The Georgia Bulldogs suffered yet another statement loss last Saturday against the Alabama Crimson Tide. Normally, you hear about teams getting a statement win – like Clemson did against Notre Dame this past weekend. Like Utah did against Oregon earlier this season. Like Northwestern did against Stanford in the opening week. But if you’re a Georgia Bulldogs fan, you know all too well what it means to get a statement loss.
Go back to 2014 when Georgia traveled to Jacksonville to take on a reeling Florida Gators team. The No. 9 Bulldogs were rolling through the SEC with their eyes on the Georgia Dome and the SEC Championship. Florida inexplicably ran all over Georgia en route to a 38-20 win – a statement loss for Georgia.
Go back to 2013 when Georgia hosted the Missouri Tigers after a gutsy 34-31 win in Knoxville the week before. The No. 7 Bulldogs had already beaten the South Carolina Gamecocks (ranked No. 6 at the time) and LSU Tigers (ranked No. 6 at the time), and a win against Missouri would have put them in the driver’s seat in the SEC. Instead, Missouri forced four Georgia turnovers and won 41-26 – a statement loss for Georgia.
Go back to 2012 when Georgia traveled to Columbia to take on South Carolina. Georgia was ranked fifth and South Carolina was ranked sixth – a battle for SEC East supremacy was on hand. Georgia was held to just 224 total yards and lost 35-7 in a game that would likely have vaulted Georgia into the top three – a statement loss for Georgia.
So what is a statement loss? It’s a game with extreme hype and expectations where the Dawgs show they aren’t quite ready to take the next step to national prominence.
The Georgia-Alabama game was completely one-sided, even though on paper, Georgia held the edge in most important categories. However, on the field, Alabama established its running game early, found a deep threat receiver and got an inspired, shutdown performance from its beleaguered secondary. Georgia came out timid and it showed against an extremely talented defensive line. The one positive: Nick Chubb continued his streak of 100-yard performances, tying Herschel Walker’s school record at 13 games. Something tells me that’s little consolation for Chubb and the Bulldogs. Like most of the fans, who left right after halftime, Georgia will look to forget about their soggy debacle in Sanford Stadium as they face a tough road test against the Tennessee Volunteers.
Georgia has won its previous five games against Tennessee, including two straight three-point wins over the past two seasons. The all-time series between the two is dead even: 21-21-2. To this point, the Volunteers season has been one disappointment after another. They blew a 17-point lead against the Oklahoma Sooners (a statement loss for them), a 13-point lead against Florida in a one-point loss, and a 14-point lead against the Arkansas Razorbacks. Sitting at 2-3 (0-2 SEC), head coach Butch Jones and his Volunteers are in desperation mode heading into their clash against Georgia. The Dawgs – though not necessarily in desperation mode yet – need to bounce back to signal to the fans that there is still hope for the season and keep within one game of Florida in the SEC East race.
Here are five storylines to follow this weekend in Knoxville:
1. Nick Chubb (and company) vs. Tennessee rush defense
The Tennessee rush defense ranks 84th in the country, surrendering 171.6 rushing yards per game. Against Arkansas’ tandem of running backs – Alex Collins and Rawleigh Williams – the Vols gave up 275 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Against Oklahoma, they gave up 187 yards on the ground. In fact, they have not held a team under 100 yards rushing once this season. Chubb, who’s looking to break Herschel Walker’s record of consecutive 100-yard games this weekend – has a chance to have a Leonard Fournette-like game against the Vols. With a steady mix of Chubb and Sony Michel, it’s hard to imagine the Tennessee defense being able to bottle up a Georgia Bulldogs rushing attack that averages 244.8 yards per game. Todd Gurley had a career day against Tennessee last season, rushing for 208 yards on 28 carries. Chubb has a chance to do the same this year.
