Georgia football will meet the most explosive offense they’ll face to date on Saturday in the Tennessee Volunteers.
Georgia is looking for their 10th straight win while the Vols are looking to stay above .500.
While it may seem weird to put explosive and Tennessee in the same sentence again, it’s true. What Vols’ head coach Josh Heupel has already put in place is working, and it’s something the Dawgs cannot overlook.
Tennessee averages 38 points and 457.7 yards of offense a game. They are well-coached on every side of the ball and have given teams fits.
The Vols have a lot of playmakers, but these six guys are the ones Georgia football must stop to stay perfect on the year.
However, the Dawgs are on a four-game win streak and looking to make it five after Tennessee got luckier than a four-leaf clover in 2016, winning on a Hail Mary throw.
The last two times Georgia traveled to Knoxville, they won 43-14 in 2019 and 41-0 in 2017.
Both of those times, the Dawgs shut down the Vols and came out of Knoxville unscathed. Georgia’s offenses flourished, and the defense dominated.
This year is different though, while Georgia has had talented defenses in the past, none of them are quite like this one. Georgia’s defense is on a mission, and their next victim happens to be Tennessee. The Dawgs haven’t given up more than 13 points all season, and they aren’t going to this weekend either.
Georgia has a defense that can suffocate opponents, and while teams have come into their games confident that this group isn’t as good as the media says — they leave with their tail between their legs.
Then the Dawgs have an equally productive offense averaging 38.4 points a game, so the Vols defense better get ready as well. Georgia is prepared to test themselves against an explosive team, and the fans will find out what this defense is made of come Saturday night.
Here are three offensive and three defensive players on Tennessee’s team that Georgia must find a way to slow down to stay perfect on the season.
Probably the most explosive player on the field for Tennessee is Hendon Hooker, the Vols quarterback.
Hooker is a monster with the ball in his hands and can hurt teams with his legs and passes.
Hooker is the second-leading rusher for the Vols as he has 113 carries for 458 yards and four scores while averaging 4.1 yards a touch. On the season, he has completed 129-of-186 passes for 1,894 yards, 21 touchdowns and two interceptions. He has a 69.35% pass completion rate and gains more confidence by the week.
Last week against the Kentucky Wildcats, Hooker went 15-of-20 for 316 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed 11 times for 41 yards. He did get sacked five times, though.
Hooker is the heart and soul of this Volunteer offense. He has taken on a leadership role and helped make this offense explosive. Tennessee got a gem from Virginia Tech, and his experience has also allowed the offense to gain confidence in themselves.
Georgia’s priority is getting him rattled and uncomfortable in the pocket, but they also need to be ready for him to use his legs like Missouri’s quarterbacks did last week. The Dawgs have a challenging task with Hooker because he is a veteran that has a high football IQ.
However, he hasn’t quite seen anything like this defense, so it’ll be interesting to see what kind of success he has against the Dawgs. Georgia needs to get in his face and stay there. If he gets comfortable, that secondary will have to be ready to make plays because he hasn’t made many so far.
Tennessee has two wideouts that Georgia football must be ready to keep eyes on at all times in Velus Jones Jr., who leads the vols in receiving and is their main return guy, along with Cedric Tillman, who has come on strong the last three weeks.
These two both made this list because they are loved so much by Hooker.
Jones is someone who doesn’t just hurt opponents on offense but special teams too, as he returns kickoffs and punts for Tennesee.
It’s not just his ability to catch the ball, but also that he can see the field well and make plays. Jones is quick and uses that to his advantage. The Dawgs must be ready for this guy because he is one of Hooker’s favorite targets.
Jones has 36 catches on the year for 553 yards and five touchdowns on the season. Return wise, and he has nine punt returns for 121 yards — averaging about 13.44 yards. On kickoffs, he averages 24.38 yards a return and has amassed 390 yards on 16 returns.
Last week against Kentucky, he had five catches for 100 yards, one touchdown, and a return for 31 yards. Jones can hurt teams because of his versatility and speed, so Georgia constantly needs to know where he is.
Tillman has come on strong the last three weeks as he shined against Ole Miss, Alabama and Kentucky.
On the season, he also has 36 catches for 525 yards and five touchdowns. However, the last three games have helped him elevate to being the second leading wideout for Tennessee. Against Ole Miss, he recorded seven catches for 84 yards and a score.
He had seven catches for 152 yards and one touchdown against Alabama, and last week in the Kentucky game, he had six catches for 79 yards and one score.
Both of these guys have earned Hooker’s trust, so the best defensive backs need to be on these guys because they can make plays and do it quickly. They are two veterans who know what to do in game-time situations, so Georgia needs to keep them at bay.
