Saturday’s loss to Tennessee was a combination of past, present and future.

The heartbreak ending was akin to similar end-of-game miscues that plagued Georgia in recent years. In a game that was possibly the most important for this season, the Bulldogs put forth their best effort and showed that Kirby Smart is capable of getting his team to bounce back after a demoralizing loss.

Undoubtedly the most exciting part of Georgia’s game against Tennessee, though, were the players who represent the future. Jacob Eason, Brian Herrien, Isaac Nauta, Riley Ridley and Julian Rochester stood out Saturday, and those Bulldogs share one thing in common: They are all freshmen.

Eason threw two touchdown passes, one each to Nauta and Ridley. Herrien ran for 74 yards, more than Jalen Hurd or Alvin Kamara.

In stark contrast to Tennessee’s veteran-laden team, one that Smart called “the most experienced team in our league” after the game, Georgia’s unit was filled with youth.

Saturday, those youthful Bulldogs were 10 seconds from putting a serious dent in Butch Jones’ four-year plan to rebuild Tennessee football into a national contender.

While Georgia showed that there wasn’t a talent discrepancy, there certainly was a major difference in experience.

According to the official stats sheet, the Bulldogs started three freshmen while the Volunteers started none. All told, 29 underclassmen (13 freshmen) played for Georgia, compared to 22 underclassmen (8 freshmen) for Tennessee.

Following the loss, Smart spoke at great length about discipline, something that his young team failed to demonstrate in the closing minutes of the game.

“I do want to give credit to Tennessee,” he said. “I think they’ve got a great football team, they’re a very physical football team and they’re a senior-laden team. I really believe they won this game because they were more disciplined than we were. And undisciplined players, undisciplined decisions, will get you beat. We had some undisciplined penalties that cost us.”

It’s difficult to prove that inexperience is the main cause for a lack of discipline, but the two often go hand-in-hand. Without knowledge, it’s harder to make the right or smart decision in the moment.

One such example of an undisciplined penalty came immediately following Eason’s touchdown pass to Ridley, which looked to have won the game for the Bulldogs. Sophomore defensive back Rico McGraw, who wasn’t involved in the play, ran onto the field to celebrate the touchdown and drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

There is no definitive proof that Tennessee would have lost without that penalty or that it even impacted the game more than making Georgia kickoff from the 20-yard line instead of the 35, but it’s a question that shouldn’t have to be asked in the first place.

Moving forward, McGraw will likely remember that the celebration should wait until the win is secure and the players are back in the locker room. It may have been a costly lesson, yes, but one that should prove invaluable in the future.

That’s essentially what this season is about, learning for the future. Anything else should be considered gravy. Because the talent is slowly trickling into Athens and there was proof of that all over the field Saturday.

Enough has been said about Eason, but it’s plain to see that he is something special. Less than a year removed from high school, Eason already is leading the Bulldogs, not just trying to prevent mistakes.

True freshmen aren’t supposed to throw the ball 55 times on the road in the SEC and win, but Eason did that at Missouri. They aren’t supposed to lead an 81-yard touchdown drive with just over a minute left, but Eason did that, too.

He did his part to help pull off another miracle comeback Saturday.

He’s only going to get better, as are the other underclassmen who were making plays right beside him.

Consider this: Eason obviously led the team in passing. Nauta and Ridley were first and second in receiving with 83 and 59 yards, respectively, and a long touchdown each. Herrien finished second behind Sony Michel in rushing yards, gaining 74 yards on 15 carries.

In the team’s most important game, freshmen were among the leaders on offense. Defensively, the stat sheet was dominated by sophomores like Natrez Patrick, Trenton Thompson, Roquan Smith, and Deandre Baker.

Many of the Bulldogs’ big plays were made by underclassmen.

Baker jarred the ball loose from Hurd near the goal line, demonstrating the effort Smart covets. Eason dove on Michel’s fumble in the end zone, giving Georgia a 17-0 lead. Nauta broke free from Tennessee’s defense for a 50-yard touchdown catch. Ridley reeled in a 47-yard dime from Eason with 10 seconds left, something that last year’s team proved is no easy task.

Georgia’s inexperience in handling situations with the game on the line might have put Tennessee in the position to win Saturday, but its young players made plays all afternoon.

Discipline can be coached and learned, and a team’s composure is forged from moments such as the one the Bulldogs experienced this weekend.

A group of young players, led by a first-time head coach, took one of the SEC’s most experienced teams to the very end. The youth movement has begun at Georgia, and it should be a sight to behold.

William McFadden covers the University of Georgia for Saturday Down South. For news on everything happening between the hedges, follow him on Twitter @willmcfadden.