Georgia vs. Tennessee
Bulldogs - 12 1/2 vs. Volunteers
One team tries to salvage their season while the other one wonders
when their season will start in this clash of SEC stalwarts. Tennessee travels to Georgia this Saturday as both teams discover which path they will take for the remainder of their season.
The last time we saw Georgia (4-1, 1-1), they donned their black shirts and encouraged their faithful at Sanford Stadium
to do the same in order to provide a mental edge against rising rival
Alabama. It did not work—oh how it did not work. Everyone remembers
the throttling the Bulldogs
received two weeks ago at the hands of Nick Saban's bunch. Possibly
the worst part for many Dawg players has been the week off to dwell on
the beating.
Along with the inexcusable loss, Georgia saw its once bright BCS
championship prospects grow dim. Things got worse for Georgia when star
sophomore running back Knowshon Moreno
sustained a bruised elbow and produced his worst effort of the season.
The health of his elbow is uncertain, although Moreno and his coach
Mark Richt have said he will play versus the Volunteers.
Over in Knoxville, Vols coach Phillip Fulmer is in unchartered
territory: a lackluster team, sub .500 record and stuck in hot water. Tennessee
(2-3, 0-2) actually responded with a 13-9 uninspired victory over an
inferior Northern Illinois team last week at Neyland Stadium. A
victory does not always stop the pressure and this was the case this
week for Tennessee, which has averaged an anemic 10.3 points in the
past three games against NIU, arch-rival Florida and conference-mate
Auburn.
Perhaps the uninspired effort was due to the growing pains of the first
start of sophomore quarterback Nick Stephens replacing an ineffective
Jonathan Crompton. Stephens was 10 for 17 with 156 yards and a
touchdown.
Rest has been very good for Georgia
who has won nine of its last 10 games when coming off an open week.
There is good reason that Moreno wants to face Tennessee Saturday and
that is for redemption. The back was not very effective, 13 carries
for 30 yards, in his only previous game, a 35-14 road loss against
Tennessee last October 6.
Tennessee has had a lot of success against their rivals of late. They have won the last two matchups in the series and have been victorious in their last two trips between the hedges.
