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Mark Schlabach
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Georgia coach Kirby Smart lost four straight games against Tennessee as a Bulldogs defensive back in the 1990s.
After No. 6 Georgia came from behind to beat No. 15 Tennessee 44-41 in overtime at Neyland Stadium on Saturday, the Volunteers might feel like they will never beat the Bulldogs again as long as Smart is their coach.
After Georgia overcame a 14-point deficit and scored the tying touchdown and 2-point conversion with about 2½ minutes left in regulation, running back Josh McCray scored on a 1-yard run in overtime to give the Bulldogs (3-0, 1-0 SEC) their ninth straight victory over Tennessee and their fifth consecutive on the road.
McCray was initially ruled down at the 1-yard line, but the call was overturned by replay.
“I lost a lot of times here as a player,” Smart said. “It still sticks with me. I have a lot of memories, good and bad, about playing here. Five in a row is a lot.”
For a long time Saturday, it seemed as if the Volunteers (2-1, 0-1) would end their losing streak. Tennessee kicker Max Gilbert missed a 43-yard field goal wide left with three seconds to go in regulation that would have won the game.
The Volunteers had the ball first in overtime and gained only 1 yard on three plays. Gilbert kicked a 42-yard field goal to give his team a 41-38 lead.
“Unfortunately, he didn’t make the one before, but he had his head high,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said. “That’s the life of being a kicker, you know what I mean? I love the way he responded. He’ll continue to grow, and we have great trust in him. Unfortunately, he didn’t finish that one.”
On Georgia’s first play in overtime, tailback Nate Frazier ran for 21 yards to the UT 4. McCray plowed his way for 3 yards on the next play, then scored the winning touchdown.
The Bulldogs trailed 38-30 late in regulation. On fourth-and-6, Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton threw a perfectly placed 28-yard touchdown to London Humphrey with 2:32 to go. Zachariah Branch caught a pass and scored on a 2-point conversion attempt to tie the score.
“We were just going to take a shot there, and we needed to score fast,” Smart said. “We didn’t need to keep milking time. It felt like they were defending the sticks, and we were trying to get a touchdown. Sometimes, you get an advantage when people play the sticks and you’re willing to take a shot.”
Stockton completed 23 of 31 passes for 304 yards with 2 touchdowns and ran for another score.
“As you all can see, he’s a dog,” Georgia safety Kj ball said. “The whole team is behind him. He never let any of the scores phase him. Our defense kind of started off really slow, but it never fazed him. He always came back ready with a plan and ready to attack.”
The Bulldogs took plenty of blows early, especially on defense. The Volunteers drove down the field on their first possession, and quarterback Joey Aguilar scored on a 4-yard run. He threw touchdowns of 72 yards and 14 yards to Chris Brazzell II to take a 21-7 lead late in the first quarter.
“We talked about coming in here and conquering this place, which is not easy to do,” Smart said. “When you do something like that, you have to make your own way. You have to absorb blows. I don’t think I had any idea how many blows we’d have to absorb, but we did, and we’ve got a resilient group.”
Georgia’s defense bounced back from there, stopping the Vols on five straight possessions, including two interceptions. The Bulldogs scored 20 straight points to take a 27-21 lead late in the third quarter.
But then Georgia’s defense gave up another long touchdown — Aguilar found Brazzell for the third time on a 56-yard pass to give the Vols a 28-27 lead.
The Bulldogs went back in front 30-28 on Peyton Woodring‘s 24-yard field goal, before the Volunteers scored 10 straight points to go ahead by eight, setting up Stockton’s heroics late in the fourth quarter.
Aguilar completed 24 of 36 passes for 371 yards with 4 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Brazzell had six receptions for 177 yards.
“Losses never ever feel good, taste good, that’s not the expectation inside of this locker room, just to play somebody tight,” Heupel said. “I think the disappointment of tonight can be a moment, something in our journey together that can springboard and propel us if we choose to use it that way.”
Smart says his team is far from a finished product. The Bulldogs are still shuffling players on the offensive line because of injuries, and their inexperienced defensive backs struggled in coverage against the Vols’ high-octane offense.
The Bulldogs will get a week off before hosting No. 19 Alabama at home Sept. 27.
“We’re nowhere near where we need to be; we’re a long way from being there,” Smart said. “But, boy, we’ve got some kids that aren’t afraid to fight.”
