Takeaways from Tennessee’s last-second win against Georgia
Tennessee used another Houdini-like escape to nab another win and move to 5-0 for the first time since 1998. What should Vol fans take away from the win?
ATHENS, GA - OCTOBER 01, 2016 - wide receiver Jauan Jennings #15 of the Tennessee Volunteers, offensive lineman Charles Mosley #78 of the Tennessee Volunteers, and quarterback Josh Dobbs #11 of the Tennessee Volunteers during the game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Tennessee Volunteers at Sanford Stadium in Athens, GA. Photo By Craig Bisacre/Tennessee Athletics
After yet another slow start, Tennessee managed to earn its fifth win of the season with a 43-yard touchdown pass to Jauan Jennings as time expired.
As they have several times already this year, the Vols dug themselves into a hole before somehow managing to pull themselves out and escaping with a win. After falling behind 17-0 in the first half, they fought back and eventually took a 28-24 lead with just under three minutes left in the game. Georgia managed to retake the lead with a 47-yard touchdown with 10 seconds remaining before an Evan Berry returned a short kick and set up Josh Dobbs’ game-winning pass.
Tennessee’s secondary is in bad shape.
Tennessee’s defensive line continued the dominant play that they showed in the second half against Florida, pressuring Jacob Eason all afternoon and making life difficult for him for most of the afternoon. When Eason had time, however, he was able to pick apart Tennessee’s back seven. The Vols came into the game without starting linebackers Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Darrin Kirkland Jr. and star cornerback Cam Sutton due to injury. Sutton’s backup Justin Martin missed the game due to suspension, leaving the team without several of its top defensive players. Martin and Reeves-Maybin should probably be back sooner rather than later, but there’s no telling when Sutton or Kirkland will return. Senior defensive back Malik Foreman had a late-game interception, but he followed it up with an ugly breakdown in coverage on Georgia’s go-ahead touchdown with 10 seconds left. If Tennessee’s stars continue to miss time and the rest of the team can’t figure something out, the rest of the season may not be as pleasant as the 5-0 start has been.
The slow starts need to stop, quickly.
For the fourth time in five games, Tennessee was not the first team to score and eventually faced a double-digit deficit. With a perfect record in those games, it may seem like a meaningless statistic. Unfortunately for the Vols, it is not. The team has shown a great ability to shake off bad starts and churn out victories, but it’s a dangerous habit that could easily come back to haunt them. Dobbs has done a wonderful job leading the team through adversity and carrying them on his back at times, but he also has a habit of making poor passing decisions. If he makes a mistake and throws an interception at the wrong time, it could spell doom for his team and end whatever hopes the Vols may have of competing in the College Football Playoff.
Tennessee is the luckiest team in the country.
One of the major reasons Tennessee has been able to escape with five wins even after such slow starts has been its incredible luck. Fumble recoveries are almost always random, and a team should expect to recover around half of the balls that hit the ground over the course of a season. Instead, the Vols have recovered six fumbles while only losing three. That number doesn’t even include the times Tennessee fumbled the ball and managed to pick it up themselves, like the game-winning Jalen Hurd fumble recovery in the end zone against Appalachian State; according to TeamRankings.com’s fumble stats, the Vols recovered 85 percent of total fumbles coming into the Georgia game, and they were the best in the nation in recovering their own. In addition, desperation passes like Tennessee’s final attempt are extremely low-percentage plays. Georgia’s last pass wasn’t on the same desperate, unlikely level either — it was a beautiful deep pass against a cornerback that fell asleep. Tennessee’s last play was a heave in the general direction of an orange jersey with no time remaining. Jennings made a great play to go up and catch a jump ball, but it’s an exceedingly unlikely outcome. The luck that Tennessee has had so far this season has been a big reason for its undefeated start this year. If a few fumbles bounce a different way, the Vols could be in the midst of an incredibly disappointing season.
Final takeaway.
It seems unfair to be so negative after such an exciting and important win, but there are reasons for Vol fans to be concerned. The 5-0 starts puts them in the driver’s seat in the SEC East and should boost them back into the top 10 in the polls. Still, Tennessee’s wins have come despite a rash of injuries leading to poor defensive play and a number of slow starts, thanks in large part to a heaping helping of luck. Of course, those concerns are erased as long as Tennessee keeps winning. So far, the Vols have put together a season that they should be very proud of; if they can iron out some wrinkles, it could become a legendary campaign that fans and players will never forget.
Edited by Nathan Odom
Featured image by Craig Bisacre, courtesy of Tennessee Athletics
Quinn is an assistant sports editor for TNJN and a sophomore majoring in Journalism and Electronic Media at the University of Tennesse. When he's not writing, he's probably doing something else. You can follow him on Twitter (@QuinnNotCook) or e-mail him at qpilkey@vols.utk.edu.
