December 10, 2024

Five takeaways from Tennessee vs. Georgia

Butch Jones and the Tennessee Volunteers were throttled 41-0 by the Georgia Bulldogs in Neyland Stadium on Saturday. Here are five takeaways from the Vols worst home loss since 1905.

Photo by Ben Proffitt.

Tennessee head coach Butch Jones yells into his headset during the Vols' game against Missouri in Neyland Stadium on Nov. 19, 2016.

The Tennessee Volunteers (3-2) took a total beating from the Georgia Bulldogs (5-0) at home on Saturday. The 41-0 loss signaled the first time the Vols have been shut-out since 1994 and the worst home loss since 1905.

Here are five takeaways from the historic thumping of Tennessee on Saturday.

1. Tennessee’s offense is awful

This may be a huge understatement, and the Vols’ offense shows no signs of getting better. After being set up multiple times from turnovers or defensive stops, the Tennessee offense failed to capitalize once. In fact, the Volunteers offense never made it into the redzone the whole game. The Tennessee offensive line was destroyed by the Bulldogs’ front seven and gave up three sacks and eight tackles-for-loss. Also, Vols’ quarterback Quentin Dormady and tailback John Kelly combined for just 100 total yards and three turnovers in the 41-0 loss.

2. Georgia’s rushing attack is unreal  

Not to say it wasn’t expected that the Bulldogs would gash Tennessee on the ground, but the Georgia rushing attack was on a new level Saturday. The Bulldogs rushed 55 times for 294 yards on the ground. The most impressive part is that Fromm threw just 17 times the whole game and Georgia still averaged five yards-per-carry running the ball. Running back Nick Chubb is on-track to rush for 1,000 yards for the third time in his career, plus Sony Michele, D’Andre Swift and Brian Herrien are all top shelf SEC backs. The Bulldogs’ stable of running backs is dominant, especially behind their improved offensive line.

3. Georgia is the real deal

There was a lot of doubt to whether or not Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs were the truth. At this point, it’s hard to deny that Georgia is a real contender, both in the SEC and nationally. The Bulldogs offense has one of the best running back corps in the nation and a true freshman quarterback that has been poised and efficient so far this season. However, the Georgia defense is littered with next-level talent and is one of the best in the NCAA. The Bulldogs are head-and-shoulders above any SEC East team and have one of the best chances to beat Alabama if they meet in Atlanta later this year.

4. Time to give Guarantano the keys

I was never the person to hop on the bandwagon to take Dormady out, mainly because Tennessee’s inefficiency on offense didn’t fall all on him. However, at this point in the season do you not give the keys to backup quarterback Jarrett Guarantano? Winning the SEC is impossible, and having a dual-threat quarterback could bring a spark to the offense. Either way, the Vols’ offense is obviously setup for a running quarterback. Plus, Dormady has as many interceptions as touchdowns in 2017 and does not fit in the offensive scheme whatsoever. It would be the perfect time to start Guarantano as the Volunteers head into a bye week before facing South Carolina in week seven.

5. Butch Jones’ seat is on fire

The temperature of Tennessee head coach Butch Jones’ seat may exceed the limits of what you would call a hot seat. After pulling out a miracle Hail Mary win over Georgia just one year ago, the Vols 41-0 loss at home puts even more pressure on Jones. Two of Tennessee’s three wins this season came in overtime against Gerogia Tech and in a four-point win over UMass. Just one week after his tangent about the “fake” local Knoxville media, Jones and the Vols got shut-out in Neyland in the worst home loss since 1905. It’s not possible for Jones’ hot seat to be any hotter.