchups where they finished 2-1, beating Texas and Florida before losing to Ole Miss. 

Despite the home-field advantage on Saturday, it doesn't get any for the Dawgs since they'll face a No. 6-ranked Tennessee Volunteers (8-1) team.

There's a lot of doubt surrounding quarterback Carson Beck and the Bulldogs and even the College Football Playoff Committee has knocked them out of the playoffs in their latest rankings, though that should only add more fuel to the fire. 

College Gameday is also in town, which means even more eyes will be on Georgia. 

With that said, A to Z Sports' Tennessee Volunteers beat writer Craig Smith answers three burning questions ahead of this week's matchup against the Vols. 

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1. What are your thoughts on Nico Iamaleava's status for Saturday? If he can't play then what does Georgia need to worry about when it comes to Gaston Moore?

Tough to say at this point with much certainty, but for those reading the tea leaves, he reportedly participated in team drills on Wednesday. That's a decent sign for his availability, but he also has to avoid any setbacks through the week. If Moore ends up playing, look out for the deep ball, as he loves to let it rip. Just check the YOLO quips on social media from Vol fans. He might not quite have the arm to match the confidence, but the threat of deep passing game isn't going away if Nico is out. Dawgs would still have to cover the entire field.

2. Georgia's run game is solid but they'll face a tough task against Dylan Sampson. What makes him so unstoppable even against the best defenses?

He's put it all together his year. He's run with a great combination of vision and power. He has also been sound pass-blocking, so that confidence has allowed Heupel to keep him on the field much more than he has with his other backs in prior years. Ashton Jeanty is getting the publicity, but Sampson is having an All-American year in Knoxville. 

3. Defensively, which players do Carson Beck and the rest of Georgia need to worry about?

Pretty much take your pick on the defensive line, but particularly on the edges. James Pearce, Jr. isn't blowing folks away with his sack numbers, but he's led the nation in pressure rate among pass rushers. His 23.6% pressure rate is just bonkers. On the other side, DE Joshua Josephs is having a great year himself, posting a 90.2 Pro Football Focus grade for the season. Watch out for defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott on the inside. He has 21 pressures in just 100 pass rush snaps from the interior, which is tremendous for an interior defensive lineman.

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Georgia’s Kirby Smart addresses ‘dilemma’ preparing to face Tennessee Vols

Dawgs need to work twice as hard.