As the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs were preparing for Monday's opening practice of Tennessee week, junior safety Lewis Cine already had the sense these would not be a fun few days.
Not with the up-tempo offense of the Volunteers averaging a nation-leading 2.92 plays per minute.
"You're going to be huffing and puffing," Cine said of the impending preparation, "and some of the time you'll be discombobulated. Am I looking forward to it? Of course not, but am I going to have to do it? Yes, so I might as well enjoy it while I'm out there."
A matchup that was easily overlooked at the beginning of the season now has created some pep in the steps being taken in Knoxville and Athens. For Tennessee, it's an obvious opportunity to measure up against the clear-cut No. 1 team nationally, while for Georgia, it's the truest proving ground yet for a defense that could be one for the ages.
Tennessee's 344 points through nine games are the most by the Vols since Peyton Manning was a sophomore quarterback in 1995, while Georgia's 59 points allowed are the fewest by the Bulldogs at this stage in 50 years.
It's a challenge that seems to be bringing out the former defensive coordinator in Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, because he has responded to questions about Josh Heupel's attack with great detail.
"They're fast, and you don't always get lined up properly," Smart said after Tuesday's practice. "It's very unique. It's like trying to stop the triple-option. It's different, because you don't face it every day. They've got guys wide open because people have eye violations. They look at the wrong thing, and sometimes they don't even see the wide receiver. I know that's hard to believe, but their splits are clear out on the sideline.
"Half of college football is playing condensed formations now, and everybody is in a teacup right next to the ball, and now all of a sudden these guys have two guys outside the numbers. I've seen guys not lined up and trying to get a call. It's happening to everybody they play, and it worries you that it can happen to you. You want to make them earn what they get, and there are a lot of plays that they've gotten on people off of busts."
Smart can't say enough about the development of Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker or the dynamic abilities of Vols receivers JaVonta Payton, Cedric Tillman and Velus Jones Jr.
"They look really fast on tape," he said. "We know the football players they are running past, and those are good football players they are running past. They would have had more big plays earlier, but they overthrew some where they just missed them.
"They're hitting on all cylinders now."
So how is Georgia's defense combating a Tennessee offense that produced 28-point first quarters in routs of Missouri and South Carolina last month and took just 37 seconds last week at Kentucky to score its first two touchdowns?
Well, the Bulldogs do have their share of resources.
Smart credits an abundance of scout team players who are helping out, with a couple of those quite recognizable. Two prominent receivers who have been mending injuries - Dominick Blaylock and George Pickens - have been helping give Georgia's defense quality looks.
"We've had the scout team preparing for this for weeks," Smart said. "We've done a lot of work to get them ready for this. Again, it's very similar to facing the triple-option, because you better have a plan since it's so different and outside the norm."
Preparation for Tennessee has also included video of Missouri from the 2016-17 seasons, when Heupel was the Tigers' offensive coordinator. The Bulldogs won both of those meetings with Mizzou but were far from dominant defensively, prevailing 28-27 and 53-28.
Tennessee has aspirations of a first win over a top-ranked team in 36 seasons, while Georgia is seeking its first undefeated run through conference play in 39 seasons, yet the matchup within this game that has everyone intrigued is how the rapid attack of the Vols fares against the country's best defense.
"This is probably the first time that Georgia is going to see an offense that moves as fast as we do," Payton said. "It will be about us going out there and doing what we do best."
Said Bulldogs senior cornerback Ameer Speed: "It's really a challenge, because they're basically saying they can go faster than you and execute faster than you."
AP photo by Wade Payne / With Tennessee fans dressed in orange and white to form a checkerboard pattern at Neyland Stadium, fireworks explode before the Vols' game against Ole Miss on Oct. 16 in Knoxville.Rare road test
Given that Georgia had two neutral-site games this season against Clemson and Florida and trips to Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech, locales in which there is always a lot of red and black, this week's contest at Neyland Stadium is really just the second and final hostile atmosphere the Bulldogs will experience.
"It's a tough place to play, and when you look across the league this year, you've seen a little more struggle with that," Smart said. "We pretty much went a year without it. We talked about it going into Auburn and how 50% of our team had not played in that kind of environment.
"Auburn is tough, and so is Tennessee. I would put those two places up against anybody in the country in terms of atmosphere. It can create penalties, but you've got to be able to execute between the lines and not let those things affect you."
Game control
Georgia has trailed for only 10 minutes and 37 seconds this season, a 3-0 deficit in each case. The Bulldogs fell behind for 5:29 at Auburn and for 5:08 against Missouri last Saturday, when they scored the next 40 points.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524. Follow him on Twitter @DavidSPaschall.