Tennessee Football: Reasons the Vols Will Kick the 'Dawgs While They're Down
These last few years, the Tennessee-Georgia rivalry has lost some luster. Last season was the first time the two programs faced off with neither team ranked since 1937.
Now, one year later, another dubious stat looms large. Saturday will be the first time the two teams have played with losing records since 1906.
Is it just me, or do these teams seem to be heading backwards?
Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley has downplayed his return to the stadium he grew up in, cheering for his legendary father, Vince, who coached the Bulldogs from 1964-1988. And he should downplay it. The only link to Georgia for Derek Dooley is his infamous last name.
Last season, the Vols started out 2-3 before destroying the 3-2 'Dawgs 45-19 at Neyland Stadium. This time around, the Vols are, once again, 2-3. But Georgia has fallen on incredibly hard times and is riding a four-game losing streak into Saturday's border-state rivalry.
As the old saying goes, "something's gotta give." Here are five reasons why the Vols will come out victorious against the 'Dawgs on Saturday in Athens.
Tennessee Is Not As Bad As Some Would Have You Think
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No, Tennessee is not anywhere close to its dominance of the 90s. Heck, this Tennessee team will probably play in a December bowl, rather than its customary New Year's Day traditions of the past.
But don't believe for one minute that this team is in the bottom third of the SEC's 12 teams. That 10-12 spot is squarely occupied by Georgia, Ole Miss, and Vanderbilt. The Vols are around ninth on the list.
Some, especially those at the mothership (ESPN), would have you believe that this Tennessee team is barely better than Vanderbilt.
Sure, this team almost lost to UAB. Sure, it somehow snatched defeat from the jaws of victory because it couldn't count last week at LSU, but this team is still very talented in the two-deep.
Tennessee took Florida to the fourth quarter. It scared No. 3 Oregon for a half. And should have upset then-No. 10 LSU last week. Georgia lost at Mississippi State and South Carolina, barely mustering 18 points in each of those losses.
The 'Dawgs Are Desperate
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While this fact could work in Georgia's favor, it's likely to cause the adverse affect.
When a team tries too hard and gets caught over-compensating the results are rarely good. It's like driving. You are going 50 mph when a cat runs out in front of you and you swerve to miss it. You were desperate to not hit the cat, and in the process of missing it, you lose control of the car trying to correct.
The 'Dawgs could very well fall victim to that sort of thing Saturday.
In trying to be perfect, in part, to save their head coach's job, redshirt freshman, Aaron Murray could try to force things. While young, this Tennessee secondary has shown that it can make plenty of plays and force turnovers. It could get ugly if Murray and the 'Dawgs try too hard.
Tennessee Owns Georgia
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Tennessee literally owned this series throughout the 90s. The Vols won nine straight in this contest from 1989-1999. The 'Dawgs sent Jim Donnan off with a win over the Vols in his final season, 2000. Then Mark Richt defeated the Vols from 2001-2003.
But since the unranked Vols knocked off the No. 3 'Dawgs in 2004, in Athens, Tennessee has reclaimed some of the early dominance it had in this series. Tennessee crushed Georgia 51-33 in 2006, 35-14 in 2007, and 45-19 last year. The 'Dawgs have won two of the last six (2005 and 2008), but Tennessee finished with losing records in both of those seasons.
Tennessee is the 'Dawgs head again and that point will be proven further on Saturday.
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The Snowball Effect: Mark Richt Is A Marked Man
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You know how you begin to roll a snowball down a hill, and as you are rolling it picks up more and more snow until it becomes a gigantic sphere of frozen precipitation? Welcome to Mark Richt's Georgia coaching career.
The groans began when Georgia, after being ranked No. 1 in the 2008 preseason, was blown out at home by a rising Alabama squad. When that Georgia team, with two top 15 NFL draft picks finished its season in the Capital One Bowl, rather than a BCS appearance, the groans grew even louder.
When the 'Dawgs finished the 2009 season with five losses, Richt was allegedly on the hot-seat. With a 1-4 start to the 2010 season, including a loss to hapless Colorado, it would take a miracle to save the embattled coach's job. A loss to Tennessee would all but end his mostly successful tenure as Georgia's head coach.
Believe me, he knows it.
Tennessee Is Ready To Get the LSU Game Out Of Its Head
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What better way to take out some frustrations from the "too-many-men" debacle at LSU than to come out swinging against the 'Dawgs.
Of course, the bizarre loss from one week ago, could have the adverse effect on a team as well. If the Vols come out flat, and still in mourning, it could be a very long day for the big orange nation.
But something tells me the senior leadership on this otherwise young team will not let that happen. If the Vols can use their frustration as fuel, it will be a long day for head coach Mark Richt and the Georgia Bulldogs.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
