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The Line: Tennessee is a touchdown underdog at home vs. Georgia in SEC opener

IMG_3593by: Grant Ramey09/07/25GrantRamey
Tennessee defensive back Doneiko Slaughter (0), Tennessee linebacker Aaron Beasley (6) and Tennessee defensive lineman Omari Thomas (21) celebrate during a football game between Tennessee and Georgia at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023.
Tennessee defensive back Doneiko Slaughter (0), Tennessee linebacker Aaron Beasley (6) and Tennessee defensive lineman Omari Thomas (21) celebrate during a football game between Tennessee and Georgia at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023.

Tennessee Football will start the week as 7.5-point underdog against Georgia, according to odds released by BetMGM. Kickoff on Saturday is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time on ABC in the SEC opener at Neyland Stadium. 

The Vols (2-0) set a modern day program record for scoring in a 72-17 win over East Tennessee State (1-1). Tennessee opened the season with a 45-26 win over Syracuse last week in the Aflac Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. 

Georgia (2-0) beat Austin Peay 28-6 Saturday at Sanford Stadium in Athens and opened the season at home last week with a 45-7 win over Marshall. 

ESPN College GameDay coming to Knoxville for Tennessee-Georgia

ESPN’s College GameDay will broadcast live from Knoxville Saturday morning on the lawn in front of historic Ayres Hall on The Hill. It’s the third time during the Josh Heupel era that Tennessee has hosted the ESPN pregame show, following the 2022 wins over Florida and Alabama. 

Tennessee has lost eight straight in the Georgia series, dating back to the Jauan Jennings Hail Mary in the 34-31 win in Athens in 2016.

The Vols have failed to cover in their last six games against the Bulldogs and are 13-15-1 against the spread and 16-13 over/under dating back to 1995. 

Tennessee was an 8.5-point underdog at Georgia last November, in the 31-17 loss at Sanford Stadium. The Vols were a nine-point home underdog in 2023 and a 19.5-point underdog in Knoxville in 2021, in the first season under Josh Heupel. 

Tennessee sets new modern program record for single-game points

Through two games Georgia junior quarterback Gunner Stockton has completed 40 of 58 passes for 417 yards and two touchdowns and has rushed 15 times for 86 yards and two more scores on the ground. 

Stockton on Saturday was 26-for-34 for 227 yards. Nate Frazier led Georgia on the ground with 14 carries for 69 yards and two touchdowns and Colbie Young caught seven passes for 76 yards. 

Tennessee on Saturday broke the modern day program record for points scored in its 72-17 win over ETSU. The Vols also set the single-game program record with 41 first downs in the win. 

The 72 points broke the previous record of 71 set in the 71-0 win over Kent State last September. Tennessee also opened last season with a 69-3 win over Chattanooga.  

Tennessee finished the game with 717 total yards, went 10-for-10 in the red zone and was 10-for-14 on third down. The Vols ran 100 total plays, averaging 7.2 yards per play, 12.1 yards per completion and 5.4 yards per rush. 

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