Georgia football has dominated everyone in their path so far in 2021. Now the country’s unanimous No. 1 ranked team will take a trip up north to Knoxville to face the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday.
The Vols are 5-4 on the year and defeated No. 18 Kentucky in a 45-42 shootout last week.
When it comes to Georgia’s biggest rivals, there is an unofficial big four among Dawg nation — Florida, Georgia Tech, Auburn, and Tennessee. Of all these teams, Tennessee is the one I personally love to hate the most.
This rivalry has given Georgia fans some classic moments in Bulldog history. From our first introduction to Herschel Walker to the iconic Larry Munson “Hobnail Boot” call in 2001, legendary moments are all throughout this storied rivalry.
Georgia football and Tennessee have tangled roughly 50 times, and since 2000 alone, this matchup has provided some memorable moments.
Georgia leads the all-time series with a 25-23-2 record, with the first matchup occurring on November 11, 1899, a game won by Tennessee 5-0. Since 2010, the Dawgs have won nine of the last eleven games.
The two teams began playing every year starting in 1992, and throughout the 90s, Tennessee dominated Georgia. The Vols were also one of the top teams in the SEC during that time, winning the SEC Championship three times and the 1998 BCS National Championship.
Then came Mark Richt, and he flipped the script in this rivalry. He defeated Tennessee in his first three seasons as head coach and was 10-5 overall against the Vols.
Kirby Smart, who was on the receiving end of some of those Tennessee beatdowns from the 90s, is 4-1 so far against the Vols, with the one loss coming from a miracle Hail Mary.
It’s always fun to look back on iconic games and plays from Georgia football, and here are three UGA-UT games from the 2000s for Dawg fans to reminisce about before Saturday’s game.