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Tennessee football at Georgia: 10 keys to the game

By Caleb Calhoun

Oct 3, 2020; Athens, Georgia, USA; A general view of the stadium prior to the game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Auburn Tigers at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 3, 2020; Athens, Georgia, USA; A general view of the stadium prior to the game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Auburn Tigers at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tennessee defensive back Kenneth George Jr. (5) during a SEC conference football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Missouri Tigers held at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Saturday, October 3, 2020.Kns Ut Football Missouri Bp
Tennessee defensive back Kenneth George Jr. (5) during a SEC conference football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Missouri Tigers held at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Saturday, October 3, 2020.Kns Ut Football Missouri Bp /

5. Number of blown coverages in each team’s secondary

This applies to Tennessee football more than the Georgia Bulldogs, as it happened to the Vols two weeks in a row. UT first allowed Collin Hill of the South Carolina Gamecocks to torch its secondary by throwing to Shi Smith and Nick Muse. Smith had 140 receiving yards and a touchdown, and Muse, a tight end, had 50 yards but could have had 70 and a touchdown if not for a bad drop.

The next week, the Vols had trouble with Connor Bazelak as he replaced Shawn Robinson and threw for 218 yards. If not for two drops he’d have had over 300 yards and two touchdowns. Now, to be fair, UT has been playing without Shawn Shamburger the past two weeks, and Bryce Thompson was banged up. Those issues should be fixed, but it’s still concerning.

Georgia had no trouble shutting down the Auburn Tigers last week. However, they did allow Feleipe Franks to have 200 yards and Treylon Burks of the Arkansas Razorbacks catch seven passes for 102 yards and a touchdown. Simply put, they had problems at times in the secondary, and they are vulnerable to allowing big plays to happen.

Taking all this into account, both teams’ secondaries should be elite. As a result, the first one to have a missed assignment will set the team back significantly. This will be a battle of perfection on each side given the fact that the Vols are fully healthy. One mistake here changes it all.

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