Georgia football is 10-0 overall and 8-0 in the SEC after beating Tennessee 41-17 on Saturday night as the Dawgs overcame the adversity and won in Knoxville.
The Vols came out and punched the Dawgs in the mouth, but it didn’t take Georgia long to regroup and get back to business.
Tennessee presented another challenge for Georgia with their explosive offense, and the Dawgs had to prepare for that. It was another test the Dawgs had to get over this season, and as a whole, they passed with flying colors.
Georgia found its rushing attack and rush defense again after struggling last week against Missouri. Stetson Bennett did an excellent job on the ground and through the air, helping lead the team to its 10th win of the year.
This undefeated record is the best Georgia has seen in 39 years, so this win was necessary for the Dawgs. One could say it was another hump they got over to get one step closer to a national title.
Georgia football played well as a whole resulting in an A average. Here is the report card for each position.
The Dawgs overcame multiple players being sick with the stomach flu, injuries and did whatever it took to win this ballgame.
Tennessee gave them a fight, and now this team knows what they’ve got to do moving forward against explosive-type offenses. Georgia has all the intangibles to go undefeated and win it all, but they must continue working on things and staying humble.
After rewatching the game and breaking down each position, here is how Georgia graded out after the Tennessee showdown.
Georgia football Defensive line: A
Georgia football has the best defensive front in the country, and even with most of them being sick on Saturday, they powered through and did an excellent job putting pressure on Tennessee. This group got an A grade because they were solid.
Jordan Davis, Devonte Wyatt, Tramel Walthour and Jalen Carter played their hearts out on Saturday, giving the linebackers the ability to make plays behind the line of scrimmage.
All four of these guys went down with injuries in the game, but they got back up and went back in the game because they wanted to beat Tennessee so bad. The only one who didn’t return was Carter, but he was running a high fever and couldn’t return.
Wyatt finished the game with six tackles, even getting as banged up as he did. This guy played so hard. He was a force up front for the Dawgs and sacrificed a lot on Saturday. Davis opened up holes, and he also looked under the weather.
Regardless, this group didn’t care if they were sick or not. They wanted to win and did whatever it took to do that.
They won the battle up front by sacking the quarterbacks six times, and they smothered the Tennessee rush attack. The Vols finished with 55 rushing yards while averaging 1.5 yards a touch.
This group suffocated the Vols rush attack and didn’t let off the whole game. That average on 36 attempts is dominating, which was a much-improved performance after they played Missouri.
Hopefully, this group stays as healthy as possible because the Dawgs will need them down the stretch.
Georgia football linebackers: A++
Georgia football’s best performing group has to be the linebackers because this group took Tennessee to the woodshed.
Nakobe Dean, Channing Tindall, and Quay Walker were the biggest bullies this week, as this trio combined 25 tackles, six tackles for loss, four sacks, two forced fumbles, two pass breakups and two quarterback hurries.
Robert Beal Jr. and Chaz Chambliss contributed to the linebackers’ success as well. Beal had a sack and tackle for loss, while Chambliss had 1.5 sacks and 0.5 tackles for loss.
With this group performing as well as they did, it’s only fitting to give them an A++ grading because they couldn’t do anything else to be better.
Between Dean and Tindall, Tennessee’s offense couldn’t catch a break. All six of Walker’s tackles were by him alone without any help.
This trio stepped up in the absence of Adam Anderson, and the Dawgs didn’t skip a beat. This group also showed the most discipline and tackled the best among the defensive players.
Georgia has a general in Dean who can lead this defense to a national title. Tindall adding to the success only makes this defense that much better.
This group wanted this win so bad, and nothing was stopping them from getting it. While they gave up 17 points, it doesn’t matter, and they did their job, forced 29 havoc plays, and suffocated Tennessee.
Georgia’s linebackers are the heart and soul of this defense, even with the playmakers that put their hands in the dirt. Without this group, Georgia wouldn’t be nearly as strong. So after this week’s performance, they are top Dawgs in terms of grades.
Georgia football secondary: A
Georgia’s secondary gave up 332 passing yards, but they could pick off Hendon Hooker, so while they didn’t have their best performance, it was good enough to win, which resulted in an A grade.
