Tennessee Volunteers vs. Georgia Bulldogs: Two Teams Going Nowhere Fast

Imagine my chagrin as I read the following stat Monday morning: the last time the Vols and Bulldogs played when both were unranked, 1937.
 
My first reaction was “Wow!” 

My second reaction was to e-mail all my friends that are fans of the respective teams so we could all weep together.
 
In the '90s, the Vols owned the ‘Dawgs.  Winning nine straight contests, with only a handful of them being close, made this a rivalry that really wasn’t appreciated by Tennessee fans.  That all changed after Georgia won four straight games against the Vols from ’00-’03.
 
I was in the stands as TE Verron Hayes caught the game-winning touchdown from David Greene with 10 seconds left in the game.  The Vols were ranked No. 6 in the country and had scored a touchdown with 40 seconds left that we all thought was the nail in Georgia’s coffin that day.
 
In 2004, Tennessee would return the favor from ’01 in Athens, as the No. 17 Vols knocked off the No. 3 ‘Dawgs in what was quite possibly my favorite Tennessee game ever.
 
Since then, the series has been virtually streakless with the ‘Dawgs winning in ’05 and ’08, while the Vols won the contests of ’06 and ’07.
 
It’s usually a rivalry that goes the opposite of how you think it will go.  In that ’01 game, the Vols were heavy favorites and lost.  In ’04, it was just the opposite.  In ’06, the Dawgs boasted the No. 1 defense in the nation, when Tennessee scored 51 points in Athens to stun the faithful.  In ’07, unranked Tennessee was up 28-0 before the No. 12 ‘Dawgs even knew what hit them.
 
This year, however, we don’t have the luxury of knowing who should win the game.  This is obviously a first for most of the rabid fans that will watch Saturday’s game, as no one under 80 remembers the last time the teams met with each unranked.
 
Who does a win benefit more?  Neither team will play in Atlanta in early December.  The loser of this one faces the distinct possibility of being at home in late December/early January when bowl season comes around as well.
 
Another loss for either coach means the natives keep up their restlessness.  Richt has equity, while Kiffin has just started the rebuilding process.  Another disappointing loss for Georgia after last season’s 10-3 choke-job would most certainly land Richt on the hot seat.  Georgia was supposed to win it all in ’08, but lost three games while losing players to discipline problems and injuries from the outset.
 
That said, I think the Vols have to win this game in order to get the fans buzzing again.  Lane Kiffin is not very popular among other SEC fans right now, but his support in the Vol Nation is eroding somewhat as well because of his refusal to at least try another quarterback.
 
Most expected Georgia to struggle somewhat this season.  Losing two key players to the first round of the NFL draft has that effect, strangely enough.  One cannot underestimate how much they would like to beat the Vols, though.
 
Tennessee has been anemic on offense for most the season, unless you count the drubbing that they handed Western Kentucky High and the 34 points against Ohio.
 
While Tennessee’s rushing game has been special at times, its QB/WR play has been downright awful.
 
The defense, however, has been near top-notch.  They’ve held Florida to 23 points and Auburn’s high octane scoring attack was slowed to 26—half its average points per game.
 
Georgia lost its first game to Oklahoma State, and was lucky to escape the South Carolina, Arkansas, and Arizona State games with a win.
 
After its own offense looked weak at Stillwater, Georgia won two straight shootouts by scoring 41 and 52 points against South Carolina and Arkansas, respectively.  The defense gave up 102 points in those first three games, however.
 
The ‘Dawg “D” showed up against Arizona State, but Georgia’s offense had to go on a late drive to win it with a field goal, 20-17.  Last week, the ‘Dawgs held LSU’s 99th-ranked offense to nearly nothing until the fourth quarter, when the Tigers scored 14 points to win the game.
 
So where does that leave us?  Tennessee has shown nothing offensively, except a decent running game, when head coach Lane Kiffin sticks with it, while the Vols defense has been stellar.  Georgia has been inconsistent in both facets of the game for the majority of the season.
 
Tennessee has been atrocious at times on special teams this year, and Georgia has been no shooting star themselves.  The ‘Dawgs do have a kicker, however.  Blair Walsh missed his first field goal all season last week.  The Vols kicker, Daniel Lincoln has been largely inconsistent for two seasons now.
 
One area where Tennessee has a decided advantage is penalties.  Tennessee is one of the least-penalized teams in the country (No. 3), while Georgia is ranked 114th having earned quite a few yellow hankies this season.
 
Penalties have been a staple of Georgia football since Richt came aboard, which is the main reason why I had zero sympathy for the ‘Dawgs after the rogue celebration penalty was thrown last week setting up the LSU win.
 
Despite what you may hear from either side, this game is about as evenly matched as it can be—which is probably why the oddsmakers have the Vols favored by two points.
 
The Vols have to shut down WR A.J. Green.  He is the key to the Georgia offense.  If you stop him, you stop the ‘Dawgs.  I think Monte Kiffin and the Vols will do just that.
 
I also believe that this Tennessee team is mad and is ready to finally put a full game together.  Jonathan Crompton had a great fourth quarter last week, and the Vols should utilize the no-huddle to his advantage.
 
I’m picking the Vols 24-17 in a breakout game that nets Lane Kiffin his first big win and further compounds Mark Richt’s new-found inconsistency at Georgia.