Vol Report: UT Preparing for Talented Georgia Team

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Game week preparations are in full swing for the Tennessee football team as it prepares for an important SEC East showdown with rival No. 7/8 Georgia.

The Vols (3-1, 0-1 SEC) have won the past two meetings with the Bulldogs (4-0, 1-0 SEC), with both victories coming in comeback fashion. UT was down 24-3 in its last home game against Georgia in 2015 before surging back for a 38-31 win. Last season, the Vols trailed by 10 points entering the fourth quarter before eventually winning the game on a 43-yard Hail Mary from Joshua Dobbs to Jauan Jennings as time expired.

Vols Defense Preparing for Versatile Georgia Offense

The Bulldogs' offense has been very efficient through their first four games and have proven they have the ability to hurt their opponents in multiple ways. Tennessee defensive coordinator Bob Shoop talked about the importance of stopping the run while also making sure you don't get beat deep.

"We anticipate them trying to throw the ball deep on us," Shoop said after Tuesday's practice. "They have as much depth at running back as any team I have ever seen. They could put five different guys out there and barely skip a beat. They have tried creative ways to get two or even three of those guys in the game at the same time, so you have to be able to stop the run. Jim Chaney does a good job of throwing it over your head when you try to put too many guys in the box."

Tennessee's pass defense has proven to be a strength so far this season and will have to be sharp again on Saturday. The Vols rank 11^th in the nation in pass yards allowed per game, giving up an average of just 140.5 yards through the air this season.

UT put forth another solid defensive performance in last week's win over UMass, holding the Minutemen's high-powered passing attack to just 184 yards through the air. The Vols recorded seven sacks – their most since also recording seven in a 2008 win at Vanderbilt – and shut down UMass on multiple drives in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.

"As a defense, your mentality is just to win the game, and that's what we did," junior defensive end Kyle Phillips said. "So I think that was a step forward for us … I think last week gave us confidence that we can finish games, and that the team can put it on us."

Despite the success on defense this season, Tennessee coaches and players know that they'll need to have one of their best performances of the season this Saturday afternoon.

"I think the test we're going to see on Saturday will be the greatest test we've faced so far when it comes to the run game, the pass game, the speed of the receivers, the size of the wideouts," special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach Charlton Warren said. "We're going to need to be on our A-game for this one."

Scott Looking To Build a "Tough" Identity on Offense

The Big Orange will face one of their toughest challenges to date offensively this Saturday going up against a deep and talent Georgia defense.

"They're big. They're physical. They know their defense is a true, deep SEC defense," UT offensive coordinator Larry Scott said. "We counted up to 20 guys that they have played on defense, so they have a pretty good revolving door of depth.

"When they do rotate, they all come in and they're all big and just as long, physical and strong as the ones that walked out of the game. It's going to be a big challenge for us."

Scott said his offense will need to be equally as tough and must be able to run the football in order to have success against Georgia's defense.

"We want to by physical," Scott said. "We want to run the ball and find ways to run the ball. I don't care how creative we have to be to do that. You want to line up and be able to run the football.

"And then when you have to throw it when the defense dictates that, we want to be able to have guys that can go make plays in the passing game. Identity is really style of play. We want to represent a brand of football that is just tough."

Tennessee-Georgia Game Info

Saturday's SEC East showdown will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS with Brad Nessler (PxP), Gary Danielson (analyst) and Allie LaForce (sideline) on the call.

Saturday's game will also mark the return of Checker Neyland. Fans are encouraged to wear orange or white, depending on their seat location. To find out if your section is orange or white, go to CHECKERNEYLAND.com and enter your section/row/seat number as it appears on your ticket or CLICK HERE for a seat map.

The Vols will also wear their Smokey Grey uniforms against the Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon. Tennessee is 3-0 all-time in its Nike Smokey Grey uniforms with wins over Georgia in 2015 and Florida and Nebraska last season.

University of Tennessee Athletics

Vols Defense Preparing for Versatile Georgia Offense

Scott Looking To Build a "Tough" Identity on Offense

Tennessee-Georgia Game Info

Players Mentioned

Joshua Dobbs

Jauan Jennings

Kyle Phillips

Related Videos