No. 3-ranked UGA is off this week, and the next opponent is Tennessee on Oct. 5.

Tennessee is struggling this season under second-year coach Jeremy Pruitt. The Volunteers are 1-3, with losses to Georgia State and a 34-3 decision on the road against Florida.

However, Tennessee still has its confidence.

“Our football team is 100 times better than it was this time last year,” Pruitt told reporters on Wednesday.

Pruitt’s comment generated a lot of reaction among Tennessee fans, which are obviously divided with their feelings on the state of the program.

Here’s how Pruitt, who was UGA’s defensive coordinator from 2014-2015 under Mark Richt, further explained his claim:

“It’s not hard to figure out. In the three games that we’ve lost, I mean, y’all watch the games. We had an opportunity to win two of them. The first game, we had five turnovers, whether it was three turnovers like we had or two turnovers on downs on fourth-and-1, right? And we only got one, so we’re minus-4 in the turnover margin there. It’s hard to win that way. Probably left some plays out there on both sides of the ball.

“Our football team is 100 times better than it was this time last year, and our guys are working hard. We’re stronger, we’re more physical, but when it comes to having success winning a football game, you can’t turn the ball over and you have to create turnovers, and that’s something that has hampered us in our three losses.”

Also on Wednesday, two of Tennessee’s linebackers entered the NCAA transfer portal system, while a Volunteers receiver was absent from practice.

UGA plays at Tennessee at 7 p.m. next Saturday.