NO. 19 GEORGIA (4-1, 1-1 SEC) AT TENNESSEE (2-3, 0-2)
3:30 p.m. * Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tenn. * WDEF/106.5 FM
Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs (11) throws to a receiver before the start of an NCAA college football game against Arkansas Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, in Knoxville, Tenn.
Alabama senior defensive tackle Jarran Reed (90) helped control Georgia’s ground game last Saturday and kept the pressure on Bulldogs quarterback Greyson Lambert.THE MATCHUP
Georgia and Tennessee are second and third in the SEC in rushing. Against the run, the Bulldogs are seventh in the SEC, and the Vols are 11th. Tennessee surrendered 275 yards to Arkansas and Alex Collins last week, and they face a much taller order this week in trying to keep Nick Chubb from breaking Herschel Walker’s program record with a 14th straight 100-yard game. Tennessee’s defense is leaking big plays, and Chubb and Sony Michel are two of the league’s best home-run threats.
Alabama and Derrick Henry ran for 202 yards in last week’s demolition of the Bulldogs, and Tennessee’s Jalen Hurd, who ran for 119 yards against Georgia in Athens last season, has three 100-yard games this season. Each team could be down a starter on the offensive line, with Georgia center Brandon Kublanow (ankle) and Tennessee right tackle Brett Kendrick (elbow) both questionable. Both defenses will focus on stopping the run, and finding success there could lead to a win.
ONE TO WATCH
Grayson Lambert and Josh Dobbs are very different quarterbacks, but both of them need to play well and get a win today. Georgia’s Lambert, the Virginia transfer, was 52-of-68 passing for 592 yards and seven touchdowns with no interceptions. Last week, though, was a different story. Awful weather conditions and Alabama’s defense last week were too much for Lambert, who wound up getting benched midway through the 38-10 loss. Obviously he’ll be looking for a bounce-back game.
Dobbs threw for a season-high 232 yards against Arkansas, but he missed too many throws and was a non-factor running the ball. In fact, the junior’s run for 12 yards or less in three games this season as defenses focus on taking away that part of his game. The Vols are so much harder to stop when Dobbs is making plays with his legs. Tennessee is far more reliant on Dobbs than Georgia is on Lambert, but both defenses want to make the other quarterback beat them throwing the ball in this game.
IN THE END
Georgia has never won six straight games against Tennessee, but the Bulldogs could change that today. Four of their five wins during the current streak were by eight points or less, however, and the last two were by three points. The Bulldogs are coming off a humbling defeat, but a win in Knoxville – Mark Richt is 5-2 at Neyland and 10-4 against Tennessee – and Georgia maintains control of its SEC East hopes.
FILE – In this Sept. 19, 2015, file photo, Georgia running back Nick Chubb (27) tries to break free from South Carolina linebacker Skai Moore (10) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Athens, Ga. No. 13 Alabama takes on No. 8 Georgia on Saturday in Tuscaloosa. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File) It’s been a rough week for Tennessee. Following up a third loss in a game where the Vols led by double digits, speculation regarding an altercation between head coach Butch Jones and offensive lineman Mack Crowder during a preseason practice was rampant until Thursday, and the Vols also dismissed receiver Pig Howard. Where does the team’s energy level and chemistry stand? “We’re a unified team, no question about it,” one assistant coach said. Tennessee’s collective mettle and mental toughness are being tested. How will the Vols respond?
PREDICTION: GEORGIA 31, TENNESSEE 26