Georgia Exposed as SEC Pretender in Loss to Tennessee

Great teams have the killer instinct that allows them to put away teams when they're put on the ropes.

Georgia lacks that instinct.

When it got its opponent on the ropes in the first half on the road in Neyland Stadium on Saturday in the 38-31 loss to Tennessee, it stopped throwing haymakers, put its guard down and let the once-fragile Vols punch themselves out of the corner and throw a knockout blow that will be felt throughout the SEC East.

Despite losing star running back Nick Chubb on the first offensive play, the Bulldogs built a 24-3 lead late in the second quarter on the heels of a tremendous outing from backup running back Sony Michel and a 75-yard punt return for a touchdown from Reggie Davis with 2:23 to play in the second quarter. They appeared to be headed to halftime with enough momentum to fill not only Neyland Stadium but the entire state of Tennessee.

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Instead of closing and going into halftime with a cushion, the Bulldogs allowed a ridiculous 39-yard touchdown catch and run from Joshua Dobbs to Josh Smith on 4th-and-8 in triple coverage with 1:04 left, fumbled the ensuing kickoff return and allowed Dobbs to hit running back Alvin Kamara to help bring the Vols within seven at the half.

The inability to close popped up in the second half as well. 

Reggie Davis dropped a potential game-tying score with four minutes to play that was in his hands and would have swung momentum back to the Bulldogs sideline late in a critical situation. 

Prior to the last play of the game, Georgia came out with 12 men on the field before quarterback Greyson Lambert's pass to the end zone fell to the turf as time ran dry.

This was the final nail in the coffin of Georgia's 2015 title hopes, which were built out of a house of cards rather than a slab of cement.

As Seth Emerson of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution noted on Twitter, the Bulldogs set a record that no coach wants to have his name associated with:

Georgia was never a legitimate national title contender. 

The absence of a deep threat opposite receiver Malcolm Mitchell, the frantic search for a quarterback, settling on Virginia's backup and a defensive line that was incredibly unproven were all clear indications that this Georgia team was searching for answers in the offseason rather than preparing for a title run.

There aren't many complete teams in college football this year, but Georgia is woefully incomplete in the passing game and isn't mature in the trenches. That leads to inconsistency in a wide-open (and largely underwhelming) SEC East.

Some of those issues are head coach Mark Richt's fault, since former hot-shot prep quarterback Brice Ramsey didn't evolve into a stud on his watch and wide receivers outside of Mitchell didn't develop as they learned under former star Chris Conley.

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But other issues—such as the defensive line—are more products of timing and normal college football attrition than anything else.

Georgia's loss to Tennessee proved that the Bulldogs are pretenders in 2015. 

This roster was never elite. It was par for the course in the downtrodden SEC East, and the lack of a killer instinct and the inability to stretch the field on Rocky Top only solidified that.

Yes, Georgia has recruited well. But so have Florida and Tennessee, and both of those schools have struggled recently. Raw talent doesn't necessarily mean that a team is without major roster deficiencies, and Georgia is no exception.

The Bulldogs lost their star on the first play of the game, but Michel had a career-high 22 touches for 145 yards and a touchdown in the loss.

Chubb's absence didn't prevent the defensive front from collapsing against a Vols offense that pounds the rock despite an offensive line that's less-than-stellar. Chubb's absence didn't allow Dobbs to light up a secondary through the air with 312 yards and three scores despite not even trying to stretch the field all year. Chubb's absence didn't force Davis to drop a surefire touchdown that was sitting in his bread basket. Chubb's absence didn't cause Michel to fumble a kick return late in the second quarter.

All of the issues that made Georgia a pretender did, and they came to the forefront on Rocky Top Saturday afternoon.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Statistics are courtesy of CFBStats.com. 

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and national college football video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on SiriusXM 83. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.