Know Your Enemy: Georgia Bulldogs
If the Vols hope to pull off the upset Saturday, they must contain phenom running back Todd Gurley. They must also be able to hold back Georgia’s effective pass rush. PHOTO: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Who: Georgia Bulldogs — Athens, GA
Distance From Knoxville: 235 miles
Head coach: Mark Richt (14th season, 128-46, 72-33 SEC)
Conference: SEC
2013 Record: 2-1
Ranking: No. 12 AP/No. 13 Coaches Poll
All time series: Tennessee leads 21-20-2
Last meeting: The Bulldogs won in Knoxville last season, 34-31 in OT
Leading Passer: Hutson Mason — 419 yards, 4 TDs
Leading Rusher: Todd Gurley — 41 carries, 402 yards, 4 TDs
Leading Receiver: Michael Bennett — 10 catches, 116 yards, 2 TDs
The Vols come out of their first bye week to face yet another experienced coach leading a potent team. Georgia’s head coach, Mark Richt, has never experienced a losing season while at the helm of the Bulldogs. His teams have had 10 or more wins in 8 of his 13 full seasons, and they have finished with at least a share of the SEC East title 6 times.
Richt also has a knack for defeating the Vols, as he currently holds a 9-4 record against Tennessee, including 4 straight victories.
All 4 of those wins were led by Georgia’s esteemed quarterback Aaron Murray, and the Vols are more than happy to see Murray gone. The players that remain, however, are no pushovers.
The Bulldogs possess one of the most potent rushing attacks in the SEC and all of the NCAA. Georgia ranks 2nd in the SEC and 13th in the country with 304 yards rushing per game, and they are led by Heisman candidate Todd Gurley.
The junior running back has been electric so far this season, averaging a ridiculous 9.8 yards per carry through three games. In fact, Georgia’s top three running backs, Gurley and freshmen Sony Michel and Nick Chubb, combine to average 9.9 yards per carry, each ripping off TD runs of at least 47 yards.
Redshirt senior Hutson Mason replaces Murray at quarterback, and while he has been efficient, he has not been asked to do much so far this season. Mason has only attempted 59 passes. Compare that to the team’s 118 rushing attempts and it’s clear to see how the Bulldogs prefer to operate.
Georgia’s defense has looked suspect against teams more on their level than against weaker opponents, just as one might assume. While the Bulldogs may have shut out Troy, they have given up 21 and 38 points to Clemson and South Carolina respectively. Most of the damage was done through the air against the Bulldogs, and that is their perceived weakness through 3 games.
The Vols will look to attack that weakness, and it will help that freshman tight end Ethan Wolf is likely to return after missing the game against Oklahoma. What won’t help, however, is the absence of wide receivers Von Pearson and Josh Smith. Pearson has definitely been ruled out, and Smith is still questionable but is likely to be held out.
The Bulldogs do have a solid pass rush, however, and defending the pass has already proven to be Tennessee’s weakness this season. Georgia has 8 sacks in 3 games, and the Vols have given up 9 sacks through 3 games. This is the match-up to watch on Saturday.
It’s been since 2007 that the Vols have won an SEC road game against a team not named Vanderbilt or Kentucky, and that was a 33-21 victory over Mississippi State in Starkville. The last 13 meetings between the Vols and Bulldogs have been decided by an average of 13 points, and the last 3 games have only been decided by an average of 6 points per game.
Recent history leads one to believe this game should be a close one, and the two teams match up well enough to justify that belief.
Of note: Tennessee head coach Butch Jones is 10-2 all-time coming off an open date, including a 23-21 upset victory last season against South Carolina.
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