The Opponent: The University of Georgia is located in Athens and boasts just over 40,000 total students. Georgia has been playing football since 1892, and has used the nickname Bulldogs since the 1920s. They are a charter member of the Southeastern Conference and have 15 SEC titles to their name. Georgia won national titles in 2021 and 2022, led by some of the best defenses ever assembled in modern college football. A combined 14 Bulldog defenders were drafted to the NFL from those two teams alone. Kirby Smart is now in his tenth season in charge of his alma mater and has a career record of 62-11 in SEC play.
Are they any good?: Yes, Georgia is good. The question is whether this year’s Georgia team is up to the standard created by Kirby Smart after multiple championships. Assembling and maintaining a super team is much more difficult in the transfer portal / NIL era. The Dawgs had 13 players drafted to the NFL last spring, although that sort of turnover is not uncommon to Smart’s program. Georgia brought in several high-profile skill position players through the transfer portal. They also have no shortage of four & five-star recruits beginning to emerge on their defense. This is a very good Georgia team at a minimum. The question is whether they are national title contenders yet again. We will get a sense of that on Saturday.
What will this tell us about Tennessee?: Syracuse was fortunate to beat UConn last week. ETSU is an FCS team. The reality is we know very little about Tennessee as it relates to its position in a competitive SEC. A loss on Saturday would mean the Vols are probably not among the SEC elite this year. To be fair, very few outside of Knoxville expected them to be. A win would certainly position the Vols as a surprise contender for both the SEC and the college football playoffs. Maybe more importantly, Georgia represents the final challenge for Josh Heupel in the SEC. Heupel is 4-2 against Florida and Alabama the last three seasons. He is 19-1 at home over the last three years. That lone loss is to Georgia. Georgia remains Heupel’s last mountain to climb in the SEC. Saturday may be one of his better chances to do it.
What does Vegas say?: This line has been fascinating to watch over the last week. After Week 1, the look-ahead line was Georgia -6.5. That was up to -7.5 at most books by Saturday night. Last Sunday, the line surprisingly dropped to -4.5 and went even further to -3.5 by Tuesday. It has ticked back up to -4.5 at most books by Thursday afternoon, the closest this spread has been in years. The Over / Under is holding steady at 49.5. Tennessee’s total points are set at 22.5, which is surprising given recent history in this series.
Matchup to watch on Offense: Create a few big plays downfield. Tennessee actually out-rushed Georgia last year in Athens, thanks to a great effort by Dylan Sampson. That was the first time the Vols outgained Georgia on the ground in the lopsided Heupel / Kirby era. Tennessee’s next goal needs to be eclipsing 200 yards passing, something Heupel’s offense has not done in its last three meetings against Georgia. Joe Milton to Cedric Tillman in 2021 was the last time Tennessee threw a touchdown pass versus the Dawgs. Tennessee averaged just 5.1 yards per attempt last year in Athens. That figure was 4.9 in 2023 and 5.9 in 2022. To stretch that average, Tennessee has to stretch the field on Saturday. That doesn’t mean Jalin Hyatt streaking wide open ala Alabama in 2022, but the Vols need to connect on 2-3 longer throws to keep Georgia honest. Joey Aguilar has shown a nice touch on his deep balls thus far. The windows will certainly be tighter on Saturday, though. In the past, Volunteer receivers have really struggled against press coverage from Georgia’s cornerbacks. I would expect Kirby Smart to continue that aggressive, press coverage against the Vols’ young receivers. They have to help their quarterback out, and get off the line of scrimmage. Tennessee has worked the middle of the field on offense a little more these first two games. They have worked more in tight, bunch formations. They have run a decent amount of Pistol formation, something Joey Aguilar did a lot at Appalachian State. Will those trends continue against Georgia, or is Josh Heupel just putting new looks on tape for the Dawgs? That remains to be seen. It won’t come without risk, but the Vols have to take their chances on Saturday in an effort to stretch the field. If you allow this Georgia defense to stay compressed, then they will continue to suffocate Josh Heupel’s offense. The Vols have to stretch the field out on Saturday.
More From RTI: Tennessee Receivers Looking To Buck Trend In Rivalry Showdown With Georgia
Matchup to watch on Defense: Put Gunner Stockton under pressure. In my Georgia preview last year (which was pretty prophetic if I’m allowed to say so) I questioned whether a solid Tennessee defensive front could pressure Carson Beck. Beck was coming off a rough stretch of football, and was under constant pressure the weekend before in Oxford. The answer to that question turned out to be a resounding “no”. Tennessee elected to hardly ever blitz in that game, and Georgia’s pass protection was flawless against a four-man rush. The Vols never recorded a single sack, and Carson Beck played his best game of the season. Tennessee can not allow history to repeat itself on Saturday afternoon. The Vols have to take chances to disrupt the flow of this Georgia offense. Otherwise, Georgia will be targeting the middle of Tennessee’s pass defense. For as well as the Vols have played against two lackluster opponents, Tennessee has shown some weakness against intermediate passing routes between the numbers. That is a major concern against this Georgia offense. Last season, Carson Beck was 15/18 for 199 yards and two touchdowns across the middle against Tennessee. The production was similar in 2023 and 2022. Tim Banks knows what Georgia is going to do if Gunner Stockton is given time. The Vols have to pressure the Dawgs’ quarterback, and they also have to contain him. Stockton is not a dual-threat player, but he’s more athletic than he’s given credit for. Don’t be surprised to see Georgia call some quarterback runs, especially early in this game. Mike Bobo ran Stockton regularly in the season opener against Marshall. It is a good way to keep a pass rush honest. Tennessee needs its defensive line ready to win some matchups, something they could not do last year. Look for the Vols to really pressure the right side of Georgia’s line. Starters Juan Gaston (RG) and Earnest Greene (RT) have not played since the first quarter of the season for Georgia. Greene, who has a history of back issues, was dressed out against Austin Peay. He is expected to play this weekend. Gaston should be out there as well. That will be the first area the Vols test in terms of pressuring Gunner Stockton. If Tennessee can’t somehow make Stockton uncomfortable, then this could be another long afternoon versus the Dawgs.
