Georgia football’s season remains alive after the Bulldogs defeated Tennessee 31-17 Saturday night. This marks the eighth win in a row over the Vols, which extends Kirby Smart’s record to 8-1 against Tennessee during his tenure.
This win arguably is the biggest of the season for Georgia. This victory keeps Georgia’s College Football Playoff hopes alive as well as continuing to hold a slim chance to make it to the SEC Championship.
Georgia’s win really shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone as UGA has always had a response in recent years after a loss. And that was more than true today against Tennessee.
The Vols got off to a fast start in the first half, but then one player woke up, and it’s the player everyone’s been waiting for.
Carson Beck shines against Tennessee
It’s no secret that Beck has been struggling recently. But what did he do when Georgia needed him most in a must win game? He had the best game of his season.
Beck completed 25 of 40 passes on Saturday night for 346 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 32 yards on the ground including a key 10-yard touchdown run to take the lead for good in the third quarter.
And most importantly, Beck did not have one turnover.
This is the version of Beck that everyone has known was always there, and Beck finally showed the best version of himself in the biggest game of the season. If this is the Beck that Georgia gets the rest of the season, a national championship seems possible once again.
Dominant defensive showing
Georgia’s defense deserves a shoutout as well. The Vols got off to a fast start and had an early 10-0 lead in the first quarter, but after that UGA’s defense really settled in.
The rest of the game Georgia only gave up seven points, and didn’t give up any in the second half. For a Tennessee offense that scores a lot and plays extremely fast, that is wildly impressive for UGA.
Up next for Georgia is a “bye week” against UMass. This will be a huge week to get the team as healthy as possible before their season finale against Georgia Tech.
But rest assured, Georgia no longer has to worry about the CFP committee leaving them out of the playoffs, because this win should send the Bulldogs up their rankings on Tuesday.