Tennessee football: 4 biggest upsets in Vols series vs. Georgia Bulldogs

1. 2004: Tennessee upsets Georgia 19-14

While 2001 had the most historical significance, 2004 was the biggest upset in the series and the costliest for either team. Three years after that 2001 game, Georgia had proven they are right on the level of the Vols and Florida Gators, winning an SEC title and back to back Eastern division titles.

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They had won four straight over Tennessee football, and the hatred between the two had only grown. In fact, it almost looked like a role reversal from the 1990s, with Georgia looking past the Vols now and UT circling the Dawgs.

This season, though, was not supposed to be the one in which the Vols restored the competitive fire in the series. Again, Georgia had won four straight, and the most recent was a 41-14 win in Knoxville. After going 10-3 in 2003, the Vols were rebuilding again, having to replace Casey Clausen at quarterback.

Meanwhile, Georgia returned everybody and entered the year No. 3, with David Greene a Heisman candidate and a national title on the mind of these guys. On top of everything, the week before this game, Georgia blew out the defending national champion LSU Tigers. Meanwhile, Tennessee football was blown out at home by the Auburn Tigers.

So the Dawgs were supposed to dominate in Athens, and they were 12-point favorites as a result. Fulmer had been alternating quarterbacks to this point but turned to freshman Erik Ainge in the team’s first road game. And in a shocker, the Vols pulled off the upset.

The Vols set the tone on the first drive when Fulmer went for it on fourth down past midfield. But it was a game that came down to the wire, as after building a 19-7 lead, Georgia fought back to make it 19-14 and was driving late. Greene’s final pass as time expired, though, was intercepted.

Tennessee’s win secured the SEC East for them and ruined Georgia’s potential championship season. The Vols had no business winning this game, but it was the first to really signify how Richt would always choke away a crucial match-up. And it showed how anything could happen when these two play each other.