Field Street Forum

Saturday’s game with Tennessee will mark the first 1-2 matchup in Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium history and just the third top five matchup. In 1983, No. 3 Auburn edged No. 4 Georgia 13-7 while in 1942, No. 5 Georgia blanked No. 2 Ga. Tech 34-0.

Georgia leads the all-time series with Tennessee 26-23-2 including winning the past five meetings. The Bulldogs are 5-1 against the Vols under Kirby Smart, the lone defeat coming in 2016 on a Hail-Mary by Josh Dobbs in Athens. He completed a 43-yard pass to Jauan Jennings as time expired to lift No. 11 Tennessee past No. 25 Georgia 34-31. Last year in Knoxville, top-ranked Georgia posted a 41-17 win.

Along with CBS broadcasting the game, ESPN College GameDay and SEC Nation will be in Athens. This marks the eighth time GameDay comes to Athens.

Georgia (8-0, 5-0 SEC) remained in the top spot in the latest Associated Press (AP) poll while Tennessee (8-0, 4-0 SEC) moved into a tie with Ohio State (8-0) for No. 2. This Saturday in Athens will be the 25th regular-season game where the top two teams in the AP poll square off, and the first such meeting between the Bulldogs and Volunteers. The Bulldogs have been No. 1 now for the past four weeks. The last time the Vols were as high as No. 2 came in 2001, and that year they would finish fourth.

The Georgia-Tennessee game will mark the 53rd all-time meeting (including postseason games) between the AP’s No. 1 and No. 2 squads since the poll began in 1936. The last 1-2 regular season games both involved Alabama and LSU. In 2019, the No. 1 Tigers beat No. 2 Alabama in Tuscaloosa and went on to win the SEC and national title. In 2011, top-ranked LSU outlasted No. 2 Alabama in overtime. However, the two would meet again for the BCS national championship, and the Crimson Tide won the rematch.

The first College Football Playoff rankings of the season will be released Tuesday night. The Bulldogs were ranked No. 1 in the first five CFP rankings last year and earned a spot in the playoff as the No. 3 seed with a 12-1 mark. Georgia would beat No. 2 seed Michigan 34-11 in the Orange Bowl semifinal in Miami and then top seed Alabama 33-18 in the National Championship game in Indianapolis, Ind.

The Bulldogs outgained Tennessee by 100 yards (487-387) and forced the game’s only two turnovers that UGA turned into 14 points to help give Georgia a 10-0 start. Current Buffalo Bill James Cook set the tone during the rout last year in Knoxville by carrying the ball 10 times for 104 yards and two touchdowns. However, it was the Vols who struck first with a 77-yard scoring drive in the opening frame. The score was knotted at 7-7 and then 10-10 during the second quarter before the Bulldogs pulled away. Stetson Bennett finished 17-for-29 for 213 yards and touchdown pass to Cook while also rushing for a score. Current Miami Dolphin Channing Tindall had eight tackles, including a career high three sacks. He forced a fumble on one of his sacks that the top pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Travon Walker, recovered at Georgia’s 27 yard line.

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complete game notes uga tennessee 2022