Paul Finebaum explains why Kirby Smart needs to beat Tennessee
By Luke Greco
Published:
No. 6 Georgia is set to travel to Neyland Stadium this Saturday to take on No. 15 Tennessee and the Vols’ red-hot offense.
Paul Finebaum believes it’s a massive game for Kirby Smart.
On the Always College Football podcast with Greg McElroy, Finebaum pointed out that Georgia’s run over the past 9 years has been highlighted by their dominance over teams like Florida and Tennessee, and to continue this run, Smart will need to continue this dominance. He went on to note that Tennessee believes this is its best shot at knocking off Georgia and a big moment for them and their season.
“They will suddenly become this week’s overreaction (if they lose),” Finebaum said of the Dawgs. “Their fans have been on a little bit of an edge for a while. … This is a really big game for Kirby Smart. … I don’t know what to expect in this game, quite frankly.”
Tennessee is coming off a pair of victories against Syracuse and East Tennessee State, in which its offense looked unstoppable. Against Syracuse, Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar threw for 247 yards and 3 touchdowns. Running back Star Thomas took 12 carries for 92 yards. In their game against East Tennessee State, Aguilar threw for 288 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Thomas rushed for 69 yards and 3 touchdowns.
On the other side, Georgia’s offense struggled last week against Austin Peay. Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton completed 26 of his 34 passes for 227 yards, but was unable to crack the end zone. All 4 scores for Georgia came on the ground — 2 from Nate Frazier and 2 from Chauncey Bowens. While the offense has struggled to get going, the defense has held its own, allowing only 403 yards of total offense through the first 2 games.
Will Tennessee finally knock off Georgia and make their mark on this season, or will Smart and Georgia continue their dominance over Tennessee? Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.
