Five critical moments: Tennessee loses early lead, falls at Georgia

Tennessee football jumped out to an early lead against Georgia, but couldn’t sustain it as the Vols fell 31-17 in Athens on Saturday evening. It marked Tennessee’s eighth straight loss in the series.

Here are five critical moments from the defeat.

More from RTI: How Tennessee Football Graded Out Against Georgia According to PFF

The Last Man Standing Saves A Touchdown

Boo Carter made a number of Bulldogs miss near him before bursting into the open field. Georgia punter Brett Thorson was the only person standing between freshman punt returner Boo Carter and the end zone.

But Jalen McMurray scrambled on a block and Thorson made the tackle at the Georgia 37-yard line. Carter may still have scored if he angled outside and tried to corner the player, but he definitely scores if McMurray blocks.

Tennessee went three-and-out before Max Gilbert salvaged the opportunity by booting a 52-yard field goal to give the Vols a 10-0 lead. But a 14-0 lead in the first quarter really feels like it would have changed the feel of the game in the first quarter.

Make no bones about it, Carter made a really good comeback happen. It was just almost a game changer.

The play that turned Georgia’s offensive fortunes around

Georgia had 24 total yards when Carson Beck drew a Tennessee defensive offside before connecting with Dominic Lovett for a 38-yard gain on the final play of the first quarter. A third down stop on third-and-eight would have given Tennessee the ball back 10-0 early in the second quarter. Instead, it started an avalanche for Georgia’s offense.

Even with the big play to end the quarter, Georgia had 62 total yards in the first quarter. The Bulldogs totaled 391 yards over the next three quarters.

After recording stops on Georgia’s first three drives of the night, the Tennessee Bulldogs were held to just one score on their final six drives. The Bulldogs’ offense may have sprung to life even without that play. But it was a clear and precise turning point.

Meaningful offensive response

Georgia put together back-to-back touchdown drives to take a 14-10 lead when Tennessee’s offense got the ball back with 6:36 to play in the first half.

Tennessee’s offense responded about as well as they have in a big moment all season, going 75 yards on 10 plays for a touchdown. The Vols also bled clock on the drive while largely leaning on their running game. Dylan Sampson hit a 27-yard touchdown run that kept Tennessee from running out at the end of the first half.

But even though Georgia got within three points before halftime, the touchdown kept Tennessee on solid footing despite a horrendous second quarter from the defense.

Conservative Punt backfires

Tennessee got the ball out of halftime and had a chance to regain the lead and some momentum early in the third quarter. It was a strong drive to start with the Vols moving across midfield, due in part to a 17-yard pass from Nico Iamaleava to Squirrel White.

But Tennessee’s offense stalled after two consecutive incompletions and faced fourth-and-six at the Georgia 36-yard line. Gilbert had already made a field goal just two yards short, and it was a max fourth attempt. But Heupel played it conservative and chose to tip.

Georgia made him pay, marching the ball 87 yards in 12 plays to take a lead it wouldn’t relinquish. Not only would Tennessee never tie the game again, they never reached Georgia’s 36-yard line again.

Third-and-Two Backbreaker

Josh Heupel would go for it on fourth down around midfield early in the fourth quarter before a false start penalty on Lance Heard backed them up. Jackson Ross reached Georgia at its own seven-yard line, and Tennessee badly needed a stop to get the ball back seven points in the fourth quarter.

The Bulldogs had it third-and-two at its own 38-yard line. The right guard moved early, but there was no call. Beck shot deep down the right sideline and London Humphreys hauled in an incredibly contested catch on Jermod McCoy for a 28-yard gain.

It took Georgia eight more plays to find than zone, but the game was essentially over at that point.