Tennessee’s road trip to Georgia this weekend will be a homecoming for 17 players. The Vols have seen great success running a pipeline through the neighboring Peach State, which includes the likes of A.J. Johnson, Cameron Sutton and others.

For the senior Johnson, Saturday’s game is the last chance to beat the biggest program in his home state.

“We have to go down there for one thing and that’s to get the `W,'” Johnson said. “We haven’t beaten them since I’ve been here, so that’s the main goal to go down there my last time playing in their stadium, my last time playing Georgia, I want to come out with the `W.'”

This will be the third collegiate game for the Gainesville native set in his home state. In 2012, Johnson played in his first road game against the Bulldogs in Athens, as well as a season-opening win over NC State in Atlanta’s Georgia Dome.

Sophomore Cameron Sutton will make his first collegiate appearance in his native state. A former standout for Jonesboro High School (Jonesboro, Ga.,), Sutton is familiar with plenty of the players on the Bulldogs’ roster, whom he faced at the prep level.

“We’re going down there with our road focus to try and come out on top,” Sutton said. “It’s always good to play in your home state, but we’re competitive. We’re not worried about being friends on the field. We can talk and hang out and all of that after the game is over, but on the field we’re competing trying to get that `W.'”

Neither Sutton nor Johnson will face any former teammates on Saturday, but both players know they will see familiar faces.

“I know a lot of those guys,” said Johnson. “I’ve been in camps with them. But at the end of the day, we’re competing for the win.”

Eight of the 17 Georgia Vols will face off against 12 high school teammates. However, the past bonds help forge a rivalry among the players now on opposing sides. Tennessee’s defense looks to pull off a major upset, which will only happen if the Vols can stop Georgia’s dominant ground game.

“That’s our job, we have to get the ball back to our offense any way we can,” Sutton said. “That takes a lot of pressure off of our offense, when we can get the ball back to them. The more opportunities they have with the ball in their hands, it’s better for the team.”