The Trifecta: Three reasons Georgia defeated Tennessee
Georgia defeated Tennessee 44-41 in a wild overtime affair in Neyland Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Here are three reasons the Bulldogs took down the Volunteers.
Stockton proves himself
The biggest questions entering Saturday’s matchup centered on Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton. Making his first road start, Stockton certainly answered the doubters in a big way.
It started on the first play from scrimmage with a 45-yard completion to Colbie Young. Stockton’s strong play led to a touchdown on the opening drive.
For the game, Stockton completed 23-of-31 passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 38 yards and touchdown on the ground.
“I thought he grew up tonight,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said. “He grew up a lot. He stood in there. The fourth-down throw that he made was really good. Protection was better. I still want him to trust the pocket and stay in there, but, you know, that’s who he is. I think we’re going to evolve with him where we can scramble and make some really big-time plays if he’ll keep his eyes downfield when he scrambles.”
The run game shows up in big moments
Georgia emphasized running the ball throughout the offseason. Facing its first true test of 2025, the ground game had some fits, but came through in some big moments.
Stockton ran for a touchdown on Georgia’s opening drive. Sophomore Nate Frazier contributed 73 yards, including a 21-yard run on the first play of overtime to set up the game-winning score. That touchdown came at the hands of Illinois transfer Josh McCray, who in his first extensive action as a Bulldog rushed for 17 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries.
Overall, Georgia ran for 198 yards on 55 attempts, an average of 3.6 yards per carry.
“That’s who we are,” Smart said. “If we’re going to be good this year, we’re going to have to run the ball. We’re not going to drop back 35, 40 times a game with Gunner and be a drop-back pass team. We can’t play behind in games. We can’t do that. We have to be able to play-action, run, let our quarterback make some designed runs, which he did.”
Defense gets it together
Georgia’s defense was shredded early in the game, giving up three touchdown drives in the first quarter. The Bulldogs also gave up big plays toward the end of the game.
But at crucial times, the unit stood up and allowed the offense to climb back in the game.
After Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar threw for 213 yards in the first quarter, he threw for just 16 in the second period. Georgia turned a 21-7 deficit into a 21-17 gap at halftime.
The Bulldogs then forced a three-and-out and got an interception (one of two on the day) to begin the second half.
Finally, in overtime, the Georgia defense forced a field goal try after three plays that allowed the Bulldogs to win the game with a touchdown.
“They believe, and they’re a confident group,” Smart said. “Now, we’ve got to play smarter. But, look, that’s a hard game to prep for. We worked the hell out of our guys to get ready for that game. We probably overworked those guys. It came down to things that we didn’t not execute. We got beaten over top or didn’t make a play. It was frustrating because I thought we would play better defensively.”