Tennessee Football took an early lead against Georgia, but was unable to hold it as the Vols lost 31-17 in Athens on Saturday night. It was Tennessee’s eighth straight loss in the series.

Here are five critical moments after the defeat.

More from RTI: How Tennessee Football performed against Georgia, according to PFF

The Last Man Standing saves a touchdown

Boo Carter made several Bulldogs miss next to him before fleeing into the open field. Georgia punter Brett Thorson was the only person standing between freshman punt returner Boo Carter and the end zone.

But Jalen McMurray smelled a block and Thorson made the tackle at the Georgia 37-yard line. Carter may still have scored if he turned outside and tried to beat the punt in the corner, but he certainly scores if McMurray makes the block.

Tennessee went three-and-out before Max Gilbert saved the chance by scoring a 52-yard field goal to give the Vols a 10-0 lead. But a 14-0 lead in the first quarter really feels like it would have changed the atmosphere of the game in the first quarter.

Make no bones about it, Carter has made a very nice return. It was almost a game-changing play.

The play that turned Georgia’s offensive fortunes around

Georgia had 24 total yards when Carson Beck sidelined a Tennessee defender before connecting with Dominic Lovett for a gain of 38 yards on the final play of the first quarter. A third down stop on third-and-8 would have put Tennessee back up 10-0 early in the second quarter. Instead, it caused an avalanche because of Georgia’s offense.

Even with the big play at the end of the quarter, Georgia had a total of 62 yards in the first quarter. The Bulldogs gained 391 total yards over the next three quarters.

After shooting stops on Georgia’s first three drives of the night, Tennessee allowed the Bulldogs to score just once on their final six drives. The Bulldogs’ offense would have come alive even without that play. But that was a clear and concise turning point.

Meaningfully insulting response

Georgia put together back-to-back touchdown drives to claim a 14–10 lead when Tennessee’s offense got the ball back with 6:36 to play in the first half.

Tennessee’s offense responded about as well as it has in a big moment all season, with a 75-yard touchdown in 10 plays. The Vols also ran out the clock on drives while relying largely on their run game. Dylan Sampson threw a 27-yard touchdown run that kept Tennessee from running out at the end of the first half.

But even as Georgia got three points before halftime, the touchdown kept Tennessee on solid footing despite a terrible second quarter on defense.

Conservative Point is counterproductive

Tennessee took the ball out of halftime and had a chance to regain the lead and some momentum early in the third quarter. It was a strong drive to start as the Vols moved across midfield, thanks in part to a 17-yard pass from Nico Iamaleava to Squirrel White.

But Tennessee’s offense stalled after two consecutive incompletions and faced fourth-and-6 at the Georgia 36-yard line. Gilbert had already made a field goal that was only two yards shorter and it was a doable fourth down. But Heupel played it conservatively and opted to kick.

Georgia made him pay by marching the ball 87 yards in 12 plays to take a lead he wouldn’t relinquish. Not only would Tennessee never tie the game again, they never reached Georgia’s 36-yard line again.

Third-and-2 Backbreaker

Josh Heupel would go for it early in the fourth at quarterback on fourth down around midfield before a false start penalty on Lance Heard backed them up. Jackson Ross pinned Georgia at its own seven-yard line and Tennessee desperately needed a stop to get the ball back seven points in the fourth quarter.

The Bulldogs had third-and-2 on their own 38-yard line. The right guard moved early, but there was no call. Beck fired deep down the right sideline and London Humphreys hauled in an incredibly contested catch on Jermod McCoy for a 28-yard gain.

It took eight more plays for Georgia to find the end zone, but at that point the game was effectively over.