KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Josh Heupel gives Tennessee “a fighting chance” for an upset against Georgia, according to SportsSource.TV host John Pennington.
“But to me,” said Pennington, who has hosted and produced his own show each Sunday on WATE-TV since 2003, “it’s going to be a long, hard slog if they are going to upset anybody at Neyland Stadium on Saturday.
“If they’re going to knock off Georgia, it’s going to take a lot of work, (and) I don’t see it happening.”
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Specifically, Pennington said, UT would need to win the turnover battle to have a shot at the upset. That’s something the Vols haven’t done against Georgia since 2009.
Tennessee is 31-3 under Heupel when winning the turnover margin.
The No. 21-ranked Vols (7-3, 3-3) are a 10-point underdog to the No. 2-ranked Bulldogs (10-0, 7-0), even as they bring a 14-game win streak into the 3:30 p.m. game (TV: CBS) on Saturday.
Pennington said the No. 21-ranked Vols are going to have to “get their minds right again” after a 36-7 loss at Missouri.
A fast start is also imperative for the Vols to have a chance, the Knoxville TV star pointed out, sharing that Tennessee is just 1-10 when trailing at the half under Heupel. The program’s biggest comeback under Heupel’s direction was from 10 points down against Pitt last season.
Recent history suggests the Vols will get a chance to play from ahead: Georgia has trailed in six of its seven SEC games this season and given up opening drive TDs in each of its past four games.
The Tennessee defense will need to provide resistance, too — Heupel is 32-0 as the head coach at the Knoxville school when allowing under 27 points.
Further, the Vols are only 1-11 when scoring under 30 points.
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Pennington, who watched Tennessee play Alabama earlier this season, looked into his crystal ball to give an early prediction on the SEC Championship Game.
“Jalen Milroe is getting better at quarterback … the offense is figuring out how to use him more, I think he set a record this past Saturday with three touchdowns running and three touchdowns passing,” Pennington said.
“That said, as good as he’s becoming, I still think he’s not the level they have had in the past, and I think eventually that Georgia defense will exploit that weakness, they are so good.
“I would take Georgia in that game. At the same time, if I’m a Georgia fan, the law of averages is the law of averages for a reason. It’s hard to just keep winning, especially against programs like Nick Saban and like Alabama. You’re going to have to beat what has been the best program in the country over the last decade, and the best coach in the history of the sport, that’s the tough ask to do that on top of 28 (wins) in a row.”
