ATHENS – DawgNation Invasion is back for the 2023 season. Georgia fans will unite in Knoxville, Tennessee, expecting the Bulldogs to claim a fourth-straight win at the hostile Neyland Stadium.
The DawgNation Invasion “sailgate” will take place on the DawgNation Riverboat Cruise, a three-hour event on the Tennessee River with food, drinks and entertainment before Georgia football faces Tennessee on Nov. 18. The Bulldogs have all the momentum in the rivalry, having won 11 of the last 13 matchups.
Georgia’s recent ownership of the rivalry is particularly impressive considering the dominance in Knoxville. Georgia has won five of its last six games in Neyland Stadium, an infamously raucous arena that hosts over 100,000 checkerboarded fans on Saturdays.
The noise has done little to affect Georgia’s offense over the last 12 years, though. The Bulldogs have scored over 36 points per game in Knoxville since 2011.
UGA has been especially forceful under Kirby Smart, who is 3-0 in Knoxville and 6-1 against the Volunteers overall.
The Bulldogs have found several different ways to overcome Neyland’s hostile environment over the last 12 years. Two head coaches, three quarterbacks and a small bunch of offensive coordinators have handled the Volunteer fan base in stride.
Here’s a look back at Georgia’s last five wins at Neyland Stadium and how the Bulldogs silenced the rowdy crowds of orange and white.
#5 Georgia 43, Tennessee 14: 2019
Hopes were likely higher than expected for the Tennessee crowd as the Volunteers took a 14-10 lead in the second quarter. Freshman quarterback Brian Maurer had already thrown for 2 touchdowns against a renowned Georgia defense in his first career start.
Then the Bulldog defense offered the Tennessee faithful a heavy dose of reality. The Volunteers didn’t score another point for the rest of the day and Georgia physically bashed Tennessee on both fronts.
UGA used that physicality to out-rush the Vols 238-70, but it was a defensive touchdown that truly hammered Tennessee fans into the parking lot. Cornerback Eric Stokes, untouched on a blindside blitz, blasted Maurer to force a fumble.
Linebacker Tae Crowder quickly scooped the ball and returned it 60 yards to the end zone to ice another physically imposing win in Knoxville.
#4 Georgia 41, Tennessee 17: 2021
Much like it did in 2019, Tennessee found enough offensive success in the first quarter to excite Volunteer fans. Then the Bulldogs suffocated the Tennessee run game, allowing just 55 yards on 36 carries.
The one-dimensional Volunteers struggled to move the ball from there, not scoring again until the 3:38 mark of the fourth quarter. The Bulldog offense continued to plow along, scoring 34 unanswered points between the first quarter and Tennessee’s garbage time touchdown.
Georgia’s 2021 win also marked a new level of dominance in the conference. It was Georgia’s first perfect run of the SEC schedule since 1982.
#3 Georgia 20, Tennessee 12: 2011
Former Georgia coach Mark Richt earned the 100th win of his career by decimating Tennessee’s offensive line.
Georgia’s defense sucked the life out of the Volunteer run game, taking Tennessee fans’ hopes with it. The Vols finished with minus-21 team rushing yards and didn’t score a touchdown until the 2:45 mark of the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs continued to ram Tennessee’s defensive front, though, totaling 139 yards rushing and adding two scores on the ground. Isaiah Crowell led the Bulldog offense with both scores and 58 yards on 19 carries.
#2 Georgia 41, Tennessee 0: 2017
Tennessee had very few opportunities to play “Rocky Top” after opening kickoff in its first home shutout since 1905. The Volunteers threw an interception on their first snap of the game and simply never recovered.
Georgia’s defense brought the terror into Knoxville in 2017. The Bulldogs forced four turnovers and surrendered just 142 yards of total offense.
UGA’s offense imposed its will physically, as well. The Bulldogs rumbled for 294 yards on 55 carries in one of the most statistically dominant games in Georgia-Tennessee history.
#1 Georgia 34, Tennessee 31 (OT): 2013
Georgia and Tennessee wrestled for the momentum throughout the 2013 game before the Volunteers took their first lead of the day, a 31-24 advantage, with 1:54 remaining in the game.
Senior quarterback Aaron Murray faced the rowdy Tennessee crowd and led a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive through the heart of Knoxville. Murray hit Rantavious Wooten on a 2-yard score to force overtime at Neyland, slightly deflating the home crowd.
The sea of orange and white was really silenced when Tennessee running back Alton Howard barely fumbled through the back of the end zone, giving the ball to Georgia on a touchback. Bulldog kicker Marshall Morgan iced the game on a 42-yard field goal four plays later.
Smart aims for his fourth-straight win at Tennessee on November 18 at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee.
DawgNation also plans to conquer international waters in April. The four-night Cruise with DawgNation upon Royal Carribean’s Independence of the Seas will make stops at Perfect Day at CocoCay and Nassau, Bahamas, while enjoying an NFL Draft watch party, Georgia football trivia and more.
