From the first play of the game, a Georgia blowout was bound to happen. The Bulldogs won 41-0 and here are three takeaways from the game.
From the very first play of the game when Volunteers’ QB Quinten Dormady threw an interception, the game’s fate seemed decided already. Georgia got on the board quickly and they didn’t look back.
All week, Georgia’s defense was discussed as the best unit on the field between the two teams. Well, Kirby Smart’s group showed up and showed out at Knoxville, TN on Saturday, pitching a shutout.
The Volunteers came into the game 3-1 and very well could have been 4-0. Georgia was coming off of an amazing win over Mississippi State and everyone wanted to see if they could win a big game again.
Well any questions we had about the Bulldogs were all answered on Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs’ defense was absolutely sensational. Dormady only completed five passes for 64 yards, with two interceptions. RB John Kelly was a threat for the Volunteers, but the Bulldogs held him to 44 yards on the ground.
Georgia’s offense may have put up a lot of points, but it wasn’t operating as smoothly as the last few weeks. Let’s take a look at the three takeaways from this game:
3 Takeaways:
1. Kirby Smart might be an elite hire for Georgia’s program.
One of the biggest knocks about the Bulldogs in years past was their head coaching. Mark Richt was a solid coach, but he always struggled in huge matchups and bowl games.
Georgia wanted to fix that problem and went to a neighboring SEC school to address the issue. They hired ex-Alabama defensive coordinator and Georgia alum Kirby Smart to run their program last season.
While they didn’t have a great year last year, through five weeks this season, Georgia is looking like a National Championship contender and may even threaten Alabama’s hold in the SEC. Smart has his defense absolutely rolling through the first five weeks and reminds me of an Alabama defense.
Especially watching Butch Jones and the dumpster fire coaching Tennessee has, the move to hire Smart might be a “light-years” move.
2. QB Jake Fromm had some freshman blues in this game.
After having a solid game against Mississippi State, the freshman signal caller for Georgia didn’t have a great game this weekend. Fromm came out and was missing easy throws and not completing balls that we’ve used to seeing him make.
Fromm ended the game 7-of-15 for 84 yards, including one touchdown and one interception. He rushed for one too, but from a throwing perspective, Fromm’s had better games with Georgia. As a freshman on the road, it was a big game and the Bulldogs’ coaching staff hasn’t completely cut him loose, but he’s got to perform better.
If Georgia wants to go to the College Football Playoff and win an SEC Title, they’ll need Fromm to be more efficient and protect the ball better.
3. Butch Jones might not be in Tennessee next week.
As we rave about the coaching job that Kirby Smart put together, we’re going to also have to talk about what Jones isn’t doing for this Volunteers’ team.
The writing has been on the wall for a long time that Jones may be on his way out and a game like this shows you exactly why he might be done. The Volunteers didn’t have any traction on offense, couldn’t slow the Bulldogs on defense and couldn’t find any spark off the bench.
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If I was the athletic director at Tennessee, even though they’re 3-2, I’ll try to go ahead and make a coaching move mid-season to try and shake up my team. They’re not going anywhere under Jones and this game might have been the nail in the coffin.