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Georgia defeated Tennessee 31-17 on Saturday night in Athens.
The Bulldogs fell behind early, but were in full control of the game from the second quarter onward. UGA and Tennessee were knotted at 17-17 going into halftime, but the Bulldogs were able to keep Tennessee off the scoreboard altogether in the second half.
Here are 3 takeaways from Georgia’s win:
Carson Beck stepped up
Much has been made about Carson Beck’s struggles this season, particularly in the turnover department. However, he played a clean game against the Vols and didn’t throw an interception for the first time since the Auburn game back on Oct. 5.
In addition to the turnover-free performance, Beck was relatively efficient as a passer. He threw for 347 yards on 39 attempts and kept the chains moving all night long. Georgia went 8-of-13 on third down despite not having a strong running game against the Vols (Nate Frazer led the team in carries but averaged just 3.7 yards per rush).
Beck also carried the ball 3 times for 32 yards and the go-ahead touchdown midway through the 3rd quarter. It was the kind of performance that should give Georgia fans confidence as they look ahead toward the postseason.
Georgia’s defense limited big plays
Tennessee’s offense has struggled all season to generate explosive plays, and that was the case again on Saturday night.
Dylan Sampson moved the ball well on the ground, averaging 5.3 yards per carry. But he only had 1 rush all game that was longer than 10 yards.
Similarly, Nico Iamaleava couldn’t get anything going down field through the air. Tennessee had just 1 passing play longer than 15 yards against the Bulldogs. Eventually, the lack of explosive plays caught up to the Vols as they were unable to sustain drives in the second half.
Tennessee averaged just 4.5 yards per play in this game, marking only the third time all season that the Vols haven’t eclipsed at least 5 yards per play.
CFP implications
With this win, Georgia is almost certainly going to be in the 12-team College Football Playoff field provided it doesn’t lose to UMass or Georgia Tech to close out the regular season. The Bulldogs were the first team out of the projected field this weekend, and this victory over the Vols should be more than enough to get them back into the fold on Tuesday night.
Tennessee is also expected to finish the year with a 10-2 record, but it may need some help in order to make the 12-team field. The Vols now have a head-to-head loss against Georgia and could be amongst a crowded field of 2 loss SEC teams at season’s end. Texas A&M, Alabama and Ole Miss all currently have 2 losses while Texas still has just 1 defeat.
The next College Football Playoff rankings will be updated on Tuesday evening.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
