Georgia Bulldogs

Tennessee vs Georgia: Five Bulldogs to Watch for vs Vols

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

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Sep 3, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs running back Nick Chubb (27) celebrates with head coach Kirby Smart after running for a touchdown against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the fourth quarter of the 2016 Chick-Fil-A Kickoff game at Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Tennessee vs Georgia in Athens Saturday will play a huge role in shaping the SEC East standings. Here are five Bulldogs to watch for against the Volunteers.

There’s no doubt after last week that the Vols are the current favorites in the SEC East, but the Bulldogs are looking to take their anger from last week’s loss out on somebody. That makes the Tennessee vs Georgia game can’t-miss television.

Despite an embarrassing loss at home to the Ole Miss Rebels, Kirby Smart’s team is loaded with players that everybody in Knoxville needs to watch out for. Even with a coaching change, it’s not like this team didn’t lose a lot of talent.

Mark Richt left Smart with a lot of pieces already in place thanks to great recruiting.

And although Tennessee is coming off of a thrilling win against the Florida Gators last week, they should know that the Dawgs have those talented players. If they get caught napping, they’re in trouble.

After falling behind 24-3 last year to this same team before turning things around, Tennessee would be foolish to overlook Georgia. Even if it is a different team with different players, they did pull out a solid win over the North Carolina Tar Heels in the opener.

So this is a football team with lots of great players. Butch Jones and the Vols need to be on the lookout for all of them if they’re going to make it two in a row against this team.

Here are the five Georgia Bulldogs to watch out for against the Vols in the 2016 Tennessee vs Georgia game.

Sep 24, 2016; Oxford, MS, USA; Georgia Bulldogs running back Nick Chubb (27) runs the ball during the second quarter of the game against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

Nick Chubb

Running Back, Junior

We still aren’t even clear if he’s going to be able to go yet. That’s why he is all the way down at No. 5 on this list.

But for now, because he’s questionable, Nick Chubb has to be named as a crucial part of the Tennessee vs Georgia game. Heck, even if he can’t play, his absence will be a factor.

However, if he is on the field, remember that this is the game where he got hurt for the season last year. So he would like nothing more than to make up for that with a huge game.

The Vols have struggled early to get penetration against teams running the football, so if Chubb is on the field, he could be dangerous. That is especially true with two backup linebackers likely to see the bulk of action on Saturday.

Kirby Smart will want to do everything he can to get Chubb the ball if he can go. He already has over 400 yards rushing on the year and is averaging over five yards per carry.

That is thanks in large part to a 222-yard performance in the opener against the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Chubb’s ankle may be a question mark, but his vision and power are still there if he’s ready to play. He’ll take lots of pressure off the next key guy on this list as well.

Sep 24, 2016; Oxford, MS, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Jacob Eason (10) makes a pass during the second quarter of the game against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

Jacob Eason

Quarterback, Freshman

The Vols would be wise not to under-estimate the freshman phenom on Saturday in Athens. Jacob Eason has shown himself to have a clutch gene already with a great fourth down touchdown pass against the Missouri Tigers on the road.

Now, he had a wake-up call against the Ole Miss Rebels, but that comes with being a freshman. There are always bumps in the road.

Going into the Tennessee vs Georgia game on Saturday, Eason will be looking for a complete rebound. Remember, Tennessee once led a freshman quarterback into Athens to pull off a huge upset after being blown out the previous week.

And they did it against the Dawgs after they had won a thrilling victory in impressive fashion the week before. This was back in 2004 when Erik Ainge was Tennessee’s freshman quarterback and David Greene was Georgia’s senior quarterback.

So the roles could be reversed this time.

Tennessee’s biggest goal will be to get a ton of pressure on Eason with their front four, but he does have a nice deep ball. And the Vols have struggled to defend that in the secondary.

So how well Eason throws the deep ball in the Tennessee vs Georgia game will play a huge role in this game. The pressure Tennessee applies and the coverage the secondary provides will both be factors in that.

