Georgia football: 2nd quarter interception proves to be turning point

Georgia football handily beat Tennessee on Saturday 41-17, but the Dawgs had to break down the Vols to pull away from them.

This game never got out of hand for Georgia, but if it weren’t for that second-quarter interception from Derion Kendrick, this game could have gone differently. That turnover gave the Dawgs the momentum they needed to press down the throttle.

While the turnover was crucial, the touchdown the Dawgs scored after that interception solidifies this series of plays as the turning point in the game.

The Vols forced back-to-back punts from the Dawgs, but then Georgia stopped them as well. Tennessee and Georgia tied it at 10-10 after the Vols kept Georgia out of the endzone and forced them to settle.

After Jack Podlesny made that first field goal, the defense decided it had enough from Tennessee.

Georgia intercepted the ball on the next drive, and the offense went to work. Stetson Bennett kept the drive alive, completing a pass to Ladd McConkey on 3rd and 8. He handed it off to James Cook, who toted the rock 15-yards to the nine-yard line. Bennett got his number called and ran it nine yards in for his first career rushing touchdown.

After the Dawgs went up 17-10, the defense shut down Tennessee the next five drives as the Vols had to punt twice to end the half and then turned the ball over on downs the following two drives. Georgia sacked Hendon Hooker on that 10th drive, which forced a fumble, and the Dawgs recovered it.

The Dawgs punted twice after Bennett’s touchdown but also threw in a touchdown to end the half and then let Podlesny kick another field goal. Georgia scored a touchdown off the defense’s second turnover, too, making it 34-10 and out of reach for the Vols.

Once Georgia forced one mistake, they kept pushing and pushing until Hooker and the Vols couldn’t take it anymore. Even though they gave up the second touchdown late, at that point, it didn’t matter — the Dawgs were going to win by 24 points.

That interception changed the course of the game by giving Georgia all the momentum to run with, and they did.

Georgia hasn’t always kept the throttle down, but this year it’s different. That aggressiveness is one of the reasons this team continues to stand out from years past.

When they get the momentum, they run with it until the game ends, usually beating teams by two-plus scores.

Instead of playing just to beat them, the Dawgs want to demoralize teams, so if you give this offense the ball, buckle up because they’re going to do whatever it takes to score.

There is no more we won’t run up the score because two-touchdown wins are good enough. Nope, Georgia will smother you, force mistakes, and when you give them the ball, they’re going to show you why they’re No.1 in the country.

Georgia forced a mistake on Saturday and, from that one mistake, put the game away for good. Now the Dawgs are 10-0 overall and showing the world they aren’t a joke.