After laying an egg in last weekend’s 45-14 loss at Ole Miss, there are plenty of questions for Georgia heading into Saturday’s SEC East battle with Tennessee.

While the Bulldogs’ first game against a ranked SEC opponent didn’t go too well, the team could fare much better the second time around, because the Volunteers offer a more favorable matchup.

There’s no denying that Tennessee looked like a completely different team in the second half of its impressive win against Florida. Down 21-0, the Vols rattled off 38 consecutive points, a comeback made all the more incredible when factoring in the opposing defense and the situational pressure.

Tennessee’s experience kicked in as the momentum shifted, and the players we expected to be among the nation’s star this season began playing like it. Quarterback Joshua Dobbs responded to throwing an interception on the first drive of the third quarter by leading the Vols to the end zone on five of the next six drive. He finished with 399 total yards and 5 total touchdowns, most of those coming in the second half.

It wasn’t just the offense that led Tennessee to victory. The Vols’ defense did not allow the Gators to gain a first down in the second half until midway through the fourth quarter. Saturday’s victory was earned on both sides of the ball and proved that Tennessee is capable of rising to any challenge when their backs are against the wall.

The picture that’s been painted is a bleak one for Georgia fans, but make no mistake, it’s the same thing that Kirby Smart and his staff have been telling their players before they take the field. There’s always the possibility that Tennessee has turned the corner after that win, but the Bulldogs are prepared to make them prove that’s the case.

Yes, the second half of the Vols’ win is praise-worthy, but the other 14 quarters of football they have played shouldn’t be forgotten. Of Tennessee’s 16 quarters, there have been five that should give Georgia cause for concern. The others have shown that, while the Vols’ are capable of extreme highs, they are beatable at other times. That’s where it comes down to on-field matchups.

There are a few strategies the Bulldogs can employ to give them an advantage over their opponent Saturday.

Neutralize Tennessee’s pass rush with screens and short passes: Part of the Vols’ second-half turnaround came behind a strong effort from its defensive line. Derek Barnett recorded two sacks from the end position and is similar the Missouri’s Charles Harris, who gave Georgia plenty of problems. Alongside Barnett are Corey Vereen and Kendall Vickers, and all three could have success against the Bulldogs’ offensive line.

Instead of limiting Jacob Eason’s options by keeping tight ends and running backs in to chip and block defenders, offensive coordinator should use the Vols’ pass rush against them by utilizing screens and sweeps.

Georgia hasn’t run many traditional screen passes this season, but it has run several sweeps with Isaiah McKenzie and swing passes in a similar fashion. While it hasn’t been done yet, the Bulldogs have backs like Sony Michel (below) and Brian Herrien, who are capable of turning screens into long gains. This won’t only help tire out Tennessee’s defensive line, but will give playmakers the ball in space, which hasn’t happened enough for Georgia.

Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Of course, Eason needs to be able to execute the screens properly, which is no small task for a true freshman against an SEC defensive line.

Be aggressive with downfield passes: This might seem counterintuitive to the previous strategy, but the two can work very well together with the proper ratio and execution. Screen plays slow down the rush and discourage aggressive ends from simply going after the quarterback.

Eason has already shown the confidence and ability to take shots down the field. He’s connected on several and thrown several more than should have been caught. It’s no guarantee that Georgia can fix that Saturday, but if they can, Tennessee’s secondary can be exploited.

The Vols are tied at No. 59 in the country with 11 pass plays of 20-plus yards by opponents. They are tied at No. 85 for pass plays of 30 yards or more, having allowed seven. Florida had five pass plays go for more than 20 yards in the first half, but became much more conservative in the second half and quit taking shots.

Tennessee will be without its best defensive back in Cameron Sutton, who fractured his ankle early this season, and is starting true freshman Baylen Buchanan at cornerback. If Eason and his receivers can clean up the mistakes, there should be opportunities for them on Saturday.

Focus on containing the Vols’ run game: After watching Georgia’s secondary get repeatedly burned by Ole Miss’ dynamic passing attack, it’s completely understandable to worry about it happening again. The Bulldogs’ shorter defensive backs could very well have problems against the likes of Josh Malone, Preston Williams and Jauan Jennings, but the Dawgs should be much more focused on stopping the run.

For starters, Tennessee’s offense is not predicated on passing the football the way it is at Ole Miss. It’s also important to remember that Joshua Dobbs is not Chad Kelly. That’s no slight to Dobbs, who is a challenging matchup for different reasons, he’s just nowhere near as capable a downfield passer as Kelly is.

Even in the second-half comeback against Florida, Tennessee still relied heavily on the run during early downs. The Vols have an option rushing attack predicated on taking advantage of matchups and getting the ball into a dynamic player’s hands in a favorable situation. That starts with Dobbs’ running ability.

Tennessee was able to move the ball in the second half against Florida thanks to some explosive pass plays, but that is much more likely to happen when a team is playing from behind. What’s interesting is that on first and second downs, the Vols still wanted to try and run the football. If Georgia’s defense focuses on containing Dobbs and stopping the ground game, it should be able to create long third downs.

Until the last two quarters of last Saturday’s game, Dobbs hasn’t been terrific throwing the football. If Dobbs is able to make some of the plays he did in the second half against Florida, the Bulldogs will be in trouble. But 300-yard passing days from Dobbs are rare; that was just the third in his career. Until he’s able to prove that last weekend wasn’t a fluke, however, Georgia should put him in situations where he has to try.