Georgia: A grateful farewell

Go, Duke!

It’s not the official cheer this week at Georgia as the No. 10 Bulldogs prepare for Saturday’s football game against visiting Tennessee, but it wouldn’t be that far-fetched. Tennessee’s 35-14 thumping of the Bulldogs last season in Knoxville marked the 10th straight time the Volunteers had defeated Georgia with David Cutcliffe on their offensive staff, and it followed a 51-33 beating in 2006.

Cutcliffe left after last season for the head-coaching vacancy at Duke and was replaced by Richmond head coach Dave Clawson.

“He was a really, really good coordinator for them,” Bulldogs cornerback Asher Allen said Monday night. “Hopefully, he’ll be doing some real good things over there at Duke. He obviously caused problems for us.”

Those are problems the Bulldogs are not revisiting this week. Georgia coach Mark Richt said his staff and players are studying “almost exclusively” the five games the Vols have played under Clawson.

By avoiding the horror films of the past two seasons, the Bulldogs will miss out on Tennessee taking a 28-0 lead a year ago after five possessions. The Vols amassed 279 yards in their first 30 plays, which translated to nearly a first down (9.3 yards) on every play.

Georgia never came close to sacking former Vols quarterback Erik Ainge, who wound up 3-0 as Tennessee’s starter against the Bulldogs.

“It was terrible,” Bulldogs defensive end Jeremy Lomax said. “It felt like we were hopeless out there, because we never got him out of his timing. He was either three-step dropping or he was five-step dropping with a quick release, and we didn’t feel like we provided any pressure. He just picked us apart.”

Ainge completed 42 of 60 passes (70 percent) his final two seasons against the Bulldogs, totaling 433 yards and two touchdowns. He led the Vols to 232 yards in the second half of the 2006 matchup in Athens, when they closed that game on a 37-9 run.

Tennessee allowed an NCAA-low four sacks last season but has already allowed seven this year. The Vols have trailed in four games and trailed the entire way in SEC games against Florida and Auburn, which Richt said makes a big difference.

“If you’re behind, you’ve got to throw the ball more, and you’re more vulnerable for the quarterback to be hit,” he said. “They’re still running a blend of what they’ve done in the past and a little bit of the spread, so you don’t expect them to hold the ball for very long at all, but everybody has to hold the ball a little longer when it’s third-and-6, -7, -8, -9 or -10. You put pressure on quarterbacks by stopping them on first and second down, or by getting a team behind.

“Tennessee has been in that situation enough to where people can kind of come get them.”

The Bulldogs are 13-point favorites Saturday but seem to be taking nothing for granted. Not after the past two seasons.

“They were only one play away from winning two of the games that they’ve lost, so we’re not dumb enough to think that this will be an easy game at all,” Allen said. “They’ve beaten us the last two years, and this is kind of like the situation last year, when they came out and really beat us. We’re going to get their best.”

Said Lomax: “It’s the same ol’ Tennessee. Run, run, run, and then a little pass off a three-step drop. It’s the same ‘T,’ and it’s the same orange.”

Odds and ends

The Bulldogs held their heaviest workout of the week Monday, practicing for more than two hours in full pads. ... Starting middle linebacker Dannell Ellerbe (knee) did not practice but still hopes to play. ... Allen wore a green noncontact jersey for what he described as nicks and bruises, but he expects to be back in red today. ... Georgia officials may know as early as today about television for the Oct. 18 home game against SEC East-leading Vanderbilt, but it won’t be known until Sunday if CBS uses a six-day option. ... Sophomore receiver Tony Wilson has undergone ankle surgery that could limit him next spring, but he should be at full strength by August.