The No. 21 Tennessee Volunteers have owned the Georgia Bulldogs for the past decade, winning nine consecutive games over the SEC rival. Throw that stat out the window because this game is up in the air.
Saturday is D-Day for the Volunteers. After being upset by a determined LSU team, the Vols can choose two paths stomp the Dawgs into the ground or roll over and cry. The problem is that no one knows which path they will choose.
In order for Tennessee to return to Knoxville with their first win in the SEC, there is a small list of problems they will have to solve.
First, the Vols must re-establish the ground attack. Last week, the Tigers completely took Travis Henry out of the game, limiting him to 89 yards on 20 carries. That cannot happen this week. A one-dimensional Tennessee team will not beat the 19th-ranked Bulldogs.
However, if the burden of the entire offense is laid upon the passing game, look for Vol quarterback A.J. Suggs to respond. Suggs, a native of Powder Springs, Ga., has showed enough poise and composure to keep his starting position. Especially after leading a second-half comeback last week and throwing for 319 yards.
Second, Tennessee must remember to bring their defense to Athens. They forgot it last week and the Vols got burned for 24 points in the first half. Leave the secondary in Knoxville this week and it’s good-bye top 25.
On the other hand, the Vol secondary should be back to normal this week as safety Andre Lott returns from an injury. But a normal defense won’t keep Georgia quarterback Quincy Carter in check.
Finally, the Vols must learn to take some chances. Game in and game out, Tennessee sticks to the same game plan and the same play-calling and dares the opposing team to stop them. Guess what, Georgia can and will stop them if they get too conservative.
Tennessee must play to win the game, not to survive. If UT will take a little flavor from LSU’s spicy playbook and throw long every once in a while, the talented receivers should be able to take advantage of the Bulldog defense. The Vols lost last week because LSU perfectly predicted the Tennessee offensive scheme.
If Georgia wins, look for them to contain Henry to less than 100 yards and the defense will be exploited throughout the contest.
If the Vols plan on winning, Henry will have 130 yards and Suggs will be back to his normal 150 passing yards. Balance is the key for the Volunteers to get their first SEC victory of the season. If the Vols have some balance in their scoring attack, look for The Streak to continue.
Josh Pate can be reached at [email protected].
