Georgia vs. Tennessee prediction: Josh Pate thinks the Vols have a chance

Georgia and Tennessee meet in a huge SEC opener this weekend in a key early rivalry game. What do some of the predictions look like?

Who is the favorite to win in the Georgia vs. Tennessee matchup this weekend? Josh Pate offers his prediction. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Georgia has taken the last eight in its rivalry series against Tennessee, and now these SEC contenders meet on the same field again in college football’s Week 3 action, with national analysts making their predictions for the big game on Saturday.

Tennessee comes into this game after scoring a combined 117 points in two games, but the Vols and quarterback Joey Aguilar face another animal in the Georgia defense.

College football analyst Josh Pate believes the Volunteers could prove him wrong again, but that Georgia has a little more in the tool chest to avoid an upset on Rocky Top.

“I’m waiting for Tennessee to finally make it happen in this matchup,” he said on Josh Pate’s College Football Show.

“I’m riding with Kirby Smart and Georgia and I’m just gonna make Tennessee prove me wrong. They have. They did against Bama a few years ago. It’s not out of the realm of possibility. I think there is vulnerability. There is a lot of unknown for Georgia.”

What can the Vols do to pull off the upset?

“The way you cut the head off the snake, which is what Tennessee needs to do to take Georgia down, is you gotta match physicality,” Pate said.

“To their credit, I thought this was maybe one of, if not the, hardest-hitting games we saw last year. Tennessee does not struggle to match physicality. They’re an extremely physical team. 

The other big thing? “You gotta be able to run the ball effectively. That’s what Tennessee does best and has for a long time under Josh Heupel.”

But to effectively run the football, the Vols first have to prove they can stretch the field and spread out Georgia’s defense to open up those mid-range running lanes.

That’s where Joey Aguilar comes in. The quarterback who transferred in from UCLA after Nico Iamaleava transferred out to UCLA has looked the part so far.

Aguilar is hitting 66 percent of his throws for 535 yards with 5 touchdowns and no picks in 2 games, and is getting help from a ground attack that is 20th nationally and posting nearly 6 yards per carry with 7 scores thus far.

“Joey Aguilar has looked like he’s been playing in this system for a while so far this year,” Pate said. 

“The competitive level ramps up and pressure level ramps up so significantly this week that maybe he’s just got it. If he’s that guy, Tennessee may win this game.”

About the Bulldogs’ lackluster offensive showing last week?

“I could not care less what a two-hour rain delay and complete lethargic nature against Austin Peay means for this game. It means nothing for this game,” Pate said.

“That’s why I go back to what the ‘G’ means to me. Independent of the individual personnel groupings, that ‘G’ to me means it’s a consistent outfit.

“When they go on the road, they can handle business and if you beat ‘em, you gotta do just that. You gotta beat ‘em. They’re not gonna hand you a game and they’re gonna have better athletes than you.”

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