Key Georgia Bulldogs player explains why beating the Tennessee Vols 'meant a lot' to him
Georgia Bulldogs offensive lineman Tate Ratledge told reporters on Monday that beating the Tennessee Vols this past weekend "meant a lot" to him. Ratledge grew up rooting for the Volunteers, but when it was time to pick a college, he chose the Kirby Smart-coached Bulldogs over a Jeremy Pruitt-coached Tennessee program (hard to argue with […]
Georgia Bulldogs offensive lineman Tate Ratledge told reporters on Monday that beating the Tennessee Vols this past weekend "meant a lot" to him.
Ratledge grew up rooting for the Volunteers, but when it was time to pick a college, he chose the Kirby Smart-coached Bulldogs over a Jeremy Pruitt-coached Tennessee program (hard to argue with that choice….it's worked out well for Ratledge).
After Ratledge committed to Georgia in 2019, his dad famously peeled the Power T decal off the back window of his truck.
"This [past] weekend, that game means a lot to me," said Ratledge on Monday. "I grew up a huge Tennessee fan. Everybody knows. [My] family is Tennessee fans, half of them still don't talk to me. But that game meant a lot to me. And being in front of our fans, having our fans showing out like they did was huge."
"It means a whole lot to me to be able to go undefeated against them," added Ratledge. "That was one of my top schools coming out and like I said, a lot of family ties to Tennessee. But it means a lot and kind of just knowing what that game means to this university and a lot of people on this team and the coaches, just going out there and trying to execute and get it done."
Ratledge missed a large chunk of the season while dealing with an ankle injury. He returned against Ole Miss earlier this month, but he struggled at times while still dealing with the effects of the injury. The former Tennessee fan, however, played excellent against the Vols. Ratledge was a big reason why Tennessee's talented defensive line didn't have much success against the Bulldogs.
