SportsDirect Inc. Ad
SportsDirect Inc. Ad
SportsDirect Inc. Ad
College Football
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Georgia 41, Tennessee 0
When: 3:30 PM ET, Saturday, September 30, 2017
Where: Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tennessee
Temperature: 77°
Head Official: Hubert Owens
Attendance: 102455

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Georgia coach Kirby Smart is a long way from being ready to make any kind of hyperbolic statement regarding the play of his seventh-ranked Bulldogs.

Others will probably do it for him after Georgia's 41-0 beat-down of Tennessee in Neyland Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

"If you form good habits, good habits will start to form you," Smart said. "If you form those in practice, they carry on in game and they're starting to do that with a little more confidence."

The Bulldogs (5-0, 2-0 SEC) certainly have a lot going their way.

Georgia dominated the game in every way possible, churning up 380 yards of offense while holding Tennessee to just 142 and forcing four turnovers (two interceptions and two fumble recoveries).

The loss marked the first time the Volunteers (3-2, 0-2) have been shut out since 1994. Opponents have scored only four touchdowns against Georgia this year.

"We had a couple of close calls with shutouts this year, but they got in," Bulldogs linebacker Lorenzo Carter said. "It's great, but it's just more satisfying that we finished this game hard with the way we played and didn't let them in."

True freshman quarterback Jake Fromm accounted for three of Georgia's touchdowns, rushing for two and throwing for another score.

The game was also special for Bulldogs running back Nick Chubb.

During his last trip to Knoxville in 2015, Chubb tore up his knee on the game's first carry, forcing him to miss the rest of the season. Chubb enjoyed some sweet revenge on Saturday, carrying 16 times for 109 yards.

"Emotions were running high, certainly for me coming back to this place after what happened but this really wasn't a big deal," Chubb said. "We came here and executed as we always have. I think overall we had a great game."

Tennessee, meanwhile, continues to spiral.

Volunteers fans were already growing more skeptical of coach Butch Jones, and boos rained down late in the third quarter after Sony Michel's 21-yard touchdown made the score 31-0.

Brian Herrien added 1-yard touchdown run for the Bulldogs early in the fourth, and by the time kicker David Marvin kicked a 19-yard field goal with 5:34 to play, what was a sold-out stadium of 102,455 was whittled down to a few thousand Bulldogs fans.

"When you're playing a good team like Georgia, every opportunity you have, you have to make a play," Jones said. "But there's no excuses. There's no hiding behind it."

Georgia couldn't have wished for a better first half.

The Bulldogs dominated the first 30 minutes, getting touchdown runs of 9 and 4 yards from Fromm, who also accounted for Georgia's first touchdown on a 12-yard pass to Javon Wims.

A 38-yard field goal by Rodrigo Blankenship accounted for the rest of the points.

Tennessee, meanwhile, didn't sniff much yardage at all.

Georgia held the Vols to 64 total yards in the first half, including just 11 through the air for quarterback Quinten Dormady, who completed just three of the first 12 passes he attempted with two interceptions, one each by Tyrique McGhee and J.R. Reed.

"You don't want to lose like that," Dormady said. "All we can do is get back, look at it and continue to build. But this was a tough loss for sure."

Later in the game, the Bulldogs were credited with a blocked punt when Trevor Daniel's kick went right into the line and off the facemask of Georgia's D'Andre Walker.

"This team has no letup," McGhee said. "You don't stop until that clock says 0-0. That's our mindset and it's helped us get over the hump."

Tennessee, meanwhile, has plenty of questions -- mostly on offense.

Dormady was 5 of 16 for 64 yards. Backup Jarrett Guarantano was 6 of 7 for 16 yards.

"I'm very concerned," Jones said. "We never established any rhythm; we did not establish any tempo. I don't think we had any explosive plays. It was as bad an offensive performance as I've ever been associated with and it was inexcusable."

NOTES: Saturday's win was the 800th in Bulldogs history. ... Georgia lost LB Reggie Carter to a concussion and Trenton Thompson to a right knee injury. Neither player returned. ... Tennessee honored former quarterback Peyton Manning at halftime for his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. ... Georgia QB Jacob Eason, the returning starter who suffered a knee injury in the opener, made his first appearance since them, entering the game in the fourth quarter.
Top Game Performances
Rushing
Georgia   Tennessee
Nick Chubb Player John Kelly
16 Attempts 16
109 Yards 44
6.8 Avg Yards 2.8
0 Touchdowns 0
0 Long 0
Receiving
Georgia   Tennessee
Terry Godwin Player John Kelly
2 Receptions 4
43 Yards 47
21.5 Avg Yards 11.8
0 Touchdowns 0
0 Long 0
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Georgia 378 294 84 5 2 2 3.0 1
Tennessee 142 62 80 0 0 1 2.0 2