KNOXVILLE — Tennessee had the opportunity Saturday to measure up against the very best college football has to offer.
The Volunteers came up way, way short.
Top-ranked Georgia easily made the No. 21 Vols its latest conquest with a 38-10 thumping inside a sold-out Neyland Stadium, marking the seventh consecutive series victory by the Bulldogs, with all seven transpiring by double digits. Georgia redshirt junior quarterback Carson Beck performed a pre-Thanksgiving carving by completing 24 of 30 passes for 298 yards and three touchdowns.
“I’m really proud of our resiliency,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “The kids knew it would be a tough environment, and they responded to a not-so-great start. We continue to improve and get better. All we’re trying to do is find the best version of ourselves.”
Georgia not only improved to 11-0 in its quest to become the first program to win three consecutive Associated Press national championships — the AP poll was unveiled in 1936 — but established a Southeastern Conference record with a third straight 8-0 league mark. The Bulldogs also equaled the SEC standard of 28 consecutive victories, which was set by Alabama during the 1978-80 seasons and matched by the 1991-93 Crimson Tide, and they can establish the mark at 29 in their regular-season finale next Saturday night at Georgia Tech.