The Dawgs secondary also recorded two critical pass breakups in the game. Georgia played pretty clean against the Vols, but they had multiple defensive pass interference calls according to the SEC officials, and that stings.
Kelee Ringo had one of them, but he is the only one excused because he had to, or they would have scored.
If it’s a reasonable penalty, that is one thing, but the other ones were silly.
Georgia’s secondary had their work cut out for them, but they got comfortable again once they adjusted by putting Chris Smith at star and Dan Jackson at safety. This move helped the defense make plays downfield and keep Tennessee from having too many explosive moments.
Derion Kendrick got beat a few times, but he is the one who intercepted Hooker’s pass. He plays so tough, this whole unit does, so while they gave up 300-plus passing yards, it’s because Georgia took away their rush attack.
It isn’t a good thing when a team has to make 48 pass attempts. That means they had their rush attack taken away, so the Dawgs did their job on Saturday. That yardage number is irrelevant this week because this group did their job well enough to help lead the Dawgs to win 10-straight games. So while the secondary looks like they struggled on paper, this group did plenty to help get the victory.
Georgia football offensive line: A-
The one area of concern for Georgia football has to be its offensive line. While they played better than the takeaway article suggests, and we may have been a bit harsh, they must come out right away and be dominant against defenses.
While Warren Ericson was one of the guys dealing with the stomach flu, he didn’t have a great game, and the Vols found success against him. Georgia’s entire offensive line struggled a bit at first adjusting to what Tennessee would do, and yes, they settled in, but there is no reason this group should struggle to run the ball up the middle.
Xavier Truss came in, and the Dawgs did a much better job, thankfully. Broderick Jones played the entire game at left tackle as Jamaree Salyer is still out with an injury, but he did a solid job. Sedrick Van Pran was strong at the center position, but this group took a little time to get going as a whole.
There were a few holding penalties, too, on this group, but it worked out really well for the Dawgs once they got settled.
While there were some bright spots, giving up two sacks against Tennessee resulted in an A- grade because the offensive line could have played better. Give credit to Tennessee for challenging them and getting to Stetson Bennett because that rarely happens.
Georgia needs to figure out the correct starting five on the offensive front because they need them to be a wall the next few weeks as there is no room for mistakes, especially in the post-season games.
Georgia football receivers: A+
Georgia football saw its wideouts and tight ends do their job as well.
Nine different receivers caught at least one pass, and six of them had one play go for at least 14-yards. Another week of solid numbers for this group as they silence anyone who thinks Georgia’s offense cannot be explosive.
Adonai Mitchell led the team with five catches on six targets for 65 yards. He was crucial for the Dawgs on the drive right before halftime as he caught multiple passes that resulted in first downs.
It was good to see the youngster step up and make some plays.
James Cook had three catches for 43 yards and one touchdown, as he scored the game’s first points. Plus, this young man’s rushing performance was dominant.
Kearis Jackson had two catches for 32 yards. Brock Bowers came up big with two catches for 23 yards, but one of them was a key first down.
Jermaine Burton had one catch, and so did Ladd McConkey, but both of those passes were for 21 and 14 yards, resulting in Georgia holding onto the ball longer.
The Dawgs wideouts knew running the ball was a must, so this group also did a fantastic job blocking the runners as Bowers laid blocks out for a couple of touchdown runs.
As a whole, this group received an A+ grade because they were helping with catching and blocking.
They didn’t care about individual stats, but about winning the game, plus 213 receiving yards is a good day for any offense, and with the majority of them having catches for over 14 yards, there isn’t much they didn’t do right.
Georgia football running backs: A+
The best performing position on offense has to be the Georgia football running backs.
This group finished with 41 carries for 274 yards on the ground, four touchdowns, and they averaged 6.7 yards a rush.
James Cook led this group and had a breakout game as he went 104 yards on 10 carries for two rushing scores. He averaged 10.4 yards a carry against the Vols and was the weapon Tennessee couldn’t contain.
Cook was a star as he also caught a 23-yard touchdown pass in the first half of the game. This game was his moment to step up and show that Georiga has a guy they can depend on to get the job done. He has emerged as the best running back with his vision and patience — plus, his speed helps too.
This breakout game was long overdue for him, and it seems like just the start for Cook. He wasn’t the only running back that had success, as Kenny McIntosh got in the endzone too.
