Georgia football vs. Tennessee: Scouting report, prediction
Georgia football didn’t have to dig deep to find motivation last season when Tennessee week came around.
The disrespect card was there after the Volunteers — not Georgia — were bestowed the College Football Playoff selection committee’s No. 1 team.
Tennessee was unbeaten then. Now it will line up against Georgia coming off a 36-7 loss at Missouri.
So getting the Bulldogs to focus on preparations this time naturally could be harder.
Coach Kirby Smart didn’t like what he saw on what's known as the "Bloody Tuesday" after five weeks of good practices on that day.
“I don’t know if it was because of that,” he said. “I don’t know what it was because of. They must be feeling themselves a little bit."
All of which could be mean nothing — or something — once the ball is kicked off after 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
Here are five things to know ahead of the matchup:
A sign of complacency showing up for Georgia football?
Georgia moved up to No. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings Tuesday night.
The Bulldogs have avoided any sense of entitlement or complacency this season.
Is it creeping in some this week?
It sure sounded like that after beating back-to-back top 15 teams Missouri and Ole Miss
“I don’t think the energy and excitement was there that we’ve had the past couple of weeks,” guard Tate Ratledge said after Tuesday’s practice which came before the new rankings.
When a practice doesn’t reach the, “Georgia standard,” Ratledge said, “it gets called out.”
Georgia has cruised to lopsided wins in each of their games at Tennessee under Smart, but the Volunteers offense under Josh Heupel presents challenges.
“It's a really difficult prep week, probably the hardest one of the year in terms of trying to replicate what they do,” Smart said. “They do a tremendous job, stressing you in all phases.”
That comes with tempo and wide splits which makes it difficult to load up the box.
“They are not playing in a phone booth,” Smart said. “They are playing in a big farm field. They have everybody spread out, so when a run spits, it is going to go for a long way before somebody gets to it. Your ability to tackle and fit runs is exposed at a three-times the level.”
Smart said Tennessee's running backs, "are are easily the best stable of backs we've seen this year. ... and that includes the quarterback with the backs."
Tennessee is seventh nationally in rushing at 213.3 yards per game, with three running backs with at least 400 yards each. Jaylen Wright has rushed for 848 yards (2nd in SEC at 7.25 yards per carry), followed by Dylan Sampson with 425 and Jabari Small with 400.
UGA football offensive line depth pays off
Each week Georgia football puts out its player of the week honors.
Running back Kendall Milton this week was recognized for the offense along with the entire starting offensive line— Earnest Greene III, Dylan Fairchild, Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, Tate Ratledge and Xaiver Truss and two that rotated in — right tackle Amarius Mims and left guard Micah Morris.
Fairchild and Morris rotated against Ole Miss, as did Mims and Truss.
“I thought it helped us a lot,” Fairchild said. “We do a really good job of just playing for each other. Being able to do that with guys splitting time, I think that speaks a lot about our line as a unit. We’re really connected.”
Georgia did not give up a sack, nor a tackle for loss.
"I didn't get touched all day,” quarterback Carson Beck told ESPN’s Holly Rowe after the game. “I'm just a little dirty because I slid a few times."
The rotation allowed players to stay fresh, Fairchild said.
“Guys can play 20 really hard plays and the next guy 20 really hard plays and you just keep rotating,” he said. “It’s just a really good advantage.”
Smart said the offensive line has gotten better, but its performance sometimes has to do with the opponent.
“We're healthier, so, with health comes depth and the ability to play more guys,” he said.
Tennessee was gashed for 205 rushing yards by Missouri’s Cody Schrader in last week’s game.
Georgia rushed for 300 against Ole Miss.
“We’ve just got to keep it rolling,” Fairchild said.
Tennessee Vols pass rush gets Dawgs attention
Georgia leads the SEC in fewest sacks allowed by a wide margin.
The Bulldogs have given up nine. The next closest is Tennessee and Kentucky with 16.
The Volunteers can add some to that Georgia tally. They are second in the SEC and seventh in the nation with 33 sacks.
“They’re probably the most physical group we’ve played all year just watching film,” guard Tate Ratledge said of the Vols’ defensive line. “They get vertical off the ball. Really good at getting that first step in the ground and creating knock back. Their edge guys are both really twitchy. All of them are. They all get after the passer and inside it’s big guys that can move.”
Edge rusher James Pearce Jr. is second in the SEC with 8 sacks and defensive lineman Omarr Norman-Lott is seventh with 5½.
The Volunteers have recorded a sack in 14 straight games.
The 6-foot-5, 242 pound Pearce has 13 quarterback hurries.
“He’s got an elite get-off,” Ratledge said. “He’s got a really good speed to pull. It falls back on technique and getting in the right spot and using your hands.”
Georgia Bulldogs LB CJ Allen making a splash
Georgia outside linebacker CJ Allen got his first college start against Ole Miss and ended up leading the team in tackles with 9 and had a sack.
On Monday, he was named SEC freshman of the week.
On Tuesday, two teammates compared him to one of the best players that’s come through Athens at the position.
“He’s very mature for a freshman, man,” defensive lineman Zion Logue said. “He kind of gives me flashes of Nakobe Dean just because he’s got that in the meetings. He’s taking every note to where he needs to be. It’s the same way for defense. He knows every check, and he’s very vocal with it. He’s going to be a very good linebacker in this system.”
Said inside linebacker Smael Mondon: “He does remind me of Nakobe, even like how he runs and stuff like that and like how he moves, that kind of reminds me of how Nakobe ran.”
The 6-foot-1, 235-pound Allen was the nation’s No. 5 linebacker prospect by the 247Sports Composite out of Liberty County High.
Georgia will continue to turn to Allen with Jamon Dumas-Johnson sidelined with a forearm injury.
“He's smart, intelligent, instinctive, athletic, great kid,” Smart said. “So, he did what he's supposed to do, and he can play better, and he'll get even better this week.”
Bulldogs zero in on fixing slow starts on defense
Tennessee has slid offensively from the unit that created a stir last season.
The Volunteers rank tied for 35th nationally and seventh in the SEC in points per game at 32 and have averaged 22.8 points and 405.2 yards per game in SEC play
Tennessee is still starting fast. It has scored on seven of its first 10 drives this season, all touchdowns.
Georgia on the other hand is starting slow defensively.
“We're going to give one up the first drive,” Smart said after Ole Miss drove 75 yards for an opening touchdown. “Didn't shock me at all. I've practiced my patience."
Georgia has allowed opponents to score touchdowns on its opening possession in four straight games and five times this season.
“We stress ways to figure out how to start out faster, the first half and the second," defensive end Mykel Williams said. "Coming out with a challenge like Tennessee, that’s something they do really well. They start out fast and are explosive fast. We have to affect and control that.”
Georgia has outscored opponents 406-156 but only 65-45 in the first quarter.
“We’ve got to start faster,” safety Javon Bullard said. “Sometimes the offense does things that we haven’t seen yet. Sometimes we’ve got to wrap up and get off the field on third down. It’s a plethora of things that possibly can go wrong on those first couple of drives. We’ve been one of the best teams in the country in sideline adjustments. We’re going to keep it moving, keep pushing.”
Georgia football vs. Missouri prediction
Georgia 37, Tennessee 20
This is just Georgia’s third true road game. The Bulldogs have won by an average of 12 points on the road and 29 at home. Tennessee should be highly motivated after its showing last week, but the Bulldogs have more answers on offense.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Here are five things to know for Georgia football vs. Tennessee
