The Georgia Bulldogs crushed the Tennessee Volunteers 27-0 in the second half to end Tennessee’s hopes of an upset. Georgia trailed 21-17 the half, but rallied behind three forced turnovers to beat Tennessee.
The University of Georgia once again has one of the top defenses in college football. The Dawgs held Tennessee to -1 rushing yards on the afternoon. Georgia stymied the Vols on third down, where they attacked the Volunteers offense and forced multiple turnovers.
Defensively, Azeez Ojulari, Adam Anderson, and Monty Rice all forced fumbles. Eric Stokes added an interception (play was pressured by defensive back Tyrique Stevenson).
Dan Lanning called an excellent game and Jarrett Guarantano was quite uncomfortable in the second half thanks to the pass rush, which recorded five sacks on the day. Azeez Ojulari and Channing Tindall both sacked Guarantano twice.
On the offensive side of the ball, Stetson Bennett and the Georgia attack overcame an early bad snap. Kenny McIntosh looked like a great weapon in both the run and pass game. He had a solid kick return as well.
Georgia running back Kendall Milton impressed, despite fumbling. Zamir White had somewhat of a lackluster game. He took 22 carries for 50 yards, but scored a touchdown. He was denied at the one yard line several times. White looked powerful, but wasn’t a factor in the passing game.
The offensive line only gave up one sack of the day. Much of that is thanks to Stetson Bennett, who usually gets the ball out of his hands quickly. Bennett was effective as a runner (six carries for 22 yards and a rushing TD). He took a big hit late in the game, but returned to action.
On special teams, UGA kicker Jack Podlesny went 3-3 on field goals including a 51 yard make. Punter Jake Camarda had a 64 yard punt to flip field position in the second half.
Georgia will need a more complete performance to beat the Alabama Crimson Tide. Both DJ Daniel and Tyson Campbell got beat deep for Tennessee touchdowns. Daniel got pushed a little bit on the TD he gave up.
3-0 feels good. The players should be happy with their performance, especially in the second half. Go Dawgs!
