Tennessee grabbed its first conference win of the season with an exciting 38-31 win against Georgia at Neyland Stadium on Saturday.

Here’s a breakdown of what transpired:

5 TAKEAWAYS

  • The “close game” monkey is finally off Butch Jones’ back: After blowing fourth-quarter leads to Oklahoma and Florida, and coming up short in a 24-20 home loss to Arkansas, Jones and his team were starting to get the reputation for a group that couldn’t close out a game. Hanging tough against Georgia this week provided that this team was capable, and may serve as a rallying point for the remainder of the season.
  • Joshua Dobbs can be elite: Just as many were starting to question whether he should still be the Vols starting quarterback, Dobbs came out with a performance that reminded everyone just what he is capable of doing. His accuracy was questionable, yet passable, as the junior threw for 312 yards and three touchdowns, while running for an addition 118 yards and two scores.
  • This team showed some resiliency: Through the first 28 minutes of the game, the Vols were outscored 24-3. It would have been easy for a team that had lost its first two conference games by a combined five points to get discouraged and wilt under the pressure. Instead, the Vols responded with some gutsy fourth-down plays and an opportunistic approach to a turnover during the final two minutes of the first half, putting them right back in things.
  • Tennessee’s freshmen are growing up: Butch Jones would be the first person to tell you (sometimes over and over again) that the Vols are a very young team. Based on the effort given by some of the true freshmen, such as offensive linemen Jack Jones and Chance Hall, we may be seeing some of these highly-touted youngsters increasing their level of production as they gain experience.
  • There’s still time to have a good season: With half of their 2015 regular season in the books, the Vols enter their bye week with a 3-3 record. It isn’t ideal, but it isn’t as crippling one might have thought after losing three of four heading into this game. Tennessee draws Alabama to start the second half of the year, but the schedule provides an opportunity to best last season’s seven-win total.

REPORT CARD

Offense: B+ — The Joshua Dobbs show was fun to watch and effective enough for the Vols to come away with 38 points. I couldn’t award an A here because of a pair of turnovers on a fumble by RB Jalen Hurd and an early interception thrown by Dobbs.

Defense: B — Tennessee’s defense was on the field for only 17 of the Bulldogs’ 31 points on Saturday, so don’t judge this group solely by the final score. The Vols could’ve done better against the pass, as both Malcolm Mitchell and Reggie Davis were open most of the day, and Sony Michel ran for 145 yards in place of an injured Nick Chubb.

Special Teams: B- — This was a mixed bag. The Vols allowed a 75-yard punt return for a touchdown from Reggie Davis, which was not good. However, they also caused a fumble on a Georgia kickoff return that led to a score, and both punter Trevor Daniel and kicker Aaron Medley turned in solid performances.

Coaching: A — Butch Jones has taken quite a bit of criticism for the way things went early in the season, but it is time to give him and his staff some credit for keeping things together, drawing up a solid gameplan, and sticking to it in spite of an early-game 21-point deficit.

Overall: A- — There were some flaws in this performance, but I’m not about to take an “A” away from what was the biggest win of the 2015 to date for the Vols.

GAME PLAN

The Vols were intent on making Joshua Dobbs the focal point of the offense, both on the ground and through the air. It worked out, as Georgia had a terrible time trying to bring down the elusive runner and Dobbs was just accurate enough to make the Bulldogs stay honest against the pass. On the defensive side, the Vols certainly benefited from the exit of Nick Chubb on the game’s first play from scrimmage. From that point, it was clear that the Vols were going to take the approach of making QB Greyson Lambert throw the ball well enough to beat them. While he did make some nice throws, it ultimately worked in the Vols’ favor.

GAME BALLS

  • QB Joshua Dobbs: Dobbs was the Vols’ Mr. Everything on Saturday, accounting for 430 yards of offense and five touchdowns.
  • S Brian Randolph: The veteran safety led the Vols’ defensive unit with nine tackles, all of the solo variety.
  • DE Derek Barnett: After what many would consider a quiet first half of the season for the talented sophomore pass rusher, Barnett made his presence known today with seven tackles, a sack and a QB hurry.