Ad Disclosure
Georgia vs. Tennessee has produced some of the greatest moments in conference history.
On one side, there’s the famous Hobnail Boot game in which David Greene hit Verron Haynes for a 26-24 win, made more famous by legendary announcer Larry Munson’s call.
On the other side, there’s Tennessee’s Hail Mary — Dobbsnail Boot — with 1 second left on the clock to stun Georgia 34-31 in 2016, just moments after Dawgs freshman quarterback Jacob Eason had seemingly led his team to a late victory.
But that’s not what we’re here to talk about today. Today is about blowouts, and we have some big ones.
The nature of the wins for these teams may render them somewhat inconsequential in the annals of history, but doesn’t everyone like to reminisce about that year it just came easy?
Take a trip down memory lane with the 10 biggest blowouts in the Georgia-Tennessee rivalry.
1. Tennessee 46, Georgia 0 – Oct. 31, 1936
They didn’t know it at the time, but this was the final game in Athens, Ga., between the teams for 33 years. The Vols made the most of it, scoring the most lopsided victory in series history.
Tennessee won for the second season in a row, paced by quarterback Red Harp’s 2 touchdowns. Neither team, though finished the season among the nation’s best – Tennessee at 6-2-2 and Georgia at 5-4-1.
2. No. 10 Georgia 44, Tennessee 0 – Sept. 5, 1981
Prior to Georgia’s recent success, most Dawgs fans would call this the golden era of Georgia football. Some may still consider it that. The team was coming off the 1980 national title and, despite an early season upset at Clemson, had eyes on repeating. One thing is certain: The best player in the Georgia’s history was in his second of three electric seasons, which he demonstrated on this day.
Running back Herschel Walker ran for 161 yards on 30 carries to pace the Georgia offense. He would go on to amass 1,891 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns that season, both career bests for him in college.
Georgia failed in its bid for a second straight national title, however, losing to No. 8 Pittsburgh in the Sugar Bowl, but finished the season 10-2.
3. No. 7 Georgia 41, Tennessee 0 – Sept. 9, 2017
In Year 2 under Kirby Smart, Georgia was looking to make up for the previous season, when a walk-off Hail Mary sealed a 34-31 win for Tennessee. The Dawgs had no problems on this day.
Georgia notched 4 rushing touchdowns, including 2 from freshman quarterback Jake Fromm, and limited the Vols to 142 total yards. Georgia forced 4 turnovers and never looked back in the first of a 5-game win streak that remains intact heading into this year’s showdown.
It was Georgia’s 5th of 9 straight wins to open the year, which saw them rise from No. 15 to No. 1 in the rankings. The Dawgs went to the College Football Playoff, defeated Oklahoma, but lost to Alabama in the national championship game.
4. Georgia 33, Tennessee 0 – Nov. 1, 1924
It was the 5th straight win in the series for Georgia and the team’s 3rd out of 5 consecutive shutouts that season. The Dawgs outscored Furman, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Virginia, and Auburn 71-0 to build up a 7-1 record, before losing its final two games to finish 7-3.
Tennessee finished the season a meager 3-5.
5. Tennessee 32, Georgia 0 – Oct. 30, 1937
In the final game between the teams for 31 years, the Vols won their 3rd straight to knot the all-time rivalry record at 6-6-1. It was the second straight shutout for Tennessee over the Dawgs.
Neither team finished among the nation’s best, with Tennessee going 6-3-1 and Georgia 6-3-2.
6. No. 8 Tennessee 38, No. 22 Georgia 6 – Sept. 11, 1993
This is 1 of only 2 games on this blowout list in which both teams were ranked at kickoff. Both entered the season with high hopes – even national title aspirations – but went in very different directions.
The Vols won this one easily, their 3rd straight in the series, to break a tie in the all-time series record. They climbed as high as No. 6 that season but lost to No. 13 Penn State in the Citrus Bowl to finish 11-2 and ranked No. 12 for the second season in a row.
The Dawgs, meanwhile, entered the season at No. 14 before losing the opener to South Carolina. They lost their second game to Tennessee and fell from the rankings, never to return in a 5-6 season.
7. Georgia 35, Tennessee 5 – Oct. 22, 1910
Y’all remember this one, right? It was the first season of new Georgia coach Bill Cunningham and the freshman season of four-year letterman halfback Bob McWhorter. The Dawgs had all the success on this day, winning their 4th straight game to start the season. The 5 points the Vols scored were the first points Georgia had allowed all year.
It was the second of five straight wins over Tennessee for the Dawgs, who finished the year 6-2-1. It was a forgettable year for Tennessee, which finished 3-5-1.
8. No. 3 Georgia 43, Tennessee 14 – Oct. 5, 2019
The Dawgs were heavily favored but struggled to find their groove out of the gate. Tennessee took a 14-10 lead in the second quarter to give Georgia, which had national title aspirations, a brief scare.
It was overblown.
Georgia scored on a 3-yard touchdown pass from Jake Fromm to Lawrence Cager with 1:59 left in the second quarter and again on a 7-yarder from Fromm to George Pickens with 9 seconds left in the half. The Dawgs went ahead 26-14 at the break and never looked back.
Linebacker Tae Crowder’s 60-yard fumble return with 4:39 left in the game was enough to make it a top-10 all-time blowout.
Georgia lost the SEC title game to eventual champion LSU before winning the Sugar Bowl over No. 7 Baylor. Tennessee started 2-5 but had a strong finish to the year, winning 6 straight to go 8-5.
9. Georgia 41, Tennessee 14 – Oct. 9, 2010
Remember this game as the coming-out party for eventual SEC record-setter Aaron Murray. The freshman quarterback passed for 266 yards and 2 touchdowns and rushed for another 2 scores. One of his touchdowns was a 35-yard run.
The defense, meanwhile, forced 3 turnovers and Justin Houston notched 2.5 sacks. The Dawgs snapped their 4-game losing streak in the series but still finished just 6-7 that season. It was the first of 5 straight wins in the series for Georgia.
10. No. 8 Georgia 41, No. 13 Tennessee 14 – Oct. 11, 2003
This was the 2nd-biggest blowout when both teams were ranked. In Georgia’s 4th straight win over Tennessee, the defense held the Vols to just 248 yards and forced 4 turnovers, including Sean Jones’ 92-yard fumble return for a score. Tennessee cut Georgia’s lead to 10-7 early in the second quarter with a 90-yard touchdown pass from Casey Clausen to Mark Jones, but gained just 158 yards otherwise.
It was a strong season for Georgia, which finished 11-3 and ranked No. 7 after a win over No. 12 Purdue in the Florida Citrus Bowl.
Tennessee also finished strong, going 10-3 and finishing ranked No. 15 after a loss in the Peach Bowl to unranked Clemson.
