ATHENS, Ga. — Tennessee entered its top 15 road bout with Georgia with an inside track to the College Football Playoff. The Vols instead with a thin margin for error.
Seventh-ranked Tennessee saw the early momentum of an early two-score lead slip from its grasp as the No. 12 Bulldogs took the lead in the third quarter and never trailed, handing the Vols a 31-17 loss that puts them in jeopardy of missing out on the 12-team playoff with two games left.
TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM
Tennessee (8-2, 5-2 SEC) quarterback Nico Iamaleava, whose status was in question as he went through concussion protocol during the week, was cleared to play the night before the game and finished 20-of-33 passing for 167 yards an no touchdowns.
Iamaleava was sacked five times as the Vols were shutout over the last two quarters after Dylan Sampson's go-ahead 27-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter.
Georgia (8-2, 6-2), meanwhile had its way with Tennessee's typically reliable defense. The Vols put little to no pressure on Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck, who passed for 347 yards and two scores while rushing for another.
The dagger was two second half drives that covered 80-plus yards in more than six minutes, giving a struggling Vols offense little time to work with.
Here is everything Iamaleava said after the loss.
On how team felt after loss
"A lot of frustration. A lot of anger. You know, we put a lot of work in to come out with a win in this game. We came up short. Didn't play smart in the second half. It's going to sting. You got to let it sting and just learn from this."
On how he felt after being in concussion protocol during the week
"I felt great, man. I felt great out there. I was happy I could go out there and battle with my brothers. And, yeah man, I wouldn't go to battle with anybody else besides these guys."
On if Georgia defense made adjustments in second half
"Obviously (Georgia) adjusted well in the second half. But, everything we were running, I thought was still there. We've got to do a better job of executing."
On team mindset moving forward
"Shoot, man we've got to flush this one and move on. Like Coach (Josh Heupel) says, we've got to move on and get ready for these last two games."
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