A full year: That’s how long I was worried about this Tennessee game. The Vols gave us our biggest regular season game last year. We had to travel to Neyland, in front of 100,000 orange-clad cretins, maybe with the SEC East and a trip to Atlanta on the line. Besides, where else could you see a slipup on this schedule?
Nah.
Despite a full year with this Tennessee game circled on my calendar—figuratively, people don’t have calendars anymore—the Dawgs won 38-10 and swept them aside as easily as any opponent this season. Scratch that. Easier.
While this Tennessee game has been on my brain for a year, in the last few months it’s become part of a larger challenge for Georgia. This game was the end of a stretch of games against Missouri, Ole Miss and Tennessee, which emerged as the toughest run of the season way back in September. These three games were a test of whether we have what it takes to win a third consecutive national title, which looked very much in doubt in the midst of early season struggles.
Consider that test passed with flying colors. This may have been Georgia’s toughest stretch, but they responded by playing their best football of the season. The Dawgs locked down a third consecutive 8-0 season in the SEC. With a win over Georgia Tech next week, it will be three straight 12-0 regular seasons, which is just wild. We’re reaching the pointy end of the season, but we seem to be peaking at exactly the right moment.
Which isn’t to say this team is perfect, or even as good as the ‘21 or ‘22 teams. But they have figured themselves out, and they know how to win. After all, they have a hell of a lot of experience in the last few years.
One problem that we do encounter over and over is allowing early scores, which happened again when Jaylen Wright took the opening touch 75 yards for a touchdown. The opposition has scored first in six games this season. Kirby Smart even joked about just letting it happen so they could get it over with and move on. “I talked to [defensive coordinator Glenn] Schumann before the game and said, ‘We’re gonna let ‘em score. Let’s just get it over with.’”
The defense clamped down after that with two consecutive three-and-outs that allowed the offense to take a lead it would never relinquish. Those 75 yards gained in the first 11 seconds of the game accounted for 27% of Tennessee’s total yardage on the night.
While the defense did its part, much of that was thanks to how the offense controlled the game. The Georgia offense held the ball for close to 41 minutes of game time. Carson Beck was in complete control of the offense, going 24-for-30 for 298 yards and three touchdowns. It was the best game of his career, which is something I find myself saying every few weeks. Against the Vols, he wasn’t just accurate and poised, placing balls right in receivers’ bread baskets, he threw with conviction and his passes had more zip on them.
Beck has benefited from having a number of interchangeable weapons around him in the skill positions. Brock Bowers was brilliant as always. Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint has become a reliable target, and one of the best blockers on the team to boot. But the standout in Knoxville was Dillon Bell, who was doing a bit of everything from wideout and tailback. Bell snagged five catches for 90 yards and a touchdown. The outstanding play of the day was a bit of trickeration that saw Bell take a pitch and throw to wide-open Rosemy-Jacksaint in the first quarter to take a 10-7 lead.
There’s a real opportunity for Beck in these final games. He’s still a game manager, not a game winner, but he is managing to perfection. If he has strong showings against Georgia Tech and, most importantly, against Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, there’s a possibility he’ll go to New York for the Heisman ceremony. He won’t win, but he will establish himself as an early favorite for next year, as well as a potential high draft pick.
But let’s worry about that later. For now, it’s Tech Hate Week, so let’s go nerd bashin’.
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