Georgia took control of the SEC East on Saturday with a dominant 27–13 victory over Tennessee on Saturday afternoon in Athens.
Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart was elated when speaking with CBS Sports’ Jenny Dell in the aftermath of his team’s victory.
“A bunch of the kids that love this place. We took zero out of the portal, they all love it here, they competed their asses off and these fans are elite,” Smart exclaimed when asked about the victory.
“I am so proud for this university and these kids. They practiced their butt off for two weeks. … They played together, they stuck to the plan, and when you stick to the plan, you have a helluva chance. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide—that was our theme.”
“Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide” was a fitting motto for the Bulldogs on Saturday after the defense suffocated the Tennessee rushing attack and made life extremely difficult on Volunteers quarterback Hendon Hooker.
Hooker, who had commanded the nation’s top-ranked offense to perfection entering Saturday, was considered by many to be the Heisman frontrunner.
Georgia’s defense made Hooker’s life miserable all afternoon, as the Vols quarterback finished 23-for–33 for 198 yards and an interception. It was the first time in 20 games that Hooker had not thrown a touchdown pass for Tennessee.
The Volunteers finished with just 289 yards of offense, which was by far their season-low.
Georgia’s statement victory is likely to propel it to the top of the new College Football Playoff rankings when they are released on Tuesday. As for Tennessee, there’s still a path to make the playoff, but with an SEC Championship Game appearance potentially out of the picture, they’ll need some help to make the Final Four.
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