Facing down the prospect of elimination from the College Football Playoff race, No. 12 Georgia used a stellar outing from Carson Beck and a second-half shutout from the defense to beat No. 7 Tennessee 31-17.
The Bulldogs rallied from a 10-0 second-quarter deficit thanks to 346 passing yards, two touchdowns through the air and a rushing score from Beck, securing a win that should move them back into the CFP selection committee’s bracket after they fell out last week following 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 (joining Texas and Clemson) and puts Tennessee squarely on the bubble with just one Top 25 win and only UTEP and Vanderbilt left on the schedule.
Beck, who had thrown nine interceptions in his last four games, completed his first game without a pick since the win over Auburn on Oct. 5. That helped take pressure off a Georgia defense that was held without a takeaway until Nico Iamaleava was stripped on fourth down to end Tennessee’s final drive.
Ten of Beck’s 25 completions went to tight ends, including two scores for 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 the Beck of last year, the one many expected to be in the running for the Heisman Trophy, maybe even the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. He had zip on his ball, he threw downfield with accuracy and he made good decisions.
And in homage to predecessor Stetson Bennett, whose touchdown run was the highlight of the 2022 win over Tennessee in Athens, Beck made surprising use of his own feet: a 10-yard run on third down for the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter, following up 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 bit cocksure, but a sign that his swagger was back.
It was Beck’s passing that carried the offense, along with pass protection that was remarkably 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 pocket.
Beck threw for more than 200 yards over the course of four consecutive scoring drives in the second and third quarter.
That production came despite a series of drops by his receivers and the loss of starter Dillon Bell, who went out with an ankle injury in the second quarter. Beck turned to veteran tight end Delp, who hauled in the first two touchdowns. Arian Smith and Dominic Lovett atoned for drops with big receptions. London Humphreys hauled in some big-chunk passes. And a true freshman getting his first significant action, Nitro Tuggle, found his way into the gameplan.
Four different Georgia players had at least 50 receiving yards. It was the kind of night Georgia had envisioned for this year, a confident Beck distributing to an array of options. It finally came together at just the right time. — Seth Emerson
Vols’ College Football Playoff hopes take a serious hit
Tennessee would have been in great shape to make the SEC title game and nearly a lock to make the College Football Playoff — presuming 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 Tuesday and what it may say about their chances in the end. Indiana and BYU both passed the Vols in the rankings last week after underwhelming wins.
Of course, trying to read into the committee’s week-to-week variance is a fool’s errand, as the four-team era taught us. But the Vols could use a convincing win on their in-state rival’s home field on Thanksgiving weekend, and they might need help elsewhere. — Joe Rexrode
Bulldogs climbing back as contenders
Georgia’s season was on the brink after the loss at Ole Miss. A third loss would probably have doomed the preseason No. 1 team to missing the first 12-team College Football Playoff, an outcome that even with Georgia’s difficult schedule would have been deemed a failure.
And as Tennessee jumped out to a 10-0 lead, the angst in Sanford Stadium was easy to sense. Then the game turned on one play.
Facing third-and-long, the offense having gained a grand total of 21 yards over the first 15 plays, Beck saw a Tennessee player jump offsides and went for the big play — and got it, finding Lovett for a 38-yard catch-and-run. Four plays later, Georgia scored. Momentum had flipped. Georgia would also score the next three times it touched the ball, taking a 24-17 lead into the fourth quarter and then icing it down the stretch.
This win doesn’t by itself cement 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 offer a chance to rest, physically and emotionally, for the regular season finale against Georgia Tech.
This Georgia team has not looked anywhere close to the best team in the country this season. But it can still be a dangerous team in the Playoff, especially if its final three games serves as a rejuvenation. On Saturday night, it looked very much like that was happening. — Emerson
Tennessee’s disappearing pass rush
Ole Miss sacked Beck five times last week and didn’t require blitzing to live in the Georgia backfield. That didn’t bode well for the Bulldogs against projected first-round edge James Pearce Jr. and one of the deepest and most talented defensive fronts in the nation.
But that is why games are worth playing. The run game was mostly just a time killer for Georgia — its running backs managed just 75 yards on 24 carries — but Beck was clean all night in the pocket. Tennessee managed zero sacks and, by the fourth quarter, was sending extra rushers in vain. The Vols’ offense actually took another step forward in this game, while their supposed biggest advantage didn’t come through. They aren’t a huge sacks team — tied for 35th in the FBS with 22 coming into the weekend — but not affecting Beck at all was a massive disappointment. — Rexrode
(Photo: Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)
