A funny thing happened this week on the road to Saturday afternoon's Southeastern Conference football showdown inside Neyland Stadium between No. 1 Georgia and Tennessee.
Much of the conversation has centered on the big-play passing attack of the host Volunteers challenging the top-rated defense of the Bulldogs. Yet at last check, the Vols are running the ball 62.2% of the time.
"Make no mistake about it, they are a tremendous run-game team," Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. "They have a crazy average of runs per game. They wear you down. They wear you down. They wear you down. They've got good backs and a physical O-line. This is not an Air Raid team.
"It's a take-a-shot team, and it's a pound-you team."
In recent weeks, however, the Vols have been more successful taking shots than pounding away. Tennessee entered its Oct. 23 matchup at Alabama ranked sixth nationally in rushing offense at 249.1 yards per game, but that average has dipped to 217.1 after the 52-24 loss to the Crimson Tide and last Saturday night's 45-42 win at Kentucky.
Tennessee still ranks an impressive 18th nationally in rushing offense, with its 393 attempts second only to Arkansas (415) and Ole Miss (406) within the SEC, and even last week's output is a little misleading. While Alabama did limit the Vols to just 65 yards on 27 carries, Tennessee rushed 27 times for 145 yards in Lexington, with that 5.37 average per carry topping its 4.97 clip for the season.
The Vols didn't have a single running play against Kentucky in the first quarter, when they amassed 150 aerial yards and two touchdowns on four snaps, and their halftime totals contained eight carries for 18 yards. Jabari Small's 37-yard touchdown run near the midway mark of the third quarter was Tennessee's big ground gain of the evening, and the Vols know they have to carry that second-half momentum over to this week.
"This is a big game for the offensive line and being able to establish the run game," Vols senior left guard Jerome Carvin said. "We've got to avoid being one-dimensional."
Georgia is beyond stingy against the run, having allowed 80.7 yards per game, 2.6 yards per carry and two touchdowns. Missouri was more successful than most last Saturday, rushing 35 times for 121 yards (3.5 per carry) in what was still a 43-6 shellacking.
"I'm not sure that there is anything that they don't do really well," Vols coach Josh Heupel said. "Schematically, they understand what they're doing. They don't bust, because they always have their eyes on the right spot. They tackle extremely well out in space, and they are big and physical up front.
"They're really unique in that they've got 22-plus guys who are going to play on that side of the ball. They're extremely deep, and it's obviously a huge test for us."
Of course, one fairly significant question for Tennessee is which running backs will be healthy this week. The primary tandem of Small and Tiyon Evans didn't finish last weekend's game due to injuries, which left the load with freshman Jaylen Wright, who responded with seven fourth-quarter carries for 50 yards.
Heupel didn't reveal much Thursday on the injury front during his final news conference of the week.
"We always make those decisions based off of Friday's practice, so we'll see where we're at," Heupel said. "We have been able to get work with those guys, and we'll see where they're at tomorrow."
No matter who is healthy or who is in the backfield, Smart expects the Vols to give their running game plenty of chances to thrive.
"They spread you out, and they make you declare defenders," Smart said. "At the end of the day, they make it hard for you to defend. It's tough, and you've just got to have a good plan and execute that plan."
AP photo by John Bazemore / Georgia's Kirby Smart coaches the Bulldogs during Saturday's home game against Missouri.
Upgrades unveiled
Tennessee on Thursday unveiled the approved plans for a $30 million upgrade and expansion of the 145,000-square-foot Anderson Training Center, which has housed the football team since 2013.
The project will include 36,000 additional square feet, with new features including a renovated locker room, a recovery lab with float tanks and cryotherapy chambers, an expanded weight room, a player lounge with an arcade and bowling lanes, and a full-length basketball court.
"The support here at Tennessee is so unique," Heupel said. "It's a huge part of why I wanted to be here, and it's been even better than I anticipated. We talk a lot about the student-athlete experience, and this is certainly going to have an impact on that."
Wary of tight ends
The undefeated Bulldogs are led in receiving by freshman tight end Brock Bowers, who has 28 catches for 493 yards (17.6 per reception) and six touchdowns. Sophomore tight end Darnell Washington missed the first four games but has six catches for 114 yards (19.0), while redshirt junior John FitzPatrick has five for 61 (12.2).
"They are a huge part of what they do offensively," Heupel said. "They play 12 personnel a lot, and they do that because that group plays and competes at a really high level. They do a really good job in the run game, and they do a really good job in the play-action pass.
"They're able to slip those guys out and use them as wide receivers and try to find mismatches where they can use their length to their advantage.
Smith sidelined
Georgia redshirt freshman receiver Arian Smith, who had a 35-yard touchdown catch last Saturday, suffered a season-ending leg injury during practice this week, according to multiple media reports. The 6-foot, 185-pounder from Bradley, Florida, played in just four games this season but averaged 34.0 yards on three receptions and scored twice.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524. Follow him on Twitter @DavidSPaschall.