Georgia Football: Following Adjustments, UGA's Defense Dominates Vols in 2nd Half
It was early second quarter and a crowd of over 90,000 in Neyland Stadium, mostly clad in a light color of orange, were going berserk. The Volunteers had just scored their second touchdown of the game, and the Georgia Football team shockingly found themselves trailing 10-14 on the road. The Georgia Bulldogs defense had just allowed a 10 play 75-yard scoring drive, after getting torched on a 73-yard pass on the previous drive.
Tennessee was unable to get much going on the ground, however, they were putting major stress on the UGA pass defense. Inward breaking routes to wide receivers Jauan Jennings and Marquez Calloway were especially effective, with each man scoring a touchdown. Calloway who hails from Moultrie, Georgia was the recipient of the 73-yard explosive play. Social Media was abuzz and UGA fans were panicking at the thought of losing to a Tennessee team that failed to defeat Georgia State to open the season.
After the Georgia Bulldogs settled for a field goal, the defense again took the field, with Tennessee having the opportunity to extend a one-point lead. The Dawgs defense began to buckle down, forcing two consecutive punts, one of which followed a three-and-out possession for the Vols. This provided the Dawgs offense the opportunity to add a touchdown and gain a six-point advantage.
UT QB, Brian Maurer
When Tennessee got the ball back, they returned to their bread and butter strategy. That tactic was using play-action passes to draw the Georgia Bulldogs linebackers towards the line of scrimmage. That created throwing lanes for inside routes such as slants, in routes, drags and crossing patterns. Vols quarterback Brian Maurer immediately connected with Calloway and Jennings for consecutive 21-yard gains to start the drive. Fortunately for the Dawgs, Tennessee missed a field goal, giving the UGA offense time to score again and extend to a 26-14 halftime lead.
Something happened at halftime. The Georgia Bulldogs coaching staff went into the lab and made some great halftime adjustments. The UGA defensive backs stopped allowing Tennessee pass catchers to gain inside position. The Dawgs linebackers stopped biting on play-action fakes, after gaining confidence in the fact that the Vols were not going to accomplish much against their defense on the ground. Coach Kirby Smart and defensive coordinator Dan Lanning began to dial up blitzes much more often. These changes resulted in the Georgia Bulldogs taking over the game in the third quarter.
One might wonder how did the Dawgs take over the quarter when they only outscored Tennessee 3-0. The answer is simple, the Georgia Bulldogs defense stonewalled the Volunteers offense and took their will. After the UGA offense was forced to punt to begin the second half, the defense took the field and immediately forced Tennessee into a three-and-out. The Vols actually lost five yards on the drive. A second-down sack by redshirt freshman edge rusher Azeez Ojulari was the key play, that helped the Georgia defense get off the field.
The Georgia Bulldogs offense added three more points on a Rodrigo Blankenship field goal to lead 29-14. The following drive Tennessee managed to gain 25 yards, but Richard LeCounte who was burned earlier for the 73-yard touchdown on a double move, intercepted a pass to end the Vols' drive.
After the Georgia offense failed to convert on fourth and one, the defense again took center stage. They rose to the occasion yet again forcing another three-and-out. The UGA defense allowed only five total yards on the drive. Azeez Ojulari again wreaked havoc, coming up with another second down sack. This gave the Bulldogs the opportunity to score another touchdown and take a commanding 36-14 lead.
The Georgia Bulldogs defense returned to the field and put the nail in the Vols' coffin. Cornerback Eric Stokes shot into the backfield on a cornerback blitz and subsequently forced a Brian Maurer fumble. Linebacker Tae Crowder was the beneficiary, as he scooped up the loose ball and returned it 60 yards the other way to paydirt.
Then to put the cherry on top, the young UGA reserves forced Tennessee to turn the ball over on downs, during their final opportunity to put points on the board. That included denying the Vols access to the end zone four consecutive times, from the Dawgs five-yard line.
Overall the Georgia Bulldogs defense held Tennessee to 343 yards. 273 of those yards came via the pass and just 70 were obtained by running the football. The stingy Dawgs front held the Volunteers to just 2.4 yards per carry, without Jordan Davis. The anchor of the team's run defense is believed to have a high ankle sprain. The Bulldogs forced two turnovers, one being a fumble and the other an interception. The defense racked up three sacks and added five pass breakups. They also scored seven points.
Make no mistake about it, the Georgia Bulldogs defense in the third quarter was what truly broke this game open. Unbelievably they held Tennessee to just 16 third-quarter yards. This gave the Dawgs consecutive win number 15 over SEC East foes. It was also the third victory in a row over the Volunteers.
