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Why UT Vols football has reason for hope after falling to Georgia Bulldogs

John Adams
Knoxville
Tennessee linebacker Darrell Taylor (19) stops Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm (11) during second half action  Saturday, September 29, 2018 at Sanford Stadium in Athens, GA.

ATHENS, Ga. — Tennessee couldn’t count to five Saturday afternoon at Sanford Stadium.

But don’t get the wrong idea. That’s not why it lost to third-ranked Georgia.

UT’s numerical struggles were merely indicative of an offense that couldn’t get out of its own way early in the game. Three times in the first half, Tennessee was flagged for having too many men in the backfield on a Joe Doyle punt.

Tennessee had one first down in the first quarter. It didn’t reach midfield in the first half.

By then, Georgia had a 17-point lead and was on the way to a 38-12 victory.

The dreadful offensive start proved too much to overcome. But what happened next at least gave Tennessee fans hope for the last seven games of the season.

Tennessee, which fell to 2-3, didn’t give up. The defense, which deserved a better fate, kept playing hard until it ran out of steam, and the offense finally mustered momentum.

Tennessee avoided its first road shutout since 1981 on a 35-yard touchdown pass from Jarrett Guarantano to Josh Palmer with 5:14 left in the third quarter.

That one play wasn’t as promising as the overall play on UT’s two second-half touchdown drives. The Vols drove 75 yards for a touchdown on 10 plays. They followed that up with a 57-yard scoring drive.

The small contingent of Tennessee fans took notice, responding with their biggest cheers of the game. But Georgia’s offense took it from there, driving 75 yards for a touchdown that put the game out of reach. The Bulldogs added another touchdown following a Tennessee fumble.

Tennessee fans shouldn’t remember the defense for those drives, though. It delivered its best effort of the season against a Power 5 conference program.

The Vols gave up 40 points to West Virginia in losing their season opener. They gave up 47 to Florida in their SEC opener.

The Vols were better almost everywhere defensively against Georgia. They played tighter coverage, pressured quarterback Jake Fromm and yielded rushing yards grudgingly for much of the game. Tennessee’s defense was even more impressive given how little help it got from its offense in the first half.

Tennessee linebacker Darrell Taylor (19) and Tennessee defensive lineman Kyle Phillips (5) take down Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm (11) during the Tennessee Volunteers' game against Georgia in Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018.

You could have expected Tennessee’s defense to improve under first-year coach Jeremy Pruitt, who excelled as a defensive coordinator at Florida State, Georgia and Alabama. Five games into the season, defensive progress was apparent.

It’s up to the offense to catch up.

That’s why the second half against Georgia was encouraging. However, you can’t ignore Georgia’s lackluster play in explaining how Tennessee came closer than the 31-point betting line suggested it would.

 Fromm wasn’t sharp, Georgia’s offensive line didn’t have its way with UT’s defensive front and the Bulldogs made too many mistakes. Twice, Georgia receivers didn’t extend themselves on deep throws. Fromm bobbled one snap, and running back Elijah Holyfield fumbled a snap in the shotgun formation inside UT’s 5.

Even the Bulldogs’ first touchdown began with a mistake.

Tennessee outside linebacker Darrell Taylor sacked Fromm and forced a fumble on third down. But Georgia tight end Isaac Nauta scooped up the ball and ran 31 yards for a touchdown.

The Vols need the fluke plays to go their way against a team as good as Georgia.

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.

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