By Teresa M. Walker | The Associated Press
Georgia moving backmost James Cook (4) points to fans arsenic helium scores a touchdown during the archetypal fractional of an NCAA assemblage shot crippled against Tennessee, Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021, successful Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Georgia Bulldogs are ranked No. 1 and conscionable finished disconnected a cleanable tally done the Southeastern Conference schedule.
They’re not satisfied yet.
Stetson Bennett ran for a touchdown and threw for different arsenic Georgia routed Tennessee 41-17 Saturday.
The Bulldogs (10-0, 8-0, No. 1 CFP) went unbeaten successful the SEC regular play for the archetypal clip since the league divided into divisions successful 1992 and went to an eight-game schedule.
“Nobody thinks they’ve arrived,” Georgia manager Kirby Smart said. “There’s things we tin proceed to enactment to get amended at, and they’ll proceed to bash that. But tonight? They went done a pugnacious gauntlet successful our league and played well.”
Georgia already had its 4th berth successful the SEC title crippled successful 5 years locked up coming into this game. The Bulldogs past went undefeated successful league play successful 1982 with a 6-0 mark, besides the past clip the Bulldogs started 10-0.
“I mean 39 years, I mean it’s peculiar …” Bennett said.
The Bulldogs really trailed by their largest borderline this play aft Tennessee scored a touchdown connected the opening drive. Georgia besides was down 10-7 astatine the extremity of the archetypal quarter, caller territory for the Bulldogs, who had lone trailed by a tract extremity each to Auburn and Missouri.
Georgia responded by reeling disconnected 27 consecutive points, including 17 successful a dominating 2nd quarter. Derion Kendrick intercepted a walk by Hendon Hooker, and Channing Tindall stripped Hooker of the shot — Tindall had 3 of Georgia’s six sacks.
“We didn’t travel up present to instrumentality shots,” Smart said. “We came up present to propulsion them.”
Bennett converted the interception into a 9-yard TD run midway done the second, and helium capped a 90-yard thrust with a 23-yard TD walk to James Cook conscionable earlier halftime. Cook besides ran 10 times and matched his vocation precocious with 104 yards and two much TDs. Stetson finished with 213 yards passing and ran for 40 more.
Tennessee (5-5, 3-4) had five-time NFL MVP Peyton Manning, erstwhile All-Star archetypal baseman Todd Helton and WNBA champ Candace Parker connected manus on with an announced assemblage of 100,074 for a squad coming disconnected a triumph astatine Kentucky, its archetypal upset of a Top 20 squad connected the roadworthy since 2006.
The Vols’ biggest triumph successful this crippled came successful with 3:38 near earlier tons of bare seats. Joe Milton deed Cedric Tillman connected a 12-yard TD, giving Tennessee the astir points scored against Georgia successful a crippled this season.
“Me personally, conscionable knowing however hard I americium connected myself and however overmuch of a modular I clasp for this defense, I’m not blessed astir that touchdown, Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean said.
Tennessee came successful 2nd successful the Bowl Subdivision scoring an mean of 1.59 points per minute. Georgia and the stingiest scoring defense, which had allowed 6.6 points a game, simply smothered the Vols. The Bulldogs held Tennessee to 9 yards full discourtesy successful the 2nd quarter.
“You’ve got to marque immoderate plays to springiness yourself a accidental to play it to the end,” first-year Tennessee manager Josh Heupel said. “Red portion wasn’t bully enough. Losing the turnover (battle) 2-0 hurt.”
THE TAKEAWAY
Georgia: The Bulldogs whitethorn not person turned successful the dominating antiaircraft show they’ve go known for this season. But they proved they could powerfulness done with respective sick players. Smart said they pulled antiaircraft lineman Jalen Carter, who had received fluids intravenously, astatine halftime due to the fact that his fever was implicit 100.
Tennessee: Hooker had his worst crippled this play coming disconnected his champion crippled successful past week’s triumph implicit Kentucky with 2 turnovers, including lone his 3rd interception of the season. The Volunteers had chances to enactment successful this game. But they settled for a tract extremity aft getting to the Georgia 7, turned it implicit connected downs doubly successful Georgia territory, erstwhile astatine the Bulldogs 17 and Hooker’s fumble came connected third-and-6 astatine the Georgia 7. Heupel pulled Hooker for Milton connected the adjacent drive.
”We were conscionable a small spot off. A mates throws sailed connected him,” Heupel said of Hooker.
Georgia surely didn’t wounded itself. Beating an SEC rival should beryllium awesome capable to person each first-place votes again.
UP NEXT
Georgia hosts Charleston Southern with the Bulldogs’ SEC slate finished. Georgia past finishes the regular play against Georgia Tech.
Tennessee hosts South Alabama successful the Vols’ archetypal nighttime kickoff since losing to Ole Miss.
English (US) ·