Tennessee Volunteers at Georgia Bulldogs
· NCAA - FootballBeck throws for 2 TDs, runs for another to lead No. 11 Georgia past No. 6 Tennessee 31-17
Showing off his arm and his legs, Beck silenced his critics by throwing for two touchdowns and running for another, leading the No. 11 Bulldogs to a 31-17 victory over No. 6 Tennessee that gave a huge boost to their College Football Playoff hopes.
Georgia (8-2, 6-2 Southeastern Conference, No. 12 CFP) bounced back from a 28-10 loss at Ole Miss that left the Bulldogs just outside the provisional 12-team postseason field.
Now, they are positioned for a likely playoff berth — and a shot at winning their third national championship in four years — if they can close out the regular season with wins over UMass and Georgia Tech.
“The way we were able to bounce back from last week, I'm just so proud of these guys,” Beck said. “The word that really identifies us is resilient. We stay so composed in high-pressure moments. Although it might not look perfect, it might not look pretty, we're gonna get the job done.”
Tennessee (8-2, 5-2, No. 7 CFP) could have moved a big step closer to a berth in the SEC championship game, but the Vols' postseason prospects are now a whole lot murkier after what had all the makings of a playoff elimination game.
Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said he has “no idea” where his team stands now in the playoff picture.
“All I know is this league is college football as good as it gets,” he said. "It’s hard to win in this league. It’s a good football team that we just played. ... We’re a good football team, too.”
In the midst of a disappointing season, Beck came up huge for the Bulldogs when they needed him most, guiding them to a 29th straight home victory in an FBS-leading streak that dates to 2019.
Beck connected on a pair of touchdown passes to tight end Oscar Delp in the first half and scrambled for the go-ahead score in the third quarter, darting 10 yards to the end zone for his first rushing TD of the season.
Georgia sealed the victory with a 92-yard drive — its longest of the season — in the closing minutes. Freshman Nate Frazier finished it off with a 2-yard touchdown run with 2:26 remaining.
“A week ago, we were dead and gone,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “People had written us off.”
Beck, who had thrown 12 interceptions in the previous six games, didn't have any picks against the Volunteers. He completed 25 of 40 passes for 347 yards.
With quarterback Nico Iamaleava cleared to play after going through concussion protocol, Tennessee jumped to a 10-0 lead on Miles Kitselman’s 1-yard dive and Max Gilbert’s 52-yard field goal, dampening the mood of more than 93,000 at Sanford Stadium.
But the Bulldogs, after a sluggish start that has become their trademark, grabbed the lead as Beck connected with Delp on similar-looking scoring passes of 19 and 4 yards in the back of the end zone.
Dylan Sampson put the Vols back in front with his 21st rushing touchdown of the season, a 27-yard scamper through a huge hole right up the middle.
Beck guided the Bulldogs into position for Peyton Woodring’s 36-yard field goal with five seconds remaining in the half, sending the teams to the locker room tied at 17.
A bruising 14-yard run set up his first touchdown pass to Delp, an 8-yard run on third down extended the drive that led to Woodring's field goal near the end of the first half and the touchdown run came on third-and-7 from the 10.
“He's a good athlete,” Smart said. “He can make plays with his feet.”
Georgia: The Bulldogs played without top running back Trevor Etienne, who was sidelined by a rib issue, and the offense took another blow when receiver Dillon Bell went out with an ankle injury sustained on a hit along the sideline late in the first half. But Frazier, the first true freshman to start at tailback for the Bulldogs since 2014, rushed for 68 yards and London Humphreys stepped up to make three huge catches for 63 yards. Big kudos, as well, to the offensive line, which did not give up a sack after Beck was dumped five times the previous week by Ole Miss.
Georgia: With their SEC schedule complete, the Bulldogs close out the regular season with two nonconference games at home. UMass (2-8) shouldn't present much of a problem next Saturday.
This story has been corrected to show that Georgia's top running back is Trevor, not Travis, Etienne. They are brothers.
How To Watch
How can I watch Tennessee Volunteers vs. Georgia Bulldogs?
- TV Channel: Volunteers at Bulldogs 2021 College Football, week 12, is broadcasted on ABC.
- Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
Matchup Prediction
Scoring Summary
TD | 1st Period 10:09 | Miles Kitselman 1 Yd Run (Max Gilbert Kick) | |
FG | 1st Period 0:43 | Max Gilbert 52 Yd Field Goal | |
TD | 2nd Period 13:30 | Oscar Delp 19 Yd pass from Carson Beck (Peyton Woodring Kick) | |
TD | 2nd Period 6:36 | Oscar Delp 4 Yd pass from Carson Beck (Peyton Woodring Kick) | |
TD | 2nd Period 1:54 | Dylan Sampson 27 Yd Run (Max Gilbert Kick) | |
FG | 2nd Period 0:05 | Peyton Woodring 36 Yd Field Goal | |
TD | 3rd Period 5:32 | Carson Beck 10 Yd Run (Peyton Woodring Kick) | |
TD | 4th Period 2:26 | Nate Frazier 2 Yd Run (Peyton Woodring Kick) |
Statistics
TENN | UGA | |
---|---|---|
20 | 1st Downs | 25 |
10-18 | 3rd down efficiency | 8-14 |
1-2 | 4th down efficiency | 0-0 |
313 | Total Yards | 453 |
167 | Passing | 347 |
20/33 | Comp/Att | 25/40 |
5.1 | Yards per pass | 8.7 |
146 | Rushing | 106 |
39 | Rushing Attempts | 31 |
3.7 | Yards per rush | 3.4 |
9-70 | Penalties | 7-59 |
1 | Turnovers | 0 |
1 | Fumbles lost | 0 |
0 | Interceptions thrown | 0 |
29:31 | Possession | 30:29 |
College Football News
Heupel speaks on Vols' first CFP appearance, where to go from here
Josh Heupel discusses what No. 7 Tennessee needed to improve on for a better result in the first round of the CFP and outlines his vision for the future of the program.
College football SP+ rankings after first-round CFP games
After the first round of the College Football Playoff, the championship odds are more bunched than ever.
How will Stockton level up for Georgia against Notre Dame?
The SEC Now crew talks about how Gunner Stockton has the ability to prepare for the Fighting Irish and breaks down the game plan Georgia needs to come out victorious.
Does CFP need tweaking after lopsided losses in 1st round?
Heather Dinich reacts to the lopsided losses in the first round of the new College Football Playoff system.
2024 College Football Playoff quarterfinals: Betting odds, lines
Here are all the betting odds, lines, spreads and totals for every game of the quarterfinal round of the College Football Playoff.