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Tennessee football vs. Georgia: 10 keys to the game

By Caleb Calhoun

Sep 22, 2018; Knoxville, TN, USA; SEC logo on the field at Neyland Stadium before a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Florida Gators. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 22, 2018; Knoxville, TN, USA; SEC logo on the field at Neyland Stadium before a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Florida Gators. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports /
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Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart walks out of the tunnel with his team at the start of the annual Florida Georgia rivalry game at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville Fla. October 30, 2021.Flagi 103021 Florida Georgia Fb 37
Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart walks out of the tunnel with his team at the start of the annual Florida Georgia rivalry game at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville Fla. October 30, 2021.Flagi 103021 Florida Georgia Fb 37 /

Can the miracle happen? Despite the fact that they have blown out opponents all year and have a historically great defense, everybody still expects the Georgia Bulldogs to, well, pull a Georgia at some point. Visiting a resurgent Tennessee football team coming off a thrilling win that has a style unlike anything UGA has seen would appear to be the perfect time for that to happen.

If the Vols upset the Dawgs, it would be the shocker of the year. UGA is historically great on defense, and that actually clouds how good they are on offense. Kirby Smart, is winning the way Nick Saban used to win with the Alabama Crimson Tide: tough defense and efficient offense.

However, as we mentioned, Tennessee football’s strengths are a bit foreign to UGA this year. How those matchups play out are the major factors in the game, but there are other aspects that will go into Saturday’s matchup in Knoxville, Tenn. at Neyland Stadium. Let’s break them all down here in our 10 keys to the game when Georgia visits the Vols.

10. Level of pressure, motivation and overconfidence for Georgia

Let’s be honest here, there’s no pressure on Rocky Top. Josh Heupel’s team effectively guaranteed a winning record last week by beating the Kentucky Wildcats 45-42. That pushed them to 5-4 with their final two games at home against the South Alabama Jaguars and Vanderbilt Commodores. Beating UGA would just be a major splash on top of them reaching their goal.

On the other side, though, UGA has clinched the East and has no games left against ranked teams. After UT, it will host the Charleston Southern Buccaneers and visit the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, so this is easily their toughest regular season game left.

How can they get motivated for it, though and avoid looking ahead to the SEC Championship. At the same time, can they make sure they aren’t overconfident? Also, with the talent of Tennessee football and the lack of pressure, how does UGA handle being the only team with any pressure? All of that will be a big deal in this game.

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