Michel, Davis take blame for defeat

KNOXVILLE – There were disappointed players Saturday night in Georgia’s locker room following the 38-31 loss to Tennessee inside Neyland Stadium.

Then there were sophomore tailback Sony Michel and junior receiver Reggie Davis, who spoke with watery eyes. Michel and Davis had offensive performances to remember against the Volunteers, but each made a mistake he never will forget.

“It hurts bad, because I know my team fought hard,” Michel said. “We made a lot of mistakes, and I feel like I made the biggest mistake to turn this game around. I kind of want to take this game upon myself.

“I felt like we lost this game because of me.”

Michel, who entered the game on the second play from scrimmage following an injury to Nick Chubb, rushed a career-high 22 times for a career-best 145 yards and had no lost-yardage carries. He went past 100 yards in the second quarter on a dazzling and elusive 66-yard run down the sideline, but he fumbled away a kickoff return in the final minute of the half.

Tennessee had just pulled within 24-10 when the Vols recovered Michel’s gaffe at Georgia’s 25-yard line, and it took five plays for the hosts to make it a one-possession game.

“When you turn it over deep in your territory after you’ve grabbed a lot of momentum and a little bit of separation – it was sad that happened the way it did,” Bulldogs coach Mark Richt said. “It gave them juice going into the locker room.”

Said Michel: “I wasn’t holding on to the ball tight enough and just gave it away and kept them with the momentum.”

Davis wasn’t about to let Michel take the blame for the final result, which left Georgia 4-2 overall and 2-2 in SEC play.

“Sony made so many plays for us, but when there are a few minutes left in the game and the team puts faith in you to make a big play, you’ve got to make it,” Davis said. “It’s really tough, especially when they put the game in your hands like that. I let the team down.”

Davis was referencing Georgia’s best opportunity to tie the game in the final five minutes. With 3:52 remaining and the Bulldogs facing a third-and-9 at their 44-yard line, quarterback Greyson Lambert threw deep down the middle for Davis, who got behind the Vols secondary but dropped the pass at Tennessee’s 5-yard line.

“That’s what receivers get paid to do – to make catches like that,” Davis said. “I’m at a loss for words right now. It’s going to be a tough thing to get over. Right now, I am really upset with myself.

“The team put faith in me, and I let them down.”

Davis led the Bulldogs with 101 yards on three catches and had a 48-yard score on the first play of the fourth quarter that produced a 31-31 tie. He also had a 70-yard punt return for a second-quarter score that gave Georgia its largest lead at 24-3.

“I think Reggie was playing his best game,” Richt said. “He was on our kickoff return and punt return, and when we punted he was down there covering kicks. When we were on offense, he played just about every snap. He was playing his tail off, and I’m really proud of the effort he gave throughout.

“I know he’s sick about dropping that ball, but it didn’t take away from how hard he played or how I feel about him as a guy who will bust his tail for his team.”

Georgia punted after the drop by Davis but got the ball back at its 1-yard line with 1:48 remaining after a beautiful punt by Trevor Daniel. Lambert connected with Davis for 18 yards, Terry Godwin for 19 and Kenneth Towns for 23 to get down to Tennessee’s 22-yard line.

Following a substitution infraction on the Bulldogs, a Lambert pass into the end zone for Malcolm Mitchell was defended well by Vols safety Brian Randolph and fell incomplete.

“We wanted to spread people out to where they only had one or two people on him and then try and throw a jump ball,” Lambert said. I just tried to give him a chance.”

The Bulldogs will host Missouri this Saturday night in a game televised at 7:30 by the SEC Network.

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.