THE DAY AFTER: GEORGIA

The Vols backs are against the wall after getting handled by the Dawgs in Athens...what went wrong?

Photo Credit: UT Athletics

We all knew the gravity of the moment in Athens on Saturday night. 

With all of the arguments all season long, all of the hypotheticals, all of the recent inconsistent “rationales” by the College Football Playoff Selection Committee, it was still very much in Tennessee’s control when it came to positioning itself comfortably for a slot in the inaugural expanded Playoff field.  Just go take care of business and win in Athens and not only will you set yourself up for a can’t-miss Playoff appearance, you also likely land a kill-shot to Georgia’s postseason ambitions as well.  Simple enough...right!

Well, the “winning at a hostile environment at night, against a team with the resolve of a recent two-time National Champion” part was the only complication to that simple plan.

Big Orange went down to Georgia...lookin’ for a SOUL to steal, but after a very strong, emphatic start, the Vols were outclassed and sent home empty handed in a 31-17 loss to the Dawgs.  It was a costly loss, as the Vols, while not entirely out of the playoff picture, now need to not only win out, but get quite a bit of help from other teams to lock up a spot in the Field of 12...and even if they get in, the prospect of hosting a first-round playoff game is all but erased. 

There are a variety of things you can point to as to why the Vols lost this game.  Sure, there were questionable calls by the officials...not enough big plays by our guys, etc., but I believe there is something more over-arching that you can point to when we reconcile a loss in a game of this magnitude...and to tee that up, I’ll pull a famous quote from one of my favorite TV shows of all time, HBO’s Succession.  It was a scene in one of the episodes between father and son, two of the primary characters in the show...the father is the CEO and patriarch of a massive, family-owned media and entertainment empire.  His son is vying to be the successor to his father once he retires, but his father feels he isn’t ready.  So he bluntly tells him at one point:

“You’re not a killer.  You have to be a killer”   

Photo Credit: UT Athletics

And with that, I realized what the difference is between Tennessee and Georgia in a game as important as Saturday’s.

On one sideline you have Kirby Smart...who has taken the Georgia Football program and made it a monster...2 consecutive National Titles, a team in the Championship conversation every year...and in a season where they have two losses, even to two nationally ranked teams, that’s considered a “down” season by their fanbase, the media...just about everyone.  Great Coach...probably the best in the game now that Saban has moved on.  Kirby’s a hard-ass, on his players, on his staff, on the media...his expectations are sky high.  But he’s also a master motivator; with all of Georgia’s success, Kirby still pushes the “we’re the real underdogs” narrative...and the players buy in, without reservation.  Last night’s game, fresh off of a loss to Ole miss last week, you saw all of that approach in action for Georgia.

On the other sideline, you have Josh Heupel.  Successful Coach.  Offensive innovator.  Smart guy...good guy.  Player’s Coach.  Has won a few big games, but is still developing, and his teams are not immune from an occasional breakdown.  Still, by and large, he’s a winning Coach, and an all-around good dude...and his teams are a reflection of that.

In a game with the stakes of Saturday’s matchup in Athens, which Coach was the “killer”, and which one...wasn’t?

At first, it looked like maybe Josh had graduated to “killer”...with an impressive opening drive on offense after a shutdown on Georgia’s opening drive by the Vols defense.  Nico was in his bag, straight out dealin’, the tempo was high, and it culminated with a jumbo package tight end TD plunge at the goal line by Miles Kitselman, channeling his inner Princeton Fant.  The Vols followed up with a Max Gilbert field goal, and after 15 minutes of play, Tennessee led 10-0 in what may have been the best first quarter this team had had since the LSU game in 2022.

After that, things weren’t the same...great teams make adjustments when the going gets tough, and Georgia did just that.  They elevated the offensive pace, much like they did earlier in the season against Alabama after falling far behind.  Meanwhile, Tennessee’s defense didn’t adjust to Georgia’s adjustments...and just like that, the Vols elite defense looked ordinary; Carson Beck started to surgically pick apart the Vols middle and secondary.  It looked easy for Beck...helps when you’re not feeling pressure, and he wasn’t!  The vaunted front four that Tennessee hangs its hat on, was bottled up, never sacked Beck once, which meant Beck could roam freely and exploit Tennessee’s suspect linebacker core, and then start to pick on the Vols secondary.  Now, Mike Bobo was the one that was dealin’!  Even with a depleted running back attack, the Georgia tight ends more than made up for that shortcoming.  Oscar Delp, Ben Yurosek, and Lawson Luckie combined for 10 catches for 130 yards and 2 TD’s.  Tennessee had no answer for them.  Beck finishes with 347 yards passing, 2 TD’s and no interceptions...as he said postgame “when your back’s against the wall, the only way to move forward is through what’s in front of you”.  Sounds like the mindset of a killer to me!

Tennessee had its moments on offense.  Nico appeared to be at full strength and looked good overall, although in the second half he was running for his life all too often.  Dylan Sampson struck again...another 100-yard rushing game, another touchdown, but both Dylan and Nico need help, and the receivers remain one of the great disappointments of this season.  Clutch plays were nowhere to be found, and you could see this game literally slipping away from the Vols in the 2nd half.  In short, Tennessee was a team who didn’t have the mindset of a killer.

Photo Credit: UT Athletics

I saw and heard some complaints on social media and on Fanrun’s Voluntary Reaction that too many things favored Georgia, from the officiating, to the analysis by the ESPN/ABC announce team.  There were claims that “the powers that be” want to see Georgia in the playoffs. To that last point, I say, damn right they want to see Georgia in the playoffs!  Not to the extent that a game is rigged, but make no mistake, Georgia’s pedigree matters...they’re killers after all, and since the CFP is really a TV show when you get right down to it, what TV show doesn’t want a character in their cast like a Georgia?  As for Tennessee?  It’s a nice story if they get in the playoffs...they’re a nice team...they’re Coach is a nice guy...I think you get the picture...we’re too damn nice!!!  We’re not killers!

But we’re getting closer...I wouldn’t call the game in Athens an abject failure...the Vols had chances.  They just couldn’t finish the deal against a good team that was fighting for their lives.  And Josh is that guy...he’s gonna get this team to the next level.  If Tennessee can somehow make it into the Playoffs in a few weeks, he’ll have that chance to take the Vols to that next level of excellence, but it’s going to take a mindset that is much more like Georgia’s to have any meaningful postseason success...being a “nice” team isn’t going to cut it when you’re playing for real hardware!