Tennessee football: Key moments, turning points in Vols’ Georgia loss

A 43-14 loss by Tennessee football to the Georgia Bulldogs was interesting for a while. Here are the turning points for the Volunteers in the game.

Losing this game was not a surprise. But Tennessee football surprisingly made this interesting for a little while, as they took a 14-10 lead in the first half thanks to two touchdown passes from Brian Maurer and a few crucial mistakes by the Georgia Bulldogs.

However, reality then set in, and the Vols fell to 1-4 on the year by losing 43-14 to the No. 3 ranked Georgia Bulldogs. Both teams came off their bye week, but UGA, who is now 5-0, last beat a top 10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish team when they played, and UT lost 34-3 to the Florida Gators in their last outing. They still haven’t beaten an FBS program.

But at least they made it interesting for a little while in this game. Georgia was just too much. We’ll take a look at how they showed that here. These are the key moments and the turning points in Tennessee football’s loss on Saturday.

Tim Jordan stopped for four-yard loss in second quarter

This is a play that lots of people forget, but it was the first to help put Georgia back in control. The Vols had gone up 14-10, and after holding UGA to another field goal, got the ball back up 14-13. They got to a 3rd and 2 in the at the Georgia 43, in great position to score again. But Tim Jordan was stopped for a four-yard loss on a predictable run play.

After that, Joe Doyle had a horrible 13-yard punt. Then the Dawgs marched down the field for a score to take the lead back. That was all understandable. What was crucial was UT blowing a golden opportunity in UGA territory.

Brent Cimaglia misses 47-yard field goal attempt

After the Dawgs took the lead, Tennessee football still had a chance to keep it close. As the clock was running down late in the first half, the Vols were down 20-14 and hoped to go into halftime down 20-17. They called on old reliable.

But Brent Cimaglia, who was nine-of-nine on the year, missed his first field goal. He doesn’t deserve any blame, but it was a critical miss. That gave UGA the ball in good field position, and they cashed in by marching down and scoring quickly to go up by two touchdowns heading into halftime. There was little hope for them after that.

Brian Maurer pass intercepted in the third quarter

In the third quarter, the game slowed down, and the Vols had a great chance to continue to make this a game. Down 29-14, they started moving the ball again. But then Brian Maurer had to come out because of a bit. Jarrett Guarantano hit Dominick Wood-Anderson for a first-down on a pass.

Maurer then came back in. And he threw an interception. That pick was crucial, as it really ended any real hope the Vols had despite only being down by two scores. They could not afford those mistakes, and that’s how Georgia began to pull away.

Jake Fromm 33-yard pass to Demetris Robertson in the fourth quarter

Despite the interception, the defense still played hard through all of its flaws. They got a fourth down stop, only to see the offense have to punt. But then they brought up a 3rd and 5 and looked in position to get the ball back.

That’s when Jake Fromm hit Demetris Robertson for a 33-yard pass to the UT 37. It seemed like a minor thing, but the Vols allowed the Dawgs to keep that drive alive, and they eventually moved down the field and scored to go up 36-14 and take control of the game.

Brian Maurer strip-sacked for a fumble return touchdown

After a horrendous third quarter, the Vols finally started moving the ball again in the fourth quarter. Brian Maurer appeared to be finding himself, and he once again marched Tennessee football into Georgia territory. Maybe they could have mounted an insanely improbably comeback at Neyland Stadium.

But on a surprise blitz that wasn’t even from his blind side, he was hit head on by Georgia defender Eric Stokes and fumbled the ball. Tae Crowder picked it up and ran it in the end zone for a score, and that clinched the blowout.

There were lots of key moments and opportunities for Tennessee football to make this a game. But in the end, as has been the case all year, they failed to cash in on many of them. That’s why they ended this one in a blowout loss.