Georgia football continues to prove doubters wrong each week, and it seems like another player steps up to make it happen. While the Dawgs have guys who consistently play well, there is always another guy coming along at the right moment and has a break-out game.
The Dawgs got rocked a tiny bit against Tennesse but never allowed themselves to believe they wouldn’t beat the Vols.
Tennessee may have scored the most points on the Dawgs all season, but let them have that moral victory because Georgia stayed perfect on the year.
Even with Georgia having multiple players with the stomach flu, nothing Tennessee did phased the Dawgs once they got in a rhythm. Some players got banged up because Neyland Stadium is suspiciously prone to injuries, but thankfully, it seems that none of those players suffered anything too serious.
Georgia wins by group effort each week because they play as one unit and are probably the least selfish team in college football.
This win over the Vols saw four Georgia football players earn this week’s helmet stickers.
These four guys were unstoppable, and Tennessee had little to no answer for them. The offense and defense each had two players who took it upon themselves to make plays and give Georgia the spark when they needed it most.
Georgia put up 41 points, including four rush touchdowns and one lone passing score. The Dawgs were able to score when they wanted to, and that defense forced just the right amount of mistakes.
While they did give up 332 passing yards to Tennessee, they halted the Vols to 55 rushing yards, which usually averages 217 rushing yards a game. Georgia stood tough and proved why they are the No.1 team in the country — they will overcome the adversity no matter how large it looms.
Georgia would have had to fight a lot harder to beat Tennessee without these four guys, so they earned this week’s helmet stickers for a job well done in a harsh road atmosphere.
James Cook decided to make Knoxville his playground on Saturday as the senior finished the game with 147 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns.
On the ground, he led Georgia with 10 rushes for 104 yards and two scores. Cook averaged 10.4 yards a carry, and Tennessee couldn’t stop him if they tried. The senior also had three catches for 43 yards, and he caught the lone passing touchdown. So on 13 plays, he averaged 11.3 yards a play regardless if he were running or catching the ball.
Cook dominated the Vols. He kept the ball moving for Georgia and sparked the offense. I mean, he was averaging a first down each time he picked up the rock — talk about impressive.
However, while his speed is incredible, his vision allowed him to have an average that good. Cook saw holes before they got there. He was patient about where he ran and let things develop.
Cook showed how mature a runner he has become on Saturday, and he made himself some money. His performance had to be one that raised NFL scouts eyebrows because it was fantastic to watch him run all over Tennessee’s defense.
Georgia needed to see someone step up when the traditional way of running the ball didn’t work, and Cook became that guy. With the Dawgs trailing, he made the play in response and tied it at 7-7. He kept running the ball and found success because he saw their weakness. Cook proved to his teammates that they could count on him when it matters most.
The first defender on this list is the field general for Georgia football himself, Nakobe Dean.
He led the Dawgs with 11 tackles, including five solo ones. Dean also had one sack, two tackles for loss, one forced fumble and one pass breakup.
Tennessee saw more of Dean than they would have liked to, but after a sluggish game against Missouri, he came out guns blazing and looking to prove a point.
He did a little bit of everything against the Vols on Saturday, including that key pass breakup in the second quarter that forced a punt. Dean’s speed was key against Tennessee, but it was his explosiveness that earned him this sticker. Plus, when a guy gets that many stats in one night, it’s an easy decision.
Dean is one of the leaders on this defense who demands elite-level performances from himself and his teammates. They were a bit sluggish against Missouri, so this group had to prove a point. Despite giving up 17 points, his position group and the pass rush attack did a phenomenal job against Tennessee.
He is the best linebacker in college football right now, regardless of stats. The way Dean leads this defense is impressive to watch and another reason he lands himself on this list.
This week, Stetson Bennett is the other offensive player who earns a helmet sticker as he put on a show against Tennessee.
He didn’t just have an impressive game through the air, but on the ground as well. Bennett was able to get four first downs by tucking it and running. Those four first downs came at critical moments when Georgia needed to keep the drive alive and put points on the board.
Bennett had eight carries for 40 yards, averaging five yards a touch, and he got into the endzone for his first career rushing touchdown. That score was a key moment in the game as Georgia’s defense picked off Hendon Hooker and gave the Dawgs some momentum.
After punting the previous drive, Bennett and the offense marched it down the field, and he got to call his own name to score. He saw that Tennessee wasn’t expecting that, so he tucked it and took off nine yards, scoring and giving Georgia a lot of confidence.
Through the air, Bennett went 17-of-29 for 213 yards and one score to James Cook. He completed 58.6% of his passes, and while that is under his season average, Bennett made the plays when he needed to. AD Mitchell helped him out a ton in the passing game, and of course, Cook caught a perfect pass from the quarterback to start it all.
Bennett doesn’t have to be perfect to lead this team to victory. Instead, he just has to use his football IQ and follow his intuition. There were times he made mistakes, but he is a quarterback that can take the Dawgs all the way, and Saturday’s performance proved that.
Channing Tindall was so strong on Saturday as he is the fourth Georgia football player to earn a helmet sticker.
He had eight total tackles, with six of them being solo ones, and this guy was the most explosive player on the field. Tindall led the team with three sacks, and he tallied on three tackles for loss, one forced fumble and a quarterback hurry.
All three of his sacks came in the second half when the Dawgs needed to stop Tennessee from getting in the endzone, and Tindall rose to the occasion.
He was a pivotal contributor to limiting Tennessee on the ground. The Vols average 1.5 yards a touch, and with his efforts behind the line of scrimmage, he helped hold them to 55 rushing yards. His performance also earned him SEC Defensive Player of the Week and the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week.
Tindall rose up when Georgia needed him to do it most. With Adam Anderson away from the team, they needed someone to be that guy who rattled the quarterback, and Tindall exceeded all expectations.
He rightfully deserves this helmet sticker and the two weekly awards as Tindall made Hendon Hooker eat turf. Hopefully, this dominance continues because the Dawgs will need him and the other three players on this list to be big-time playmakers down the stretch.
These four players went above and beyond against Tennessee and helped Georgia football move to 10-0 on the season. Georgia is two games away from a perfect regular season, and then the real fun begins.