Fun Fact: With the SEC moving to three common opponents in 2026, this is likely the last year this rivalry will be played on a regular basis for some time. Georgia is sitting on an eight-game winning streak over the Volunteers. A win on Saturday, and they would tie Tennessee’s nine-game winning streak established in the 1990s. If you like scoring, then the early days of this rivalry would not have been for you. Both teams combined for ten total points in their first three matchups combined – Tennessee won 5-0 in 1899, Georgia won 5-0 in 1903, and the teams tied 0-0 in 1906. It was not until their seventh overall meeting that both teams actually scored in the same game, a contest Georgia won 35-3 in Athens. It would take more than 10 matchups between the two teams until both scored touchdowns in the same game. Saturday afternoon will look a lot different than those early games, but one truth will remain. This will always be a rivalry marked by physical, punishing football.
So what happens?: We don’t know much about either of these teams to this point. The best opponent that either team has played is a Syracuse squad that needed overtime to beat UConn at home last weekend. Yes, Georgia looked very pedestrian against Austin Peay last weekend. We have seen Georgia play down to opponents before though, and that was also a goofy weather-delayed game. Kirby Smart will have his team convinced they are underdogs this weekend. You can guarantee that. The Vols can also expect more exotic looks from both the Georgia offense and defense on Saturday. Both teams have likely been holding something back for this game. Just how much has Georgia been sandbagging though? Yes, the Dawgs saw seven defenders drafted last April, but it would be foolish to think Kirby Smart’s defense is bereft of talent. He may not have the household names yet, but Smart loves the depth of his defensive front. Josh Heupel’s team has yet to eclipse 17 points against this Georgia defense. That won’t win the game on Saturday. So how do the Vols cobble together 20+ points on Saturday? It certainly starts along the offensive line. The Dawgs have really punished the interior of Tennessee’s line in recent meetings. It is a big test for Sam Pendleton and Sham Umarov. I do expect Tennessee to try a few new wrinkles offensively on Saturday. That will include working the middle of the field more, even with the risk of throwing an interception. Georgia safety Kyron Jones is a playmaker to watch out for there. Look for a few key receptions from Miles Kitselman in this game. Look for Braylon Staley to get some open looks. Tennessee has to play a little more fearless at home, and I am banking on Joey Aguilar to bring that mindset into this game. Look for Aguilar to be a willing runner in this game as well.
On offense, Dawg fans have been screaming to “Run the Damn Ball” for years now. Georgia is coming off a season where they ranked 15th in the SEC with 114 yards per game in conference play. The 2025 Georgia ground game is led by Nate Frazier, Chauncey Bowens, and Dwight Phillips Jr. They deploy a similar platoon approach as Tennessee, with Frazier likely as the lead back. Georgia has been better at run blocking than pass blocking through two games, but that is typical for an offensive line still shuffling in new parts. Again, I expect to see Gunner Stockton running the ball early in this game as well. Georgia had zero 20+ yard passing plays against Austin Peay. They will look to change that on Saturday against Tennessee’s inexperienced corners. This offense got some new weapons via the transfer portal in Noah Thomas and Zachariah Branch, and they will look to deploy both against Tennessee. Branch, in particular, will be a threat from the slot position. Still, it is the Dawg tight ends that have feasted against Tennessee in recent years. Here is their stat line for Georgia tight ends in the last two games against Tennessee – 17 catches, 190 yards, 3 touchdowns. Oscar Delp found the end zone twice against Tennessee last year. Lawson Luckie is a weapon as well. Somehow, they combined for zero receptions and zero targets against Austin Peay, but that won’t be the case again on Saturday
As I look back on the last several games in this series, Georgia really has not materially changed their approach offensively or defensively. Why would they? The responsibility lies with Tennessee to force them to change. I would be disappointed to see Tennessee’s coaching staff try the same approach against this Georgia team. A lot has been made of Gunner Stockton making his first career road start in the SEC. Personally, I think that is a little overblown. I don’t expect an older quarterback to wilt under pressure. I do expect the home crowd to have an affect on this game though. That will show up against an offensive line still shuffling pieces together. Those miscommunications will allow Tennessee to create just enough pressure to make Stockton uncomfortable in individual moments. Expect the Vols to capitalize on a few of those moments. That will be the difference in this game. No streak can last forever. I don’t get paid enough to be concerned with accuracy, so let’s throw caution to the wind here. Tennessee takes a more aggressive approach into this game with the home crowd behind them. The Vols’ defense holds on a final drive in an instant classic. Tennessee 27, Georgia 23
