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Dan Mullen previews matchup between Tennessee offense and Georgia defense
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Dan Mullen will be keeping an eye on one major matchup as Georgia hosts Tennessee on Saturday.
The Volunteers enter the game with the country’s top-ranked offense in yards per game (553.0) and scoring (49.4 ppg). Their aerial output, 353.4 yards per game, is 2nd in FBS to Washington. Meanwhile, while the Bulldogs are 2nd nationally in total yardage (530.1) and top 10 in passing, their defense will be a major talking point as they’re holding opponents to 10.5 points per game (2nd only to Illinois) and 262.6 yards per outing (4th in FBS).
As the old cliché goes, something has to give. Mullen will be looking to see how Georgia responds defensively in the absence of Nolan Smith, as the star linebacker is out for the remainder of the season with a pectoral injury.
“It’ll be interesting to see when they have some injuries. Can they slow down the run game without having to put an extra guy in the box, which I think they’re going to have the ability to do at times, and match up on the outside with Tennessee’s receivers? And I think they can,” the former Mississippi State and Florida head coach said on Sirius XM’s “Full Ride” on Thursday. “And I think Georgia’s going to be able to score points, and be balanced offensively, even though Tennessee’s defense looked better…
“I like Georgia in this game. I think they match up pretty well at this time with everything going on, and they’re certainly going to be the toughest matchup Tennessee’s seen this year.”
How will the @GeorgiaFootball defense match up with the prolific @Vol_Football offense this weekend in Athens?@CoachDanMullen broke it down on Full Ride. For more Full Ride, visit https://t.co/AhfabWZYb6 pic.twitter.com/gmePKw3var
— College Sports on SiriusXM (@SXMCollege) November 3, 2022
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
