Tennessee Volunteers

Fans Should Expect Tennessee vs. Georgia to be A Close One

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The last few Tennessee vs Georgia games have been close. Don’t expect Saturday’s match-up to be any different between the Volunteers and the Bulldogs.

It’s safe to say that Tennessee Football is riding higher than they have in a decade due to the No. 11 Vols finally ending their torturous losing streak against the Florida Gators last Saturday. But Tennessee vs Georgia could bring that down.

While fans and the media alike are still buzzing about Tennessee’s biggest win in 12 years days later, Team 120 must make sure they adhere to one of coach Butch Jones’ favorite “Butchisms”: snap and clear.

The Vols face the first of tough back-to-back road tests this Saturday when they travel to Athens to take on the No. 25 Georgia Bulldogs. They cannot allow themselves to be suffering from a victory hangover after the huge win over Florida or they will risk being handed their first loss of the year.

I hear you shout these at me through my laptop screen (use your inside voices, please) and they are all valid points.

But it would be foolish for Tennessee to walk into a road game against a divisional rival and not expect to have everything thrown at them.

First, Tennessee has been a second half team this year, but they can’t keep starting out slow and expect the same results. This is especially true when playing in a hostile road environment as our editor Caleb Calhoun points out.

Second, while Georgia was demolished by Ole Miss, this may actually not work in Tennessee’s favor. Losing a game in embarrassing fashion like that may cause the Dawgs to come out extra-motivated and looking to prove that last week was a fluke.

Finally, while Chubb is in fact questionable for this game, that doesn’t mean that Georgia’s offense goes away. Behind Chubb is a stable of excellent running backs like Sony Michel (22 carries, 145 YD vs. UT last year), Brian Herrien and Elijah Holyfield.

Since 2011, every game in this series has been decided by one possession. The average margin of victory in those meetings between these teams has been 5.6 points. Tennessee also leads the all-time series 22-21-2. Basically, there is little that indicates Tennessee will easily dispatch Georgia.

Georgia is playing at home looking to avenge last year’s defeat in Knoxville after blowing a 24-3 lead. It was the most painful loss of the year for UGA and it was a catalyst for longtime head coach Mark Richt’s firing at the end of the year. There’s no doubt that the Dawgs—especially their upperclassmen—will be extra inspired against the Vols.

Keep in mind that the Vols are still without two of their best defensive players: linebacker Darrin Kirkland, Jr. and cornerback Cam Sutton. Also, linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin is still suffering from a shoulder injury. So who really knows how much he can contribute Saturday if he plays at all?

However, Cortez McDowell, Kenny Bynum and especially Colton Jumper played well against Florida. But can they have another good performance against Georgia? Also, true freshman Baylen Buchanan will make his first career start on Saturday. While it may be an improvement over Justin Martin, Buchanan is a freshman and could make freshman mistakes.

Also, can Tennessee’s offensive line keep up the good play that we saw against Florida? It had been the biggest liability on the team up until last weekend.

In summary, the Vols are feeling really good right now but they must remained focused on the task in front of them and let go of the emotional high that they felt all weekend. Because all signs are pointing towards another close game in this series.

To echo another Butchism, “it’s critical” that Tennessee keeps their momentum rolling into Athens. With a win the Vols will be firmly in the driver’s seat of the SEC East.