6. How will Georgia respond after getting blasted by ‘Bama?
It’s hard to gauge how the Bulldogs (No. 19) will respond after they were picked apart to the point of embarrassment last weekend at home against the Alabama Crimson Tide, 38-10. Georgia came into the contest ranked No. 8 and tried to intimidate the Tide even before the game started as dozens of players went over and “greeted” their rivals as they ran onto the field. A minor scrum ensued before the refs put an end to the mayhem.
In the end, it was clear which program was superior, and it’s not hard to imagine the Bulldogs suffered through some emotional doldrums in the days since.
The Volunteers haven’t been exactly dominant this year, too, meaning Mark Richt’s reeling program could be walking right into a trap game. For that reason, the head coach has issued a strong message to his team, as conveyed by defensive back Quincy Mauger:
“You can’t let one loss determine who Georgia football is. You’ve got to keep fighting,” he said, per the Athens Banner-Herald.
Safety Dominick Sanders added:
“We’re keeping our heads straight. We’re not going to let one loss bring us down. We’re going to maintain our work ethic.”
One way to ensure there is no let-down is to feature Nick Chubb more frequently than he was utilized in the bad loss to ‘Bama. Richt admitted he made a mistake by not calling Chubb’s number more frequently, and you can be sure that will be remedied against Tennessee — especially after watching him go 83 yards in a heartbeat.
This game will be televised nationally on CBS starting at 3:30 p.m. ET.