Well, maybe Tennessee football still is not yet at the level of the Georgia Bulldogs. The Vols fell 31-17 in Athens despite jumping out to a 10-0 lead. Many things we thought we knew about this team did not look true in this game, and now, UT has an uphill battle to climb to try to reach the College Football Playoff. Here are five things we learned from their loss.
Where was the Tennessee football pass rush?
James Pearce Jr., Tyre West, Dominic Bailey and Joshua Josephs have been deadly weapons all year for the Vols. Arion Carter and Jeremiah Telander could also bring similar pressure. It was nonexistent in this game. Carson Beck was able to sit back and pick apart the Vols all night with a clean jersey. UT did not have one sack, which was the most costly part of the game.
UT running backs were still elite
Pass blocking was shaky, the receivers didn’t get separation, and Nico Iamaleava didn’t have many chances to make plays, but the Vols’ rushing attack maintained its edge. Dylan Sampson carried the ball 19 times for 101 yards and a touchdown, and Peyton Lewis came in and was also effective at times throughout the game. This remains a positive.
Penalties plagued Tennessee football
There will be plenty of justifiable outrage at the officiating in this game, but the truth is the Vols had too many self-inflicted penalties. Georgia got back in the game off a UT offside penalty, and the defense had three more of those in the game. Josh Heupel’s team finished with nine penalties for 70 yards, and only two of those were bad calls.
Big plays weren’t there in the passing game
Joey Halzle called one deep shot all night, and Iamaleava overthrew Dont’e Thornton on that play. For the rest of the game, though, the Vols worked the middle of the field or the tight ends on out routes. What was the reasoning behind not taking more shots? Perhaps it was personnel and injuries, but it really limited the Tennessee football offense.
Too many missed opportunities
When teams give you breaks, you have to take advantage. The Vols failed to do that in this game. Georgia had a fumble in the first half that UT was unable to recover. Thornton dropped a wide open pass on a busted coverage. UGA went 8-of-14 on third downs, neutralizing the elite situational defense the Vols have had all year. These issues proved costly in the end.
