No. 15 Tennessee couldn’t deliver the knockout punch against No. 6/3 Georgia Saturday afternoon.
The Volunteers dropped a 44-41 overtime heartbreaker to the Bulldogs inside Neyland Stadium after Georgia scored on a one-yard touchdown run in overtime.
“Got to give Georgia credit for finishing it the way that you need to to win that game,” Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel said. “Our players, man. I love the fight, the strain, the willingness to keep bowing and playing the next play. They played physical, they played hard. End of the day, coaches and players got to be a little bit better to win that football game and tonight, it’s going to hurt and we need to drink all that in and taste all of it, because if we are going to move forward and be the team we’re capable of, this feeling tonight has got to be a part of what continues to propel us and the urgency and the focus in everything that we do.”
Tennessee had a shot to walk off the Bulldogs in regulation, but the 43-yard field goal attempt by Max Gilbert was wide.
“Listen, I told him to team, you know it’s a series of one plays that make the difference,” Heupel said. “And the specialists sometimes, your life gets showcased in a way where you get very limited opportunities.”
Gilbert hit a field goal in Tennessee’s first possession of overtime.
“I love the fact that he came back overtime and drains it. Unfortunately, he didn’t make the one before, but he had his head high and that’s the life of being a kicker, you know what I mean? And I love the way he responded.”
Joey Aguilar went 24-of-36 with four touchdowns for Tennessee with 371 yards.
“He came out, played within himself, made plays early, got it to the guys to go make plays,” Heupel said. “When it wasn’t going good in the second quarter, he was super calm in demeanor, great energy on the sideline, demeanor. So, there’s a lot to love in this football game.”
Aguilar opened the scoring with a four-yard touchdown on the opening drive of the game, and found Chris Brazzel II for two touchdowns – one from 72 yards and another from 14 yards – as Tennessee took a 21-7 lead into the second quarter.
The Bulldogs opened the second with a Zachariah Branch touchdown pass from Gunner Stockton and Peyton Woodring added a field goal to trim the Tennessee lead to 21-17 at the half.
“When it’s going good, it’s the details in it,” Heupel said. “When it’s not, those things can be just a little bit off. You know, you get behind the chains a little bit on a couple of them. Third down, don’t convert, ball back behind. It’s just small details and that’s what makes a game like this.”
“You’re playing good competition and good coaches. The game within the game and throughout the game, adjustments, and we were a little bit off there in the second quarter, and you know, not being able to pick up a third down during that sequence hurt us and allowed them to tighten the football.”
Georgia took the lead in the third quarter as Josh McCray scored to cap a nearly eight-minute drive to open the second half. Woodring added a 48-yard field goal to take a 27-21 lead late in the third.
Tennessee, however, battled back as Aguilar found Brazzell once again for a 56-yard touchdown as the Volunteers took a 28-27 lead into the final quarter.
After Georgia added a field goal to retake the lead, Braylon Staley and the Vols struck back as Aguilar hit Staley for a 32-yard score.
That gave Tennessee a 35-30 lead with 11:01 left to play.
The Volunteer defense came up with a key play midway through the fourth as Bryson Eason jumped on a Bulldog fumble forced by Joshua Josephs at the Georgia 34.
Tennessee, however, settled for a 48-yard field goal from Gilbert.
“You know, it’s a situation where they’re in their two-guy bracket coverage,” Heupel said. “We obviously don’t pick up what we need to and we get behind the chains. I was willing to be aggressive there if it got to a fourth down. Had a little trap play and end up losing inside on it and we pick it up and end up having to kick. And you got a chance to take it two full possessions for sure, but first and second down, a little of how they were playing is why we’re doing what we were doing too.”
Georgia marched down the field and tied things up when Stockton hit London Humphreys with a 28-yard touchdown pass on fourth down and the Bulldogs added the two-point conversion.
The Volunteers got the ball back with 2:32 and marched down the field to the Georgia 20. An illegal procedure penalty wiped out the centering of the ball setting up the end of regulation field goal attempt.
Brazzell had 177 yards and three touchdowns on six catches.
“I thought Chris had a great ball game,” Heupal said. “Wide receivers in general played really hard and made plays. We protected well throughout a majority of the football game. There were a lot of really good things. We just needed a little bit more.”
Staley had 97 yards on nine catches.
Star Thomas had 60 yards on nine carries, while DeSean Bishop had 54 yards on 15 carries.
Stockton led Georgia as he went 23-of-31 for 304 yards, while Nate Frazier had 73 yards on 14 carries.