McIntosh had seven carries for 46 yards, averaging 6.6 yards a touch. He was able to bust loose for a big run and kept Georgia alive on drives.
Zamir White had 12 carries for 55 yards, but he had to work extremely hard to get those numbers. He wasn’t quite able to see the field like Cook, or they both would have finished with 100-plus yards.
Georgia’s running backs get an A+ grade for putting 274 yards on the Vols and recording their fourth 200-yard rushing game of the year.
Georgia football quarterback Stetson Bennett: A+
Stetson Bennett did his job, and he performed well. He was a crucial piece of the Dawgs offense on Saturday, especially with his legs.
Four of his eight rushes resulted in first downs that allowed Georgia to keep marching down the field and put up points.
He finished the game with eight carries for 40 yards and one touchdown. Bennett scored the crucial touchdown after his defense picked off Tennesse as Todd Monken called his number to run it into the endzone.
He can make plays which is why he is still the starting quarterback. Regardless of whether anyone believes he can lead the Dawgs all the way, Bennett and JT Daniels have an unmatched bond.
They help each other, and Daniels is Bennett’s eyes on the sidelines. They understand why things are the way they are, and Daniels doesn’t seem to mind.
If anyone looks at Bennett’s jersey after this game on Saturday, then they would know how hard he plays and sacrifices himself to win ball games.
While Bennett’s legs gave him an edge on Saturday, he did a great job throwing the ball as well. Bennett went 17-of-29 for 213 yards and one touchdown against the Vols.
CBS Sports analyst Gary Danielson kept mentioning how Bennett played Baker Mayfield during the prep for the 2017 Rose Bowl game, and he made a few Mayfield plays against the Vols.
Each week Bennett’s confidence grows, and the team rallies around him more — including Daniels.
The senior’s performance wasn’t perfect, but he did his job and earned an A+ grade because of his ability to keep drives alive, deliver on the ground, and make plays in the air. He scored his first rushing touchdown, for crying out loud, and had 217 passing yards. It’s an A+ kind of day.
Tennessee got him a couple of times, but for the most part, Bennett handled himself with integrity and showed the world once again he is a talented quarterback.
Georgia football special teams: A
Georgia football wasn’t perfect on special teams, but they did an excellent job against the Vols. Their performance produced an A grade because the kickers did a fantastic job, but the return situation could have been cleaner. Not to mention, the Dawgs could have contained Tennessee’s return man better.
Field goal kicker Jack Podlesny went 2-for-2 on the day as he made a 40-yarder and 26-yarder against the Vols. He was also perfect on his PATs, going 5-of-5. His first field goal was crucial because it tied the Vols at 10-10, so it was a must-make situation, and he did his job.
Podlesny has had an up and down season, but his confidence seems to be growing in the last couple of weeks. Georgia can trust this guy when it matters and forget about those misses early on in the year.
He is 16-of-20 on the year, making 80% of his kicks, and while fans remember those misses, Podlesny is still the kicker who made the game-winner over Cincy last season and can still do that for the Dawgs.
His counterpart Jake Camarda had an excellent day handling the punting and kickoff duties. Camarda had five punts on the day, averaging 50.8 yards a kick with a long one of 62 yards which landed inside the 20-yard line.
He is the best punter in the country, but because he rarely has to punt the ball, Camarda gets overlooked. On kickoffs, Camarda had eight on the game, with five of them resulting in touchbacks.
Camarda is a secret weapon for the Dawgs as he can easily flip the field, which is crucial for an elite defense because the deeper an offense is in their territory, the easier it is to stop them.
Kearis Jackson and Zamir White handled the return duties, and they played smart. Jackson had one punt return for five yards and one kickoff return for 18 yards. He did his part so the Vols wouldn’t pin them deep. White had one kickoff return for 17 yards, and it was solid.
However, the Dawgs gave up too many yards to Velus Jones Jr., who had four punt returns for 54 yards. He had an extended return of 24-yards, and that one was almost ugly. The Dawgs did enough to keep him contained, but they must find a way to tackle better on special teams.
Georgia football put together a dominant performance that puts them at 10-0 on the season. Each week they get another test, and in Week 11, the Dawgs aced their exams and showed who the best SEC East team is.