ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — On a raucous Saturday night between the hedges, Carson Beck once again looked like a quarterback who could lead Georgia to another national title.

Beck showed his arms and legs and silenced his critics throwing for two touchdowns and running for another, leading the No. 11 Bulldogs to a 31-17 win over No. 6 Tennessee that gave a huge boost to their College Football Playoff hopes.

Georgia (8-2, 6-2 Southeastern Conference, No. 12 CFP) rebounded from a 28-10 loss at Ole Miss that left the Bulldogs just outside the preliminary postseason field of 12 teams.

Now they’re positioned for a likely playoff berth — and a chance at winning their third national championship in four years — if they can close out the regular season with wins over UMass and Georgia Tech.

“The way we were able to bounce back from last week, I’m just so proud of these guys,” Beck said. “The word that really identifies us is resilient. We remain so calm in moments of high pressure. Even though it may not look perfect, it may not look nice, we are going to get the job done.”

Tennessee (8-2, 5-2, No. 7 CFP) could have taken a big step closer to a berth in the SEC championship game, but the Vols’ postseason prospects are now a lot bleaker after what all happened officiated a playoff elimination game.

Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said he has “no idea” where his team currently stands in the playoffs.

“All I know is this league is the best college football,” he said. “It’s hard to win in this competition. It’s a good football team we just played against. … We’re a good football team, too.”

In the middle of a disappointing seasonBeck came up big for the Bulldogs when they needed him most, leading them to a 29th straight home win in an FBS-leading streak dating back to 2019.

Beck connected on a pair of touchdown passes to tight end Oscar Delp in the first half and fought for the lead in the third quarter, he bolted 10 yards to the end zone for his first rushing TD of the season.

Georgia sealed the victory with a 92-yard drive – its longest of the season – in the closing minutes. Freshman Nate Frazier finished it off with a 2-yard touchdown run with 2:26 left.

“A week ago we were dead and gone,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “People had written us off.”

Beck, who had thrown 12 interceptions in the previous six games, had no picks against the Volunteers. He completed 25 of 40 passes for 347 yards.

With quarterback Nico Iamaleava cleared to play after clearing the concussion protocol, Tennessee jumped out to a 10-0 lead after Miles Kitselman’s 1-yard plunge and Max Gilbert’s 52-yard field goal, lifting the mood of more than 93,000 people at the Sanford Stadium was dampened.

But the Bulldogs, after a slow start that has become their trademark, took the lead when Beck connected with Delp on similar scoring passes from 19 and 4 yards into the back of the end zone.

Dylan Sampson put the Vols back in front with his 21st rushing touchdown of the season, a 27-yard run through a huge hole right down the middle.

Beck led the Bulldogs into position for Peyton Woodring’s 36-yard field goal with five seconds left in the half, sending the teams to the locker room tied at 17.

Beck’s running

The Georgia quarterback isn’t known as a runner, but he put up a career-high 32 yards on three carries – all huge plays for the Bulldogs.

A thrilling 14-metre run set up his first touchdown pass to Delp, an 8-yard run on third down extended the drive that led to Woodring’s field goal near the end of the first half and the touchdown run came on third-and-7 from the 10.

“He’s a good athlete,” Smart said. “He can play with his feet.”

The takeaway

Tennessee: The Vols defense hadn’t allowed more than 19 points all season, but they couldn’t contain the Beck-led offense. Georgia racked up 453 yards and 24 first downs while converting eight of 13 third-down opportunities. Tennessee simply has no answer for the Bulldogs, who have dominated the series with eight straight wins – all by a margin of at least two touchdowns.

Georgia: The Bulldogs played without top running back Trevor Etienne, who was sidelined with a rib problem, and the offense took another blow when receiver Dillon Bell went out with an ankle injury suffered from a hit along the sideline late in the first half. But Frazier, the first true freshman to start at tailback for the Bulldogs since 2014, rushed for 68 yards and London Humphreys stepped up and made three huge catches for 63 yards. Also a big shout out to the offensive line, which didn’t give up a sack after Beck was dumped five times by Ole Miss the week before.

Next

Tennessee: The Vols return home next Saturday to take on UTEP before wrapping up the regular season with a quick trip to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt on Nov. 30.

Georgia: With their SEC schedule complete, the Bulldogs close out the regular season with two non-conference games at home. UMass (2-8) shouldn’t be much of a problem next Saturday.

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This story has been corrected to show that Georgia’s best running back is Trevor, not Travis, Etienne. They’re brothers.

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