ATHENS, Ga. — When it rained on Tennessee, it poured.
Tennessee’s hopes for an undefeated season were convincingly dashed by reigning national champion Georgia on Saturday, when the unrelenting Bulldogs smothered the Volunteers 27-13 before a sellout crowd of 92,746 inside a soaked Sanford Stadium.
Georgia’s sixth consecutive triumph of two touchdowns or greater at Tennessee’s expense put it in control of a fifth Southeastern Conference Eastern Division crown in the last six seasons. Georgia improved to 9-0 overall and 6-0 in SEC play and just needs to defeat Mississippi State in Starkville next Saturday night to retain its title of East beast.
“The players on this team bought in, and they understood the plan and executed the plan,” Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart said. “They played extremely physical and without ego. They played complementary football, which is always important.
“There were a lot of reps in practice and a lot of organization and a lot of details in terms of whether we could duplicate their speed or be maybe even faster.”