Georgia coach Kirby Smart said the tougher team in the fourth quarter would win.
He was right.
The Bulldogs outplayed Tennessee in the fourth quarter and the second half, emerging with a 31-17 victory Saturday night at sold out Sanford Stadium to keep alive their College Football Playoff hopes.
After Tennessee (8-2, 5-2 SEC) bolted to a 10-0 lead, Georgia (8-2, 6-2 SEC) outscored the Vols 31-7.
It was Georgia’s eighth straight win over Tennessee – all by double digits.
But this didn’t have the feeling of a blowout. The Vols had a chance until Georgia mounted 12-play, 92-yard drive to score with 2:26 left to put the game away.
The defeat was a blow to UT’s hopes of making the 12-team playoff, but if the Vols can win out and go 10-2, they still have a chance, although now they need help.
Playing at home for the first time in over a month, Georgia was a much superior team than the one that got whipped 28-10 at Ole Miss last Saturday.
Dawgs quarterback Carson Beck, who had 14 turnovers in his last six games and was sacked five times in Oxford, played perhaps his best game of the season. He poked holes in Tennessee’s secondary by completing 25 of 40 passes for 346 yards and two touchdowns. He also recorded his first rushing touchdown of the season.
Beck was nearly perfect in the second half, hitting 10 of 11 passes for 163 yards. He completed 11 passes for 130 yards to his tight ends.
“How about Carson Beck tonight,” said Smart, who has 102-18 record in nine seasons in Athens. “We’ve got good players. We’ve got a good offensive coordinator. We’ve got a good quarterback.”
And a good team, when it’s focused and plays at home.
Beck said Monday the playoffs for Georgia started with the Tennessee game.
“We control our destiny,” Beck said. “We control our future.”
Tennessee does not. The Vols likely need the ACC and Big 12 to land only one spot in the CFP to make room for more at-large berths. With the Big Ten figuring to get three at-large spots, that leaves four openings. UT could seize one with a 10-2 record.
Tennessee jumped out to a 10-0 lead thanks to a 12-play, 78-drive drive culminating with a one-yard dive by tight end Miles Kitselman.
The Vols added a 52-yard Max Gilbert field goal for a 10-0 lead late in the first quarter.
The Vols had clearly outplayed Georgia and quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who was in concussion protocol earlier in the week, showed no ill effects. He was sharp, decisive and ran with authority.
Iamaleava finished the game 20-of-33 for 167 yards. He had several nice scrambles, but he was sacked five times and lost a meaningless fumble on the last drive.
After a Georgia TD cut the gap to three points, Dont’e Thornton dropped a pass to thwart a drive in what turned out to be a huge play. UT could have punched across another score. Instead it punted.
Georgia then marched 84 yards in nine plays for a 14-10 lead.
The Vols answered with a 27-yard touchdown run by Dylan Sampson, his 20th of the season. Sampson had 101 yards – his 13th career game over the century mark.
Georgia answered with an 11-play field goal drive for a 17-17 tie at halftime.
Georgia, which had drives of seven, nine and 11 plays in the first half, had two 12-play TD drives in the second half, consistently converting on third downs and milking the clock.
UT had just four possessions in the second half, Georgia three, not counting kneel downs to end the game.
Georgia had surprising success against the SEC’s No. 1 defense. The Bulldogs had 453 total yards — UT had been allowing 271 – and carved up the Vols’ secondary to the tune of 347 yards. The Dawgs also converted 8-of-14 on third down.
“We can play a lot better,” said UT safety Will Brooks. “We’ve just got to play smarter in all phases of the game. We committed too many mental errors.”
Tennessee was also unable to pressure Beck, who wasn’t sacked and was rarely pressured.
“We didn’t play up to our potential,” said defensive end Jaxon Moi. “That’s a good Georgia team. But we’re capable. We just didn’t do it. We take full responsibility.”
At one point, Georgia had seven gains of at least 20 yards by seven different players.
Tennessee had one 20-yard play – Sampson’s TD run.
Georgia has now won 29 straight home games – the third longest streak in the SEC.
The Dawgs have also won 53 of the last 54 games against opponents not named Alabama.
And Saturday night, Georgia played like a playoff team.
Tennessee did not.
