KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – This Saturday, Neyland Stadium hosts the 53rd all time battle of two SEC
East titans, as the No. 18 Tennessee Volunteers host the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs.
Georgia leads the all-time series with 27 wins, Tennessee has won 23 games, and they’ve tied
twice. Georgia currently holds a six game win streak against the Vols, with the Vols last win
coming in 2016, which saw the Vols complete a last second hail mary to beat the Bulldogs 34-31.
Tennessee comes into the game riding a 14-game home winning streak, of which only two teams
have a longer streak, Georgia and Michigan. While Georgia is riding a 37 consecutive game
winning streak. In what is sure to be an electric atmosphere inside of Neyland Stadium, one of
these streaks is coming to an end on Saturday.
The Volunteers are coming off an embarrassing loss at the hands of the #9 Missouri Tigers, 36-7.
The Vols were dominated in every facet of the game last Saturday, from time of possession to
yards gained, and even turnovers. Whereas the Bulldogs dominated Ole Miss by a score of
52-17.
Tennessee will look to get back on track this weekend, by knocking off the Bulldogs. In order to
do that, the Vols will have to rely heavily on their run game, which is led by the trio of Jaylen
Wright, Dylan Sampson, and Jabari Small. Tennessee’s rushing attack is second in the SEC with
213.3 yards per game, which also ranks eighth in the FBS. The trio is led by Jaylen Wright who
leads the team with 848 rushing yards on the season, only 152 yards shy of becoming
Tennessee’s 19th 1,000 yard rusher.
To complement the run game, the Vols will look to Joe Milton III once again to lead through the
air. Milton has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 14 consecutive games for the Vols. He’ll
need to do that and more on Saturday if the Vols want to successfully defend their home turf.
MIlton comes into the game with 2,283 passing yards, with 16 touchdowns and only five
interceptions, while also adding 301 yards on the ground and five rushing touchdowns.
On the opposite side, Tennessee will look towards its stout defensive personnel to hold Georgia
in check. Tennessee’s defense ranks second in the SEC and seventh nationally with 3.30 sacks
per game, something Tennessee will have to do a lot come Saturday to keep the game close.
Tennessee’s rush defense ranks among the top in the SEC and FBS in yards per game (113.1), and
tackles for loss per game (8.2).
Tennessee has little to no room for error on Saturday if they want to pull off the upset against the
Bulldogs. It does help however, that head coach Josh Heupel has only lost back-to-back games
twice in his coaching career, and has a total record of 12-2 after a loss, being 7-1 at Tennessee.
The game on Saturday, while it may not mean much for SEC championship chances, means
everything for the Vols, and more importantly the passionate fans that cheer them on every
Saturday, no matter the record and no matter the game. It just means a little more to the orange
and white when you have the chance to beat one of the big three on Saturday in Neyland.
It’s going to be loud, it’s going to be crazy, and the 100,000 plus who show up will be sure to
give their all for the Vols, to help control the game from kickoff until the final whistle blows.
So be sure to tune in this Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023, at 3:30 on CBS and watch these two teams go
to war, in what is sure to be a game filled with emotion, fireworks, and a lot of scoring.