Georgia football also needs to be ready to slow down the Vols leading rusher Tiyon Evans.
Through nine games, he has 81 carries for 525 yards and six touchdowns. Evans averages 6.5 yards a touch and 75 yards a game.
Between him and Hooker, they share most of the carries — Jabari Small being the third — but Evans is the one Georgia must demoralize.
He hasn’t done much in the last two weeks, but he has three 100-yard games on the season and can make plays if his offensive line allows him to do so.
Evans will be someone Tennessee tries to get going against the defense, and Georgia must make sure they get him down quickly. He can break tackles, so wrap him up and force him to question his ability to run the ball.
Most people think it’s the passing game that Georgia will have to eliminate the passing game, but they must do the same with the rush attack. Tennessee averages 217.1 yards a game on the ground, but they haven’t played a rush defense quite like Georgia’s. Regardless if a team has a rush average that impressive, they are doing something right.
Georgia gave up too many rush yards to Missouri last week, and this week they will make it a point to suffocate Evans and the rush attack because that is the kind of defense they are. Last year the Dawgs allowed negative one rushing yards. In 2019, the Vols rushed for 70 yards. In 2018 it was 66 yards, and in 2017 Georgia allowed Tennessee to run 62 yards.
The Dawgs don’t like to give up many rushing yards to Tennesse, which will be no different this year. Evans has confidence, though, so Georgia must stop him so that they can create the same results as the last four years.
Defensively, the Vols have had a really solid year, and leading the way is linebacker Jeremy Banks.
Georgia’s offense must know where he is at all times because he leads the Vols in tackles, tackles for loss and sacks.
Banks has 74 tackles on the year with nine tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, one interception, one pass breakup and one quarterback hurry.
He does a little of everything and wants to hunt Stetson Bennett, or JT Daniels heads on Saturday. Banks has had three straight games with at least 12 tackles. He recorded 15 against Ole Miss, 12 against Alabama and 14 against Kentucky.
Tennessee finally has someone that can put pressure on a quarterback and make plays. Banks is impressive to watch, and Georgia’s offensive line needs to be ready for him.
Georgia needs to be able to score at will, and if they can stop Banks, that goal will be easier to achieve. He can make plays all over the field and has been a huge key in the Vols five wins this season.
Bennett and Daniels need to know where 33 is on the field at all times and to get rid of the ball when he comes barreling their way.
Another name to know on the Tennessee defense is Theo Jackson. He is Tennessee’s top defensive back as he already has 10 pass breakups on the season.
Not to mention, Jackson has 6.5 tackles for loss, 60 total tackles on the season and 1.5 sacks. He is another guy the quarterbacks for Georgia need to pay attention to because he will be aggressive.
Jackson will likely cover Jermaine Burton, Ladd McConkey, Brock Bowers, Darnell Washington, or whoever Tennessee has deemed top priority. However, if another Dawg steps up because Jackson has the other covered, don’t be surprised if Tennessee moves him around.
To have 10 breakups on the season is impressive and shows how talented Jackson is on the field. Georgia’s wideouts must be ready to get pulled on and fight for the ball because he will be the guy who will do whatever it takes to make the play.
While he doesn’t want a penalty for pass interference, he will be the guy who pushes that limit of what is and isn’t interference.
Thankfully, Georgia doesn’t just have one guy who stands out in catching the ball as it has in the past. Instead, the Dawgs have five or six guys they can count on to make explosive plays. Tennessee isn’t the only offense that is explosive, and Georgia will prove that on Saturday.
The final player Georgia football must limit is Byron Young, who is another top defender for Tennessee. He is one of the defensive front seven as he plays with his hand in the dirt or as a linebacker.
Young has seven tackles for loss this season and 3.5 sacks, which is second-best on the team. However, he does lead the Vols in quarterback hurries at seven, so Young knows how to put on the pressure.
Last week against Kentucky, he recorded two sacks and four tackles on the day. He also earned a sack and six tackles against Alabama.
Young is a veteran on this defense and someone who wants to beat Georgia badly. The Dawgs need to keep an eye out for No.6 because Tennessee will move him all over the field to try and confuse the offensive line.
Between Young and Banks, Georgia will have their hands full trying to give whoever plays quarterback enough time, but they are talented enough to do so. They just need to trust themselves.
Georgia football has the talent to beat the Volunteers, but will they go into Knoxville coasting, or will they suffocate Tennessee and remind the world why they are the unanimous No. 1 team in the country? Knowing head coach Kirby Smart and his staff, it’ll be the latter, and the Vols will get knocked down a few notches to remind them who runs the SEC East right now.