A look back at what decided the game between Georgia and Tennessee.

lIn what was supposed to be the biggest matchup of the year with the AP poll ranked No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs hosting the visiting College Football Playoff committee ranked No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers, the Bulldogs showed the country that they are not a team to be doubted.

Since the Volunteers beat the Alabama Crimson Tide on October 15, all the hype has been around Tennessee and the run they were about to go on. There were comparisons to the 2019 LSU team, and the Vols were expected by many to beat Georgia. But like they always do, the Dawgs wound up on top at the end of this one.

Backing an already stout overall Georgia team was a Sanford Stadium that was louder than it has ever been before. The crowd was 100% a factor in this one giving the Vols multiple false start penalties boosting the morale of the Georgia defense.

One thing the Vols couldn’t do is run the ball, and in this sport you can’t afford not running the ball. Georgia’s defense held its own on the ground and in turn was able to turn up defending the air. Because the Georgia offense was able to consistently score and get up early, Tennessee found themselves in a hole that only Hendon Hooker’s arm could fill. But during obvious passing situations just became opportunities to sack the quarterback. Hooker took a beating and wasn’t able to perform anywhere to expectation.

The Georgia Bulldogs are real. This is the most complete team in college football. They’ll travel to Starkville to take on Mike Leach and the Mississippi State Bulldogs, but in the meantime here’s the stats that matter in the mammoth victory over UT.

130

Multiple sources point to Dawg Nation reaching 130 decibels against Tennessee. Many were anticipating volume and atmosphere similar to the 2019 Notre Dame game, 2021 Arkansas or 2021 Kentucky, but 2022 Tennessee was a different beast. The crowd sent the Bulldogs to a different level and fueled them throughout the game. The noise also caused multiple pre-snap penalties for the Vols which killed drives. The crowd noise was the first thing that Coach Kirby Smart addressed in his opening statement postgame. It really was something special.

6

This number can be argued, but six sacks were recorded against the Volunteers. Coming into the game Georgia only had 10 on the season, and the Dawgs were without senior edge defender Nolan Smith who was recently ruled out for the rest of the season because of torn pectoral muscle. Regardless, the Dawgs came through. After putting the Vols in a hole, Tennessee had to pass the ball to catch up, but like most things that day, things did not swing the Volunteer’s way. Georgia was able to scheme up a lot of those sacks finally coming home on those “opportunities” that Coach Smart talked about earlier in the season.

2.2

“They’re a running team that chucks it deep,” Kirby Smart said in a press conference in the week leading up to the game. Tennessee’s volatile passing attack works because they’re also really good at running the ball. Their ground game is a threat, and keeps defenders in the box instead of in coverage. But one thing Tennessee hadn’t done was face a run defense like Georgia’s, that is, until November 5th. Georgia held the Volunteers to a mere 2.2 yards per carry and 94 total rushing yards on the day. That fact, alongside the scoring deficit, forced the Vols to become more one-sided and look to the air for answers, but none came. If you can’t run, you don’t deserve to be No. 1. Trevor Etienne, along with a mammoth running quarterback who is difficult to bring down.