It’s the hope that kills you.
Tennessee thought the losing streak was over. The Vols hadn’t won a game in the Georgia-Tennessee series since 2016. As it drove for a potential game-winning field goal, it looked like the streak was coming to a merciful end. Instead, Tennessee pushed a 43-yard kick with 7 seconds remaining wide right. The Vol offense stalled on its first possession of the overtime period, and Georgia punched the ball into the endzone on the ensuing drive to win 44-41 and deflate Rocky Top.
The Vols raced out to a 21-7 lead after the first quarter. Georgia took its first lead of the game midway through the third — part of a 20-0 scoring run to silence the crowd inside Neyland Stadium.
Then Tennessee snatched the lead back on a 56-yard bomb from quarterback Joey Aguilar to wideout Chris Brazzell II. Georgia kicked a field goal to take the lead back early in the fourth. Tennessee immediately answered with a 32-yard pass from Aguilar to Braylon Staley.
Georgia tied the game on a 28-yard throw from Gunner Stockton to London Humphreys — on fourth down, no less — with 2:32 to play in the game. Georgia went for 2 and got it to knot things at 38-38.
Facing a third-and-8 with less than 2 to go, Aguilar found Staley again for 12 yards on a deep out. Star Thomas got the handoff on each of the next 3 plays; he gained 19 yards to push the Vols across midfield. On a third-and-4 with 45 seconds to play, DeSean Bishop bounced a run off tackle and picked up 7 to once again move the chains.
Tennessee set up Max Gilbert for a 43-yard field goal to win in the closing seconds, but he pushed it wide right.
Aguilar fired incomplete on the first play of the overtime period. Bishop was held to 1 yard on second down. Aguilar’s pass was broken up on third down. Gilbert drilled a 42-yard field goal from almost the exact same spot to put the Vols up by 3, but no one celebrated the redo.
Georgia tailback Nate Frazier took the first snap of the Bulldogs’ overtime possession 21 yards down the left sideline to push inside the Tennessee 4. Josh McCray scored the game-winner 2 plays later.
The streak will end at some point, just not this year.
Tennessee (2-1, 0-1 SEC) faces UAB next Saturday at home.
Georgia (3-0, 1-0 SEC) has a bye week before hosting Alabama on Sept. 27.
Georgia 44, Tennessee 41
Here’s the Georgia-Tennessee box score (use the dropdown menu to select team or player stats), followed by the complete play-by-play:
Joey Aguilar vs. Gunner Stockton
A statistical breakdown of how Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar played compared to Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton:
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
