Tennessee football: 5 takeaways from Vols’ 38-12 hard-fought loss to Georgia
Tennessee football falls to 2-3 on the season after a hard-fought 38-12 loss vs. the Georgia Bulldogs. Here are five takeaways from the Volunteers’ loss.
You’re probably questioning how the 26-point loss was hard-fought, but it was. Tennessee actually looked like a football team for most of the game. Of course, there is always room for improvement, but the Vols looked much better than they did against Florida.
Yes, it was another 20-point loss. However, there were a lot of positives to take from the game. The Bulldogs got two touchdowns in garbage time, and the Vols only turned the ball over once. So let’s break down exactly how everything went wrong. Here are five takeaways from Tennessee football’s hard-tough loss to Georgia.
1. Vols looked like a football team
If you take away the ETSU and UTEP games because you can’t really tell a lot about a team during games like that. Against the Bulldogs the Vols looked like a football team. They were in the game during the fourth quarter. They were a 31.5 underdog and had a chance to cut the game to a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
The offense struggled early, but once they got things going, they moved the ball against Georiga’s defense. The defensive line actually made a difference in the game, and no one really gave up. This is a game that Volnation can be proud of.
2. I feel like the curse is…real
There has to be a curse on the football program, right? Early in the first quarter, Jake Fromm dropped back when Darrell Taylor came off the edge and forced a fumble. If you watched the game, you know what happened. But, if you didn’t, I bet you can guess the outcome.
The fumble was recovered by Georgia’s Isaac Nauta, which he ended up taking it to the house for the first touchdown of the game. The Vols forced three more fumbles, but of course, they didn’t recover any.
3. When the offensive line blocks, good things happen
VolTwitter can provide you with great coaching decides throughout the entire game. You will always see statements like, “Open the playbook.” Or, “Throw the ball down the field.” Those sound great, right?
The problem is, it isn’t that simple. The offensive line has to provide Jarrett Guarantano ample time to get a pass off. Ample meaning more than one second.
Once they do their job, wide receivers need to be able to beat their guy and get open. The play call has to be on point, and then Guarantano has to make a good throw.
We saw that a time or two today against the Bulldogs. The Vols scored their first touchdown when wide receiver Josh Palmer was matched up against a linebacker and Guarantano hit him for a 37-yard touchdown.
4. Ty Chandler is the real deal
Tennessee has a couple of solid running backs on the roster. However, it isn’t close who is the best. Chandler is a playmaker and has the speed to run past anyone in the SEC. He finished the game with five carries for 27 rushing yards and four receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown.
Chandler should be more involved in the passing game to try and help the deep ball be more productive going forward.
5. Darrell Taylor shows there has been improvement and development
A quiet start to the season for Taylor had some Vol fans wondering what happened to the promising junior linebacker. And, then today happened. Honestly, Georiga’s offensive line had no answers for Taylor.
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He forced two fumbles and had three sacks. Taylor played great despite the Vols not being able to capitalize on any of the fumbles. Maybe Taylor was the first to show the impact the coaching staff is having on the development of the players.