The Georgian defense took an early blow and responded in a big way.

The Bulldogs fell in an early 10-0 hole against Tennessee on Saturday night. But Georgia allowed just seven points the rest of the way en route to a 31-17 win.

“We stopped the run a little better, a little better, and that gave us a chance,” the Georgia head coach said Kirby Smart said. “I was really proud of the secondary because you’re in some really tough coverage environments, like in space. And some of it they helped us with. I think they dropped some balls that were like bang, bang, but they didn’t get behind us. And that’s the big achievement, keeping them in front of you, tackling them. I wasn’t really happy about stopping the run, but we did enough.

Tennessee’s offense presents many unique challenges to opposing defenses.

The Volunteers use pace as much as any offense in the country. They also split the receivers wider than normal to make opposing defenses thin.

The Bulldogs came up with a plan to close it down.

“We had a game plan to make sure everything was condensed for us as the backers stay in the box,” says linebacker Jalon Walker said. “They have a great running back and had a good quarterback as well. When you know what they have to do, playing Tennessee football, you’re going to see those top players. So just adapt to the game and do what we have to do.”

Georgia limited Tennessee to just 130 offensive yards while pitching a shutout in the second half. They also fired Tennessee’s quarterback Nico Jamaleava five times a night.

“It’s hard to take him down,” Smart said. “I mean, that guy is a tough competitor right now. I mean, I’ve gained a lot of respect for him because he’s been through what he’s been through this week. He’s got great speed, he’s got great vision and he’s a very talented quarterback with a bright future.” .”

The strong effort started in practice this week under the guidance of veterans such as senior linebacker Smael Mondon.

“I would let the guys know all week that they really need to take the training seriously because the way we prepare for it usually gets us ready,” Mondon said. “So just practice seriously, and then really try to line up, put your cleats in the ground and make the phone call, because they go really fast.”

The volunteers had Georgia on the phone early. But the defense’s response allowed the offense to right itself and score 31 points, beating Tennessee and keeping Georgia’s College Football Playoff hopes alive.