The Tennessee defense surrounds Todd Kelly Jr. as he comes up with an interception against Florida. Kelly and his teammates are expecting to be challenged by Georgia this Saturday in Athens.KNOXVILLE - It's happened before, only now the tables are turned for Tennessee and Georgia.
In 2004, the Bulldogs solidified a No. 3 ranking in early October with a 45-16 destruction of 13th-ranked defending national champion LSU hours before the Volunteers, two weeks removed from a thrilling home win against Florida, were waxed by eventual Southeastern Conference champion Auburn.
Neither of those results mattered the following week in Athens, when Tennessee pulled a 19-14 upset.
Twelve years later Tennessee is coming down from the high of a win against the Gators to face Georgia after the Bulldogs no-showed in a 45-14 rout at Ole Miss.
"I expect them to come out swinging," Vols defensive end Derek Barnett said. "I think we're going to get their best shot. Every time we play an SEC team, we're going to get their best shot. It's not a guaranteed 'W.' We've got to come out and do the things we've been doing and start faster."
On the road against a team coming off a demoralizing defeat, Tennessee can't afford to fall behind by 10-plus points as it has in three of its four games. The Vols aren't looking too much into Georgia's performance last week and understand the Bulldogs have plenty of talent even if star running back Nick Chubb doesn't play due to an ankle injury.
"I have a ton of respect for Nick Chubb, and we fully 100 percent anticipate him playing," Tennessee coach Butch Jones said, "and I would like to play a team at full strength. That's what it's all about, is these players competing. He'll be ready to go. We anticipate that.
"The thing that makes Georgia is they have a stable of running backs."
Tennessee is familiar with Sony Michel after he ran for 145 yards in last year's meeting, but the Vols are getting their first crack at Jacob Eason, Georgia's freshman quarterback who looks like a future star.
"I think he's a good quarterback," Vols safety Todd Kelly Jr. said. "He has a lot of confidence coming into this game because he knows how to win ballgames. That Missouri game was big for him, converting on that fourth-and-10, throwing it to Isaiah McKenzie, who's a phenomenal player we'll have to try to shut down.
"He runs the ball, gets screens - jailbreak screens, smoke screens - deep balls. He's the jet guy, reverse guy - he can do a lot. Eason tries to get the ball to his playmakers, and he does a great job of doing so."
Tennessee defensive coordinator Bob Shoop called Eason "the real deal" and said he's reminded his players Georgia's wide receivers are "too good" to continue to struggle with dropped passes, which plagued the Bulldogs last week. He used the baseball analogy of a pitcher who's getting outs because the batters are hitting the ball hard right at the fielders behind him.
"I keep warning our guys: Don't be deceived," Shoop said. "These guys can throw the ball, and they can run the ball equally well."
Can Georgia's offensive line improve its play, though?
The Bulldogs rushed for 389 yards in the opener against North Carolina, but since then they managed just 167 yards against Nicholls State and 101 against Missouri and gained most of their 230 yards against Ole Miss in the second half.
Georgia has allowed 12 sacks in four games after giving up three to the Rebels.
"They've got an NFL-type quarterback that sits back there and throws it," Vols defensive line coach Steve Stripling said. "Some of the teams earlier we played, they're athletic quarterbacks or the ball's coming out quickly. This is an opportunity for us to express our pass rush."
If Chubb can't play, Eason likely becomes the focal point for Tennessee's defensive game plan.
"I don't think he looks like a freshman quarterback," Barnett said. "He has a good arm. He's confident. He's taken some big hits, but he's gotten right up. They have a good offensive line and two or three good running backs.
"It's going to be a big ballgame for us, and I'm excited to see how we play them."
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com