Jan 2, 2016; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Georgia Bulldogs safety Quincy Mauger (20) celebrates with fans after a game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at EverBank Field. Georgia defeated Penn State 24-17 to win the 2016 TaxSlayer Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports

Quincy Mauger

Safety, Senior

Going into the 2016 season, Dominick Sanders was the star at safety who would lead a veteran secondary for the Georgia Bulldogs. But going into the Tennessee vs Georgia game, that star power may have shifted to the other starter, Quincy Mauger.

Mauger emerged as a crucial playmaker with two interceptions against the Missouri Tigers to secure the Dawgs their 28-27 victory on the road two weeks ago. Last year, he had no interceptions.

But he has been a coverage threat all over the field this year.

With Juwan Briscoe coming back down to earth and Sanders nursing an injury, Mauger is going to be the key guy in the secondary on Saturday.

Tennessee has shown it can be vulnerable and inconsistent in the passing game. That should give Mauger some chances to make big plays, and just like he did against the Tigers, he needs to make sure he does that when he can.

Georgia’s only hope against spread offenses this year is to make big plays. If Mauger can’t do his job, Joshua Dobbs will likely have a field day throwing the ball all over that secondary. But if he does, he could frustrate the heck out of Butch Jones and Mike DeBord.

He has thrived in Kirby Smart’s complex 3-4 schemes. Tennessee had better account for him all day Saturday.

Oct 3, 2015; Athens, GA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back Derrick Henry (2) runs the ball past Georgia Bulldogs defensive tackle Trenton Thompson (78) during the third quarter at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Trenton Thompson

Defensive Tackle, Sophomore

A five-star recruit in the same recruiting year that Kahlil McKenzie was a part of, Trenton Thompson has been the guy to emerge as a superstar young defensive tackle so far in his career.

Already, he is in the midst of a breakout season with 20 tackles, four tackles for a loss, and a sack. By the way, eight of those tackles were solo. Those are incredible numbers for a sophomore defensive tackle in the SEC through four games.

The 6’4″ 309-pound lineman is a dangerous player that the Vols are going to account for all game. In fact, the Tennessee vs Georgia match-up screams for him to make big plays.

Despite coming on strong in the second half last week, Mike DeBord’s offensive line has struggled with consistency all season. Against Kirby Smart’s 3-4 defense, a lineman like Thompson should be able to find gaps and quickly make plays.

He’ll at least be able to do that some in the first half before the Vols’ depth begins to take over. So during that time, Tennessee needs to make sure that he doesn’t blow up drives and flip field position.

If they are going to remain a second half team, then they have to avoid allowing too many big plays. Thompson is a threat to that. Tennessee’s offensive line has to keep an eye on him all game.

But he’s not as much of a big-play threat as the final guy on this list.

Sep 17, 2016; Columbia, MO, USA; Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie (16) catches a touchdown pass in front of Missouri Tigers defensive back Aarion Maxey-Penton (11) in the second half at Faurot Field. The Bulldogs won 28-27. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Isaiah McKenzie

Wide Receiver, Junior

Yes, the best playmaker on the Georgia Bulldogs has emerged as the most important Dawg to keep an eye on in the Tennessee vs Georgia game. Isaiah McKenzie is a superstar in every way.

He is a deep threat as a wide receiver and a deadly weapon as a returner. Any team would naturally have to account for him no matter what. But that is especially true for Tennessee, as McKenzie gives Bob Shoop a lot to worry about.

Shoop has had to reshuffle his secondary for the third week in a row. Without Cameron Sutton, Tennessee got torched on some deep balls last week against the Florida Gators. This week, he is starting a freshman cornerback to try to make up for the issue.

Depending on how ready Baylen Buchanan is to go, the Vols could be in some huge trouble. Kirby Smart and Jim Chaney have to know that he hasn’t been tested for a full game, so they will likely use McKenzie on him a lot.

McKenzie showed he comes up big in big games after over 100 yards against both the Missouri Tigers and the North Carolina Tar Heels. He already has 318 yards and four touchdowns on the year.

And the Vols are going to have to hope they play solid coverage against him.

Make no mistake, McKenzie is a dangerous threat. If the men in orange get off to a slow start, he could have Georgia building an insurmountable lead in just a few plays.

Butch Jones knows that can’t happen, so he’s going to have to work with his defensive staff to make sure Tennessee keeps him in check.

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