KNOXVILLE – Tennessee finally foiled its fourth-quarter jinx.
Cameron Sutton and Brian Randolph broke up a pass on the final play of the game to preserve a 38-31 win for the Volunteers against 19th-ranked Georgia on Saturday at Neyland Stadium.
The Bulldogs drove from their own 1-yard line with 1:48 left all the way to Tennessee’s 22, but the Vols came up the game-sealing play that eluded them in losses to Florida and Oklahoma.
Tennessee overcame a 21-point deficit, and Josh Dobbs, who had 312 yards passing and 109 rushing, scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 5-yard run with 5:48 left.
Georgia nearly tied the game on its ensuing possession, but Reggie Davis let a touchdown pass go right through his hands.
The Bulldogs are now 1-2 in the SEC, while Tennessee will go into its open date on a high after third-year coach Butch Jones won his second game against a ranked opponent.
Georgia hushed Neyland Stadium by jumping out to a 24-3 lead thanks to two non-offensive touchdowns.
Leonard Floyd caught a popped-up fumble by Tennessee running back Jalen Hurd on first-and-goal at the 1-yard line and ran it back 96 yards to open the scoring.
After Malcolm Mitchell made an excellent catch over Tennessee’s Cameron Sutton for a 28-yard touchdown catch, Reggie Davis returned a punt 70 yards after initially dropping the kick.
Officials picked up a flag for an illegal block in the back that would have negated the play, and it stood.
Tennessee scored twice in the final 1:04 of the first half.
The first touchdown came on a drive on which the Vols picked up two fourth downs, including the scoring pass when Josh Smith caught a short pass and took it the rest of the way for a 39-yard score.
Jakob Johnson forced a fumble from Michel on the ensuing kickoff, and John Kelly recovered to set up another touchdown.
In the third quarter, Tennessee held Georgia to 52 yards of offense, and Dobbs ran for a 1-yard score and tossed a 2-yard score to Alvin Kamara to give Tennessee a 31-24 lead going into the final frame.
The final quarter began ominously for Tennessee, as Davis got behind Emmanuel Moseley for a 48-yard touchdown pass on the first play.
On the last play, though, the Vols won the game.
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.
Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs (11) beats a tackle by Georgia linebacker Jake Ganus during their SEC conference football game at Neyland Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015, in Knoxville, Tenn.