KNOXVILLE, TN — Tennessee welcomes No. 1 Georgia to Neyland Stadium on Saturday afternoon on the heels of a dramatic 45-42 win over Kentucky in Lexington.
The Bulldogs (9-0) bring to Rocky Top the best defense in college football to match up against a Tennessee (5-4) offense that has become one of the best in the SEC.
“It starts with the personnel,” Josh Heupel said of Georgia this week. “They’re big, long, physical, athletic. They play with speed. They do a great job of retracing on perimeter screens. You see that show up. When you think you’ve got space, it closes down pretty quick, and I don’t care if that’s in the core or out on the perimeter. They’re able to rotate a lot of guys, too. The depth of their football team is a big part of their success.”
Georgia’s defense ranks second in the country in total defense, as it is allowing just 230.2 yards per game. The Bulldogs’ also rank second nationally in both pass defense (149.6) and rush defense (80.67 ypg).
Kirby Smart’s defense has given up just five touchdowns on the season. One of those touchdowns even came on a pick-six in garbage time against South Carolina. Georgia’s 6.6 points allowed per game rank best in the country.
“I’m not sure there’s anything that they don’t do really well,” Heupel said. “Schematically, they understand what they’re doing defensively. They don’t bust. They have their eyes in the right spot. They tackle extremely well out in space. They’ve got good cover guys. They’re big, long, physical up front. I think they’re really unique in that they’ve got 22-plus guys that are going to play on that side of the ball. They’re extremely deep. It’s a huge test for us.
“We’ve got to play with a ton of passion, not get caught up in the emotion of it. We’ve got to do the ordinary things at a really high level. And if we do that, we’ll be ready to go compete at a high level.”
Excited for the opportunity
Tennessee is thrilled to welcome the No. 1 team in the country to Knoxville despite the tall task at hand.
Sure, Georgia is ranked as the top team in the country by all four college football polls. Sure, Georgia is one of four remaining undefeated teams remaining. Still, the Vols are excited for the opportunity to potentially pull off a monumental upset.
"We don't really look at the record, we get that they play good team ball, but we play good team ball too,” senior defensive back Theo Jackson said. “We look at them like, they put their pants on the same way we do. They put their shoulder pads on the same way we do. We're not looking at them like they're Superman, we're going to work hard this week and go into the game the same we have gone into every game, expecting to win."
“It is exciting man,” fellow senior corner Alontae Taylor added. “It is still football at the end of the day. It does not matter what number is beside their name. At the end of the day, it is who is going to go out there and play 60 minutes the hardest and execute at the highest level.”
In its bid for an upset, Tennessee will have to ensure it keeps a hold of its emotions. And even though it’s the top-ranked team coming to town, it’ll have to stick to what it’s done best while also game-planning to the Bulldogs’ personnel.
“We change every week, based on what you see from the other side of the ball, personnel, matchups,” Heupel said. “Put your kids in the best position. You prepare in a great way. Have a great week of practice and finish it the right way and then go let it go play on Saturday. You play every game 10 times, it unfolds differently every single time. Prepare in a great way and then react to how it’s different.
“Georgia’s a great opponent. Our guys are going to be ready to go compete for 60 minutes. I have no question about that with this group. I love competing with this team.”
Other Tidbits
- Josh Heupel on the announcement of Tennessee’s facility upgrades: “The support that is here at Tennessee is so unique, and I’ve said that from the moment that I’ve gotten here. It’s a huge part of why I wanted to be here. But it’s even better than I anticipated once I’ve been inside of the program. We talk a lot about the student-athlete experience. And certainly this is going to have a huge impact on that. We want to provide the best student-athlete experience in America. I think the culture we’ve built inside the building is leading to that, for sure. Now you have all the bells and whistles and resources that provide unique opportunities for your student-athletes to become their best, but to enjoy their teammates at the same time. Very appreciative of those that have helped provide that opportunity.”
- Rodney Garner on how far Tennessee’s defensive line has come: “I think there were a lot of factors that played into it. That room that I inherited, I think they’ve had three, four different coaches. It’s like a revolving door, so I think there were some trust issues, which is understandable. For them to believe and buy into what we were saying and what we wanted to build here, and to let them know how important that ‘T’ was to me, just thinking back. Like I used to tell them stories all the time about my time here in the late ‘90s, and the pride that ‘T’ represented and the power in the Power ‘T,’ when I could go in any place with that ‘T’ on my chest and it commanded respect.”
