Georgia vs. Tennessee Series History

The SEC expansion of 1992 brought drastic changes to college football within the conference. The SEC split into divisions and added a championship game, several decades-old rivalries ended suddenly, while brand new rivalries took their place.

One of those new rivalries was the Georgia vs. Tennessee series. Nowadays, it seems like the Bulldogs and Volunteers have been feuding since the creations of both programs. In reality, Georgia and Tennessee only met 21 times before 1992, and only ten times as members of the SEC. The two schools didn't meet once between 1938 and 1967.

After Tennessee dominated the 1990s by winning nine-straight games, Georgia bounced back in the early 2000s to turn the series into a true rivalry. Today it's one of the best rivalries in the SEC despite how far Tennessee's program has fallen since 2007. Georgia and Tennessee are still an intriguing matchup, and both programs are on their A-games when playing each other.

Notable Games

1980: The game that is now known as "Herschel's Coming Out Party," was initially a disaster for the Georgia Bulldogs who entered the season with SEC Championship hopes. Tennessee took a 15-2 lead in the third quarter, with a safety on a muffed punt being the Bulldogs' only score.

In the third quarter, Georgia coach Vince Dooley decided to bring Herschel Walker into the game. That decision changed the trajectory of the game and Georgia's entire season. Walker eventually rumbled into the end zone through multiple defenders to cut the score to 15-9. He scored once more in the fourth quarter, on a toss sweep, to give his team a 16-15 victory.

2001: In 2001, it was the Volunteers entering the Georgia/Tennessee game with championship aspirations. Georgia, with first-year head coach Mark Richt, was merely looking to play spoiler. The Bulldogs took a 20-17 lead with six minutes left on a Billy Bennett field goal, but Tennessee broke Georgia's hearts with a 62-yard touchdown catch and run by Travis Stevens. The Volunteers led 24-20 with just 57 seconds left.

That's when David Greene began to build his legacy in Athens. The lefty led a six-play, 59-yard drive culminating in the famous 'Hobnail Boot" play. Greene's game-winner to Verron Haynes gave Georgia its second consecutive win over Tennessee following a nine-game losing skid from 1989-to-1999.

2012: Georgia didn't expect a shootout with Tennessee in 2012, but that's what it got. Aaron Murray outdueled Tyler Bray, completing 20-of-26 passes for 286 yards, two scores, and one interception. Bray also threw two touchdowns while gaining 281 yards on 24 completions, but his three interceptions ruined Tennessee's chances of pulling off the upset.

This was also the game where "Gurshall" really took off. Todd Gurley had an outstanding day as Georgia's bell cow, toting the rock 24 times for 130 yards and three scores. However, he was outdone by Keith Marshall who picked up 164 yards on 10 carries, along with one catch for 15 yards.

2013: So many injuries. This was the game that killed Georgia's chances of winning the SEC East. Miraculously, the Bulldogs still won.

Georgia entered the game without Gurley and Malcolm Mitchell; the latter succumbed to a season-ending injury in the season opener. Throughout the game, Marshall, Justin Scott-Wesley, and Michael Bennett all fell to various injuries, leaving Murray to lead an offense with JJ Green, Brendan Douglas, Chris Conley, and Rantavious Wooten. That was enough to beat Tennessee.

Georgia jumped out to a 17-3 halftime lead, but as injuries ravaged the team, the Volunteers came back and eventually took a 31-24 lead with less than two minutes left in the game. Murray responded with a 10-play, 75-yard scoring drive capped off by a short pass to Wooten to send the game to overtime.

Tennessee seemingly took a touchdown advantage in its portion of the first OT period, but an official review showed that ball carrier Alton Howard fumbled the ball through the end zone while reaching for the pylon. The result was a touchback, erasing the points and giving possession to Georgia. Marshall Morgan booted in a 42-yard field goal for the victory.

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