2. Can Greyson Lambert rebound?
All eyes will be on Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Greyson Lambert as he looks to regain his confidence and composure. Give Alabama credit – they rattled him early and often, leading to a subpar 10-of-24 day with just 86 yards and his first interception of the season. After completing 33-of-35 passes in his previous two games, the outcome against the Crimson Tide was unexpected, to say the least. Thankfully, Lambert will be facing a Tennessee defense that is nothing like Alabama. The ability to run the ball effectively against a suspect defensive line will open up the passing game against a Tennessee secondary that ranks 103rd in the country, allowing 242.4 yards per game through the air. Surprisingly, Tennessee has held its opponents to just a 52 percent completion percentage, ranking 21st in the country, so it will be interesting to see which Lambert shows up: the efficient, accurate one, or the erratic, flustered one. My bet is on the former.
3. Joshua Dobbs as a dual-threat quarterback
Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs is a legitimate dual-threat quarterback – when Tennessee offensive coordinator Mike DeBord develops a scheme that plays to his strengths. Against Arkansas, that wasn’t the case, as Dobbs only rushed seven times for seven yards. He also only completed 20-of-36 passes (56 percent) with a mediocre 6.4 yards per attempt. Against Florida, Dobbs carried the ball 18 times for 136 yards, showcasing his uncanny ability to keep a defense on its heels. Against Oklahoma, he couldn’t get anything going, completing 41.9 percent of his passes and rushing for just 12 yards on 14 carries. On the season, Dobbs has been inconsistent, completing 73-of-127 passes (57.5 percent) for 789 yards, five touchdowns and one interception, with 55 carries for 250 yards and three touchdowns. Most people expected Dobbs to be one of the top quarterbacks in the SEC this season, but he has not performed up to those expectations and the Tennessee fan base is getting restless. Expect Georgia’s linebackers to spy Dobbs on most plays, and if they can force him to throw the ball, the Georgia secondary could have a huge day. Can Dobbs put together a solid performance against Georgia’s top-25 passing defense?
4. The Rocky Top environment
Georgia knows all too well what it’s like to play at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville. They are 10-11-1 all-time on the road against Tennessee, and Neyland Stadium is typically recognized as one of the hardest stadiums to play in for road teams. The crowd apparently broke a Neyland Stadium noise record against Oklahoma earlier this year, reaching 114 decibels. If Georgia allows Tennessee to take an early lead, the crowd could play a huge factor in this game. It’s imperative for Georgia to come out firing and quiet the crowd early. Most college football pundits pegged this game as a loss for Georgia at the beginning of the season, and with a 2-3 record, this desperate Tennessee team is as dangerous as ever. They have the talent to beat the Dawgs, and playing at home gives them a distinct advantage.
5. Mark Richt’s demeanor
The Georgia Bulldogs are 140-49 under head coach Mark Richt. They have won at least 10 games in nine of his 14 completed seasons as the leader of the Dawgs and have a 9-5 record in bowl games. Every year, when Richt and his team suffer one of those statement losses, the fan base grumbles about his inability to coach a team to victory in the big games. Richt understands the criticism saying, “I don’t blame people for being critical of what happened on Saturday. I love the passion of our fans that they care enough.” More often than not, Richt gets his team ready to play the week after a big loss, but what fans really want to see is a bit of tenacity and emotion on the sideline. We’ve seen Richt get heated during games occasionally, but most of the time, his outward expression is calm, cool and collected – much to the chagrin of some fans, my wife included. Will Richt show some fire on the sideline to help get his team ready to play this weekend?
PREDICTION: In my preseason analysis of Georgia’s schedule, I predicted the Dawgs would be coming in to Knoxville off a loss to Alabama (though not nearly as lopsided). My prediction was that Georgia would rebound after a physically and emotionally draining performance the week before. After seeing Tennessee struggle to hold leads, I am sticking to my guns – with a large dose of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel – Georgia gets back on track with a win, effectively ending Tennessee’s hopes of salvaging their season. Dawgs win 35-28.
