It's make or break time for Tennessee as the Vols head to Athens with their backs pressed firmly against the proverbial wall. A win over Georgia would throw a lifeline to a season that threatens to sink after an ugly September, a loss would throw another shovel of dirt on the coffin. It's time to take an in-depth look at the match-ups on both sides of the football.

Georgia

EDGE

Tennessee Volunteers

Georgia DBs		Tennessee QBs/WRs/TEs
Georgia has an abundance of experience in the secondary but that has translating into the kind of unit some observers expected to see. The 'Dawgs start two juniors, a senior and sophomore C.J. Byrd at safety. Junior Asher Allen is a proven SEC performer. Opponents have been able to find success through the air though. Georgia ranks next to last in the league in defending the pass, giving up 224 yards per game, and perhaps more perplexing to Bulldog coaches, the 'D' has come up with just three interceptions this fall. The 'Dawgs haven't just been victimized by one hot team either. Opponents have consistently moved the ball through the air with no opposing offense throwing for less than 188 yards. There appear to be some holes here, but Tennessee may not be exactly set up to take complete advantage of them.		Game Two of the Nick Stephens era will be a much different challenge for the Vols' sophomore than his first start was. Stephens was solid against Northern Illinois in his debut but the Vols will need more than that from him on Saturday. Ball security will be at a premium and keeping his wits about him in Sanford Stadium will be a key element for Stephens. He didn't appear to force anything in his first start and made two big plays down the field, both encouraging signs. The Vols haven't had a receiver take a ball and do something dazzling all year with a short throw. That will likely need to happen this week if an upset is in the offing. Denarius Moore needs more looks and right now you have to wonder where in the world Brandon Warren is. The tight end didn't get a touch last week. This is the kind of game where the Vols will need something from him in the passing game, but first they have to get him the ball.
Georgia LBs		Tennessee RBs
This should probably be the strength of the 'Dawg's defense but that won't be on the case on Saturday if middle linebacker Dannell Ellerbee is out, which looks to be the case. Ellerbee was injured against Alabama and current reports have him out this weekend against the Vols. That's a huge blow to the 'Dawgs. In his stead outside backer Rennie Curran is 'the man'. He's been arguably Georgia's best defensive player this fall regardless, leading the way with 43 tackles, more than twice as many as any other defender. Sophomore Akeem Dent will get the start in Ellerbee's place, moving over from the strong side. Curran is a legitimate playmaker but without Ellerbee this group lacks some dynamics you often see on SEC defenses at the position.		The mystery here continues for another week, specifically, what does Lennon Creer have to do to get on the field? The sophomore didn't get a carry against NIU despite the ground game giving the appearance that it could use a real lift (32 carries, 69 yards on Saturday). Tennessee has run the ball at least decently for the most part this season, which made Saturday's game even more disturbing. Conventional wisdom tells you the Vols will need an exceedingly strong running game on Saturday to protect Stephens and attack Georgia similar to the way Alabama did so successfully. For that to happen Tennessee would have to have its best rushing game of the season by far. In last year's win the Vols gashed the 'Dawgs for 190 yards on 44 carries, a similar effort will probably be required on Saturday.
Georgia DL		Tennessee OL
Georgia looks 'good' here as a group but lacks the exceptional playmakers they've had in the front in recent years. The 'Dawgs were dealt an early blow when tackle Jeff Owens was lost for the year with a knee injury in the first game of the season. They've still managed to be pretty salty up front. Georgia ranks second in the SEC and fourth nationally in defending the run, holding opponents to just 62.4 yard per game on the ground. Jarius Wynn gives the Bulldogs a veteran presence in the middle but the spot to watch is on the outside where freshman Justin Houston made his first career start against Alabama and could be someone the Vols try to pick on.		This group has been 'ok' but almost halfway through 2008 it hasn't been the kind of bedrock unit that the offense can lean on. That assessment has been shared by the coaches this week in some veiled comments that hinted at dissatisfaction with the line play. The group has been decent in pass coverage, but with so much experience back the ground game has been a disappointment. Tennessee ranks in the lower half of the SEC in running the football (146 yards per game), a number that is greatly helped by 266 yards on the ground against UAB. Some of last week's problems lie with the backs, but the front can't escape some of the blame--such as not getting enough push to convert a 2nd and 1 into a first down late in the game--and will quite simply have to play it's best game of the year to win on Saturday. This is the same group that pushed Georgia around in last year's win, but they haven't looked like it consistently to this point in 2008.
Georgia QBs/WRs/TEs		Tennessee DBs
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