No. 3 Georgia dominated No. 1 Tennessee on a rainy day at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia, that proved even more depressing for the Volunteers’ national championship aspirations. The Bulldogs jumped into first place alone atop the SEC East standings after a 27-13 demolition of the rival Vols that continued Georgia’s torrid run as reigning champions and knocked Tennessee from the ranks of the unbeaten.
Tennessee entered the game with the best scoring offense in the country, but Georgia’s dominant defense — led by star defensive lineman Jalen Carter — held the Vols without a touchdown through three quarters. Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker, a Heisman Trophy candidate entering the game, didn’t have a single passing play of 20 or more yards despite that being a staple of this up-tempo attack.
Georgia QB Stetson Bennett IV scrambled for a 13-yard touchdown on the Dawgs’ second drive, making it a 7-3 ballgame early in the contest. The defense pinned Tennessee deep, and Paxton Brooks was forced to punt out of the shadow of his own goal post. That set Georgia’s offense up in great field position, and Bennett immediately tossed a 37-yard touchdown to Ladd McConkey to make it a 14-3 game. Bennett followed that up with a 5-yard strike to Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint in the second quarter to jump out to a 21-3 lead. At that point, it was smooth sailing for the reigning champions.
CBS Sports will be back with a more detailed game breakdown and takeaways from Georgia-Tennessee.