Each week, the two sports editors and football beat writers at The Daily Beacon, Andrew Peters and Eric Woods, give their keys and predictions to Tennessee’s upcoming football matchup.

This week, No. 1 Tennessee has its biggest game of the season against No. 3 Georgia with SEC and College Football Playoff implications. 

Keys

Andrew Peters

1. Keep winning mindset

Josh Heupel said on Monday that one of the reasons Tennessee keeps winning is because of the winning mindset the Vols have adopted. Do the Vols have the same talent as a Georgia, Ohio State or Alabama team? Nope. Does that stop them from competing against every team they matchup with? Nope. 

The Vols can’t let the moment and the implications of the game get in the way of what they have done every game so far, which is playing their brand of football. Go into the game with the belief that you will win and you will likely be pretty successful. Tennessee will also need to count on its leaders, most of whom have played in some pretty big games. 

2. Secondary needs to step up

The Vols were able to let out a sigh of relief Saturday night against Kentucky as their secondary had its best game of the season so far. It looks as if things might have finally clicked as Tennessee gave up just six points to a pretty solid offense. 

The secondary needs to do what it did on Saturday and more as it takes on the high-powered Georgia offense. Heupel said on Monday that he expects his squad to be the healthiest they have been all season on Saturday, which means Tennessee probably won’t have to put walk-ons in the secondary in the fourth quarter like it did against Alabama. If the Vols’ secondary steps up, they can count on a successful day. 

Eric Woods

1. Defense, defense, defense

Tennessee had its best defensive performance of the year against Kentucky. The Vols are now expected to keep that production moving forward now that they have shown a glimpse of what they could be. 

Obviously, Tennessee doesn’t need another three interceptions again to consider it a good performance. While that would certainly be nice, the key for the defense is putting pressure on Stetson Bennett. The Gators didn’t rack up any sacks against Georgia, but their six quarterback hurries forced Bennett into some uncomfortable situations last week.

2. Attack early, attack often

Yes, this Georgia defense is good and the best defense that the Vols will face all year. You could say that this offense hasn’t faced a legitimate defense all year. That coin has two sides, however. Georgia hasn’t faced a competent offense yet. 

So, if Tennessee jumps out the gates quick as it usually does, the untested Georgia cornerbacks will be on their heels early. An early two or three score lead for the Vols is very likely if this happens, and the Bulldogs don’t have as dynamic of an offense to be confident in their ability to come /back.

Predictions 

Vegas

Spread: Georgia -8.5

O/U: 66

Andrew Peters

I was skeptical of Tennessee against Pitt, then against Florida, then against Alabama. I am no longer skeptical of Tennessee. The Vols are a proven team that is looking like a National Championship contender at this point, and they can come out of Athens on Saturday with a win. 

Tennessee’s offense will be locked in on Saturday afternoon and will put up big points against the Bulldogs, who will also be landing some punches on the Vols. It will be a 60-minute battle that will end with Heupel asking a sideline reporter, “How fun is this?”

Tennessee 42, Georgia 38

Eric Woods

Like Andrew said, I haven’t had the most confidence in Tennessee’s ability to consistently perform day in and day out. It turns out that the Vols quite frankly don’t care about my skepticism. I had them finishing in the 8-4 to 9-3 area, but with each game, my doubts are proven wrong.

Are the Bulldogs favorites by over a touchdown? Yes, so was Alabama. Frankly, I just don’t think any defense has the ability to stop this offense. This isn’t the Tennessee of old any more. The pressure just doesn’t seem to get to them.

On top of that, the Tennessee faithful are going to show up. The Vol takeover in Death Valley was enough to prompt Kirby Smart into sending a tweet making sure that Georgia fans affect the game with their noise. Either way, I expect to hear Rocky Top loud and clear on Saturday.

Tennessee 45, Georgia 35