Joey Aguilar lights up Georgia again with 72-yard TD pass in first quarter
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Joey Aguilar was 2-0 as Tennessee‘s starting quarterback going into Saturday, but those were victories against overmatched Syracuse and East Tennessee State.
Week 3 was a different story, with the 15th-ranked Volunteers hosting 6th-ranked Georgia in an SEC showdown on ABC. This was going to be Aguilar’s first true test at Tennessee, and so far on Saturday the transfer signal-caller showed he was very comfortable in a high-stakes situation.
Aguilar ran for a 4-yard touchdown run to give the Vols an early 7-0 lead, and after Georgia responded with Gunner Stockton’s own TD run that tied the game at 7-7, it was time for Aguilar to assert himself again. He did just that, connecting on a highlight-reel, 72-yard touchdown pass with Chris Brazzell II to immediately give Tennessee its lead back, this time at 14-7.
Here is the TD pass that was celebrated by Tennessee football’s social media account:
Aguilar was playing in his first real big game in orange, but you would’ve never known it with the way he came out firing — and running — against that tough Georgia defense. He started the game 10 for 10 with 179 yards passing and that scintillating TD.
There was a lot more game to go on Saturday, but Aguilar was continuing to endear himself to Tennessee fans with his play on the biggest stage.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
