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Tennessee football: Five reasons Vols will upset Georgia Saturday

By Caleb Calhoun

Oct 15, 2022; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers mascot Smokey during the first quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 15, 2022; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers mascot Smokey during the first quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 10, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Cedric Tillman (4) reacts after scoring the game winning touchdown against the Pittsburgh Panthers in overtime at Acrisure Stadium. Tennessee won 34-27 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 10, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Cedric Tillman (4) reacts after scoring the game winning touchdown against the Pittsburgh Panthers in overtime at Acrisure Stadium. Tennessee won 34-27 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

1. As the Vols are getting healthier, Georgia is banged up.

Amidst everything we mentioned, here is the unique advantage for Tennessee football that they didn’t even have against Alabama. There are some reasons Alabama was easier than Georgia would be. One is Alabama is way more penalized, and that’s the biggest edge UT had.

Two is the fact that while Sanford Stadium won’t affect the Vols, they don’t have Neyland Stadium to affect the Dawgs like they did against the Tide. Still, even with those differences, the Vols are in much better shape than when they played Alabama, and the Dawgs are in much worse shape than Alabama was, even with questions then about Bryce Young.

Georgia already has issues with its pass rush, and its best defensive player, Nolan Smith, is now gone for the season. That’ll render their pass rush even more irrelevant, as he led the team in sacks and tackles for a loss. Meanwhile, Jalen Carter is the anchor for the defense up front, and while he will likely go, he was hurt last week and will be rusty and banged up.

Receiver Adonai Mitchell is out, and safety Dan Jackson, who has been a utility player, is also out. Simply put, they have a lot of key injuries, and while Kirby Smart has built the defense to where it can just reload, it’s nowhere near as deep or experienced as it was last year.

Then, on the other side, Tennessee football got Cedric Tillman back last week, so it’s full-go on offense. On defense, Jaylen McCollough came back in at safety. With his return, Doneiko Slaughter moved over to cornerback, starting opposite Brandon Turnage, and the Vols found their answer in the secondary.

Next. Five Georgia Bulldogs to watch for against Vols. dark

Thanks to that combination, UT held Will Levis, an NFL quarterback, to under 100 yards passing. Kamal Hadden and Christian Charles should be healthy on the back end now as well, so the only player out is Warren Burrell, who will miss the season. Simply put, this team is in much better shape, and it’s just as Georgia is getting more hurt.

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