Tennessee-Georgia: Preview and Predictions

The Tennessee Volunteers will host the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon in front of a sold-out Neyland Stadium. This game has lost some of its appeal after the Vol’s poor performance against Missouri, but make no mistake, this game is still important. Jordan Seaton, a 5-star Offensive lineman out of IMG academy, will be in attendance. A win over the number one team in the country would do wonders in tipping his recruitment in Tennessee’s favor, but on the other hand a non-serious, lackluster performance resulting in a Georgia blowout victory would have the opposite effect. Furthermore, if the players in this program have any sense of pride in putting on the orange jersey they should show up ready to give Georgia all they can handle. We will see what type of effort the Vols come out with, but winning the game is a much more daunting task. Georgia is the number one team in the country for a reason, and if the Vols want to have any chance at a victory they need to do 3 things.

Throw the kitchen sink at the Bulldogs

Tennessee has 3 games left in the season, but this game is really the last one that matters. A win against Vanderbilt or an average big 10 team in the who-gives-a-shit bowl won’t do much for how the program is viewed on the recruiting trail. However, beating Georgia would be a huge statement, and have people turning their heads so fast necks will break. Josh Heupel needs to be the most aggressive coach in America on Saturday. Go for it on 4th downs, throw deep balls, blitz every other play, sneak an onside kick. Any and all stops should be pulled out at this point because the Vols have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Everybody expects the Vols to lose this game, and trotting out a game plan that doesn’t include anything out of the ordinary will all but guarantee that loss. A game-changing aggressive call might get Georgia feeling uncomfortable, and Lord knows it would get Neyland buzzing in a hurry. So please Josh, throw the kitchen sink at these barking maniacs.

Attack the Edges of the Georgia defense

If there’s one weakness that Georgia has on defense it’s their lack of quickness in setting the edge. Missouri had tons of success running the ball out of outside zone run concepts, and the Vols should try and replicate that on Saturday afternoon. Imagine Jaylen Wright or Dylan Sampson having a few seconds to pick a hole on the outside and burst through it for a big gain. Wright and Sampson are perfectly capable of beating someone to the edge as it is, but with a convoy of blockers to pave the way the Vols could rack up a ton of yards on the ground. The Vol’s success this season has depended on the effectiveness of the running game, and the best shot at having that success against Georgia will come on the edges. Running the ball up the middle on Georgia is like banging your head against the wall, but if the Vols come up with creative run concepts that get the Georgia front-7 running sideline to sideline they have a chance to gash them. Also, one more thing, in the games the Vols have lost this year Dylan Sampson has gotten a combined 11 touches. That is coaching malpractice, and if Josh Heupel allows that to happen again I wouldn’t be surprised if he decides to transfer. No offense to Jabari Small, but his style of running will not work against Georgia, so please let Wright and Sampson get the bulk of the carries come Saturday afternoon.

Force Carson Beck into mistakes

Tennessee will need to force a few turnovers to have a chance in this game. Earlier in the season the Vols had a dangerous pass-rush, but in the last 4 games the pass-rush vanished. The Vols will need to get after Carson Beck, and more importantly not let him break contain and scramble for first downs. Brady Cook looked like prime Michael Vick escaping the pocket last week against the Vols, and that can’t happen again if the Vols want to force Beck into mistakes. The pass-rush will need to be focused on collapsing in on Beck instead of running past him. Beck is experienced enough to step up and run for big yardage and being 3 yards behind him will give him the greenlight especially if the Vol secondary is 15 yards down the field in a soft zone. Speaking of the soft zone, if 7 people are in coverage and Beck is dinking and dunking the Vols to death Tim Banks must adjust. Tim Banks refused to adjust last week, and the result was 8-minute backbreaking drives that tired out our defense and allowed Missouri’s defense to rest. The Vols will need to be aggressive on defense to force Beck into mistakes. Tim Banks needs to bring blitzes from every angle, and if he doesn’t it will be a long day for the Vol defense.

Staff Picks

RyanH1796 – Dawgs 38 Vols 21

The Vols have an opportunity to show some heart this Saturday. I expect the Vols to give Georgia a scare in this game by being aggressive and riding the crowd. However, by the time the 4th quarter rolls around I expect Georgia’s talent to make enough plays to make it a comfortable victory for the Bulldogs. The Vols will most likely be within striking distance early in the 4th, but a backbreaking mistake will end up sealing the deal.

Vol of the Wild- Dawgs 28 Vols 21

Georgia has not been great on the road this season. Neyland will cause some fits, but ultimately the Dawgs will pull it off.

The VFL Show- Dawgs 35 Vols 20

The Bulldogs are too much for the Vols to handle, and Tennessee’s 14-game winning streak at Neyland will end. Carson Beck and the Georgia receivers will have a field day.

Code Orange- Vols 38 Dawgs 31

I am standing strong on my season-long prediction. The Vols take care of business at home this weekend in a hard-fought game. The Vols extend their home winning streak.

Dustin- Dawgs 42 Vols 24

The raucous Neyland crowd will give the Vols some juice and an early lead. However, the Vols fall apart in the second half and Georgia runs away.

Bryce- Dawgs 45 Vols 21

Like the rest of the staff, I think the Vols get off to a hot start but ultimately run out of steam. Don’t be surprised to see the Vols get off to a hot start, just to run out of steam.