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* Wiedmer: Vols and their coach both grew up against Dawgs * Tennessee rallies to stun Georgia, 38-31 * Tennessee holds off 19th-ranked Georgia, 38-31 * Michel, Davis take blame for defeat * Chubb injury disheartening for Bulldogs * Tennessee racks up record yardage on Pruitt's defense * Dobbs leads Vols in 'very, very gritty' performance * Daniel's late punt helps protect Vols' big win
KNOXVILLE - It had been a tumultuous few weeks for Butch Jones and Tennessee's football program.
The Volunteers and their third-year coach can put those issues behind them after winning a big game.
The team that couldn't hold a double-digit lead the first five weeks of the season turned the table on Georgia, as Tennessee rallied from a 21-point second-quarter deficit and held on for a 38-31 win against the 19th-ranked Bulldogs in sold-out Neyland Stadium on Saturday.
"It was a big win for us," defensive end Derek Barnett said. "We just got over the hump today, I feel like. Now it's time to keep going."
The Vols (3-3, 1-2 SEC) have an open date before playing at Alabama, and given the way they lost to Oklahoma, Florida and Arkansas, one could excuse them for enjoying this one a little longer than usual.
For Jones, it was just his second win against a ranked opponent, but the timing couldn't have been better.
"Our hard work has been validated a little bit in terms of finally winning a game like this," he said. "Now it's a long season. It's just one victory and it's victory number three. But being down 24-3 against a Top 25 team, our kids never flinched."
Georgia hushed Neyland by jumping out to the three-touchdown lead as the Bulldogs (4-2, 2-2) overcame the loss of star running back Nick Chubb on the game's opening play and scored two non-offensive touchdowns.
"It's football. Stuff happens," Barnett said. "We get to play football. Everybody can't play in Neyland or have this 'T' on their chest. I don't care what the score is. We're going to keep on playing hard till the end of the game."
With its back against the wall, Tennessee answered a 70-yard punt-return touchdown by Reggie Davis by converting two fourth downs into firsts on its ensuing drive, the second a Josh Smith catch-and-run touchdown.
"It really gave us a jolt of energy," said Vols quarterback Josh Dobbs, who accounted for 430 yards and five touchdowns.
Tennessee forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff and scored again to make it 24-17 going into halftime.
"We knew they couldn't stop us," left tackle Kyler Kerbyson said. "Yeah, we fumbled on the 1 and they took it back, but we took it 80 yards on them. They didn't have an answer for the offense. That's the attitude we went out there with that we were going to keep scoring."
Tennessee scored twice more in the third quarter, but Georgia tied the game on the first play of the fourth.
Dobbs scored the go-ahead touchdown with 5:48 left, and Tennessee's defense came up with two stops - and caught a break when Davis dropped the would-be tying touchdown - as Brian Randolph and Cameron Sutton combined to break up Georgia's desperation pass on the game's final play.
"We talk about having each other's back. It showed tonight," Sutton said. "We were tested, obviously, tonight, but guys had that 'it' factor. Guys were hungry out there on the field. You could see that look on everybody's eyes. We wanted it more than them. We were able to get it done on offense, defense and special teams."
Tennessee's sideline erupted when the ball hit the turf to celebrate a win the program badly needed.
"It was huge," Kerbyson said. "We were having a lot of outside distractions. People were saying we're done with the season. I saw stuff of people saying, 'Oh, well, two more losses in a row (against Georgia and Alabama).' That's disheartening to see from fans, to not support us, but we answered. We were able to show that we're a really good football team."
"I try not to let anything get to me, but all I really wanted was to win this game for all my teammates. That was the main point. Win for those guys, and not anybody else."
Running back Alvin Kamara called it a "character win." Fellow running back Jalen Hurd labeled it "extreme." Jones praised his players for making the key plays in the key moments, which didn't happen in the losses.
Tennessee's coach was asked to quantify how much he and his program needed the victory the Neyland Stadium scoreboard proudly displayed well after the final whistle and ensuing celebration ended.
"You always need to win," Jones said. "That's what it is. But when these players have given so much of themselves, and the chemistry that we have and the brotherhood and the togetherness, everyone talking about having each other's backs - like I said earlier it's galvanized us and it's brought us closer.
"For them to feel this way tonight, and for our fans to feel this way is very rewarding."
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com