Faced with the prospect of almost certain elimination from the College Football Playoff race, No. 12 Georgia used a big performance from Carson Beck and a second-half shutout defense to defeat No. 7 Tennessee 31-17.

The Bulldogs rallied from a 10-0 deficit in the second quarter thanks to 346 passing yards, two touchdowns through the air and a rushing score from Beck, securing a win that should put them back into the CFP selection committee’s bracket after they dropped last week. After a 28-10 loss to Ole Miss. Tennessee’s first three possessions of the second half ended in punts.

The result gives Georgia a third win this season over a current Top 25 team (Texas and Clemson are the others) and puts Tennessee right on the bubble with just one Top 25 win and only UTEP and Vanderbilt still standing on the program.

Beck, who had thrown nine interceptions in his last four games, completed his first game without a pick since the Oct. 5 win over Auburn. That helped take the pressure off a Georgian defense that was held without a takeaway until Nico Iamaleava was stripped. fourth place to end Tennessee’s final drive.

Ten of Beck’s 25 completions ended to tight ends, including two scores to Oscar Delp, who had just nine catches this season but finished with four catches for 56 yards.

Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson led the Vols with 101 yards and his 21st rushing touchdown of the season on 19 carries.

Below, our takeaways from a big night for the SEC and Playoff race in Athens.

Carson Beck is back

This was last year’s Beck, the one many expected to be in contention for the Heisman Trophy, perhaps even the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. He had a click with his ball, he threw accurately across the field and made good decisions.

And in a tribute to predecessor Stetson Bennett, whose touchdown run was the highlight of the 2022 win over Tennessee in Athens, Beck made a surprising use of his own feet: a 10-yard run on third down for the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter, following a 14-yard run in the second quarter to set up Georgia’s first touchdown. After that run, Beck extended his arm and pointed forward, the first down signal. Maybe a little cocky, but a sign that his swagger was back.

It was Beck’s passing that caused the offense, along with the pass protection that was noticeably better than previous weeks. After giving up five sacks in last week’s loss to Ole Miss, the Bulldogs gave left tackle Monroe Freeling his first career start, and he, along with the rest of the line, gave Beck a clean sack.

Beck threw for more than 200 yards over the course of four consecutive scoring drives in the second and third quarters.

That production came despite a series of drops from his receivers and the loss of starter Dillon Bell, who left in the second quarter with an ankle injury. Beck turned to veteran tight end Delp, who hauled in the first two touchdowns. Arian Smith and Dominic Lovett made up for their drops with big receptions. London Humphreys pulled in some big passes. And a true freshman getting his first major action, Nitro Tuggle, found his way into the game plan.

Five different Georgia players had at least 50 receiving yards. It was the kind of night Georgia had envisioned this year, a confident Beck dishing out a range of options. It ended up coming together at just the right time. — Seth Emerson

GO DEEPER

2024 College Football Playoff Projections: Colorado Favored to Win the Big 12, Bye

Vols’ College Football Playoff hopes to take a serious hit

Tennessee would have been in prime position to make the SEC title game and be nearly a lock to make the College Football Playoff — assuming wins over UTEP and Vanderbilt — with a win. Shoot, Tennessee would have had a case for No. 2 in the country with this win. Now the Vols wait nervously to see what the committee will do with them on Tuesday and what it will ultimately say about their chances. Indiana and BYU both passed the Vols in the rankings last week after disappointing wins.

Of course, trying to estimate the committee’s weekly variance is a folly, as the four-team era has taught us. But the Vols could use a convincing win on their rival’s home court in Nashville over Thanksgiving weekend, and they may need help elsewhere. — Joe Rexrode

Bulldogs are climbing back as contenders

Georgia’s season was on the brink after the loss at Ole Miss. A third loss likely would have doomed the preseason No. 1 team to miss the first 12-team College Football Playoff, an outcome that would have been considered a failure even with Georgia’s tough schedule. failure.

And when Tennessee jumped out to a 10-0 lead, it was easy to feel the fear in Sanford Stadium. Then the game became one game.

Standing on third-and-long, after the offense had gained a total of 21 yards on the first 15 plays, Beck saw a Tennessee player jump offside and go for the big play — and got it, finding Lovett for a catch of 38 yards. and run. Four plays later, Georgia scored. The momentum had reversed. Georgia also scored the next three times it touched the ball, taking a 24-17 lead in the fourth quarter before putting it away.

This win in itself doesn’t confirm Georgia’s spot in the Playoff, but the Bulldogs’ next two games are also at home, and they will be favored. Next week against UMass should provide a chance to rest physically and emotionally before the regular season finale against Georgia Tech.

This team from Georgia was not close to being the best team in the country this season. But they could still be a dangerous team in the Playoff, especially if the final three games serve as a rejuvenation. On Saturday evening it looked like this would happen. — Emerson

Tennessee’s disappearing pass rush

Ole Miss sacked Beck five times last week and didn’t need a blitz to live in Georgia’s backfield. That didn’t bode well for the Bulldogs against projected first-round pick James Pearce Jr. and one of the nation’s deepest and most talented defensive fronts.

But that’s why games are worth playing. The run game was mostly just a time-killer for Georgia – the running backs managed just 75 yards on 24 carries – but Beck was clean in the pocket all night. Tennessee recorded zero sacks and sent additional rushers in the fourth quarter to no avail. The Vols’ offense actually took another step forward in this game while their supposed biggest advantage failed to materialize. They’re not a huge sack team – they were ranked 35th in the FBS and have 22 coming this weekend – but it was a huge disappointment that Beck had no impact at all. — Rexrode

(Photo: Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)