- Brian Jean-Mary on his linebacker room: “They’re progressing. We want to always keep those guys, obviously, attentive, and we’re giving them a ton of reps. We just want to still make sure we put the guys in that are going to give us the best opportunity to win, like we talked about earlier. I think those guys are, when we talk about those guys — the Willises, Aaron Willis, William Mohan and Pakk Garland — I think they all have a chance to be outstanding players. Obviously, we’d like to speed up the clock to get them there now.
“But they’re progressing. I think they’re nearing that point where you would feel comfortable putting them in the game. But probably just not there yet. They’re doing an outstanding job on special teams, and you can see them maturing there and they’re getting better. But they probably still have a little ways to go where we would feel like we could put them in there, and they could give us the best chance to win.”
- Kodi Burns on Vols wide receiver Cedric Tillman: “He’s bought-in to what we’re doing. He’s bought-in to my coaching and, man, really enjoy coaching him every single day because he just wants to get better. He’s always looking for ways to improve and it’s really showing up on the field.
“I truly think he’s one of the better receivers in the SEC, so he’s going to continue to progress and be a really good player when it’s all said and done.”
- Kirby Smart on defending Tennessee’s offense: "I think it's the most in the country, when you look at it and talk to people, because everybody talks across the country and tries to defend it. It's so fast you can't really simulate it in your practices, so you have to try and find a creative way to practice for it. It's so different than the triple option, I'm not trying to compare it to that, but it's so different that it's hard to prepare for. You can't simulate it with your team unless you do it. We don't do that as well as they do it, so it makes it tough to prepare for. Your players really have to buy in, they have to know it's important to play that way against that tempo and you've got to work really hard at it. The challenge will be there this week for offense, defense and special teams, because what they do doesn't just affect the defense, it affects your offense and special teams."
- Kirby Smart on Hendon Hooker: “Incredible athlete. Composure, poise, hard to tackle. When he decides to run, he’s an extra running back. But he throws the ball really well. He’s got incredible arm strength, arm talent. He can throw the ball to all parts of the field. Great velocity on his ball, great touch on his ball. He’s a weapon. He can make you right in every play. If the box count’s not right, ‘OK, I can throw it.’ Box count is right, I can run it. I can do a lot of creative things with a guy like that, so it’s really hard to defend.”
Matchups to Watch
Can Tennessee’s o-line slow down Georgia’s defensive front?
It's the million dollar question. If so, it'll be a four-quarter game. If not, it won't be very much of a game. It all starts with defensive tackle Jordan Davis for the Bulldogs. The Dawgs are allowing 4.2 yards per play when Davis isn't in the game, and just 3.1 yards while he's in the game.
If so, can UT’s receivers make plays?
If Tennessee's offensive line can hold up, it'll prove pivotal. Hendon Hooker and his trio of veteran receivers are capable of making enough plays to pull off the upset. But only if given the time against an elite defense.
Can Tennessee’s defense give the offense a chance?
Defensively, Tennessee is going to have to find a way to slow down Georgia's offense enough to allow its own offense time to piece together some success. The Bulldogs don't necessarily have elite players littered throughout their offense, but they're still very talented at every position. The Vols need to find a way to play much better defensively than they did against Kentucky.
Stats to Know
- Tennessee returns to Neyland Stadium for the first time in 28 days for its fourth consecutive game against a top 20 opponent, It kicks off a three-game homestand to close the regular season.
- Saturday is homecoming for Tennessee. The Vols are 74-19-3 all-time in Homecoming contests, and it will be Tennessee’s first Homecoming game against an SEC team since Auburn in 2013.
- Georgia leads the all-time series, 25-23-2, but the two sides are even in the 25 prior meetings in Knoxville with a record of 12-12-1.
- Tennessee leads the country in offensive plays per minute at 2.92. The Vols average 1.59 points per minute, which ranks second in the country and best in the SEC.
- With 344 points, Tennessee has already eclipsed its final point total from the four previous seasons. 344 points is the most through the first nine games of a season at UT since the 1995 team scored 365 through its first nine games. The Vols’ 344 points rank 15th in the FBS and third in the SEC. UT is averaging 38.2 points per game, good for 15th in the FBS and third in the SEC. In SEC only games, the Vols are putting up 36.0 ppg, which is third in the SEC.
- Hendon Hooker’s QB rating of 190.01 ranks fourth in the country and second in the SEC, behind Georgia’s Stetson Bennett (197.34).
- Tennessee has not lost the turnover battle in seven straight games.
- Theo Jackson’s 10 pass breakups lead the SEC and is tied for sixth in the country.
- Jeremy Banks’ 74 tackles rank fourth-most in the SEC.
How to Watch
Tennessee and No. 1 Georgia kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
