KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee scored on the first and last play of the second half, but Georgia controlled most all the action in between en route to a 24-10 halftime lead at Neyland Stadium.
The No. 1-ranked Bulldogs yielded an opening drive touchdown for the fifth time this season when Jaylen Wright broke a 75-yard TD run up the middle on the first play from scrimmage to give the Vols a quick 7-0 lead.
Georgia only allowed 57 yards the rest of the first half to the Tennessee offense, as quarterback Joe Milton is just 9-of-15 passing for 76 yards and has carried twice for minus-1 yard.
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“Well, we didn’t play the first play right,” Coach Kirby Smart said on CBS at halftime. “So we came out the next drive and stopped them.
“The offense has done a really god job possessing the ball, but we had a really sloppy run fit that first play.”
It marked the seventh time in eight SEC games Georgia has trailed this season.
But, just like all those other league games, the Bulldogs showed great resiliency in rallying against the No. 18-ranked Vols.
Georgia answered UT’s touchdown on their first possession with a 42-yard Peyton Woodring field goal and proceeded to score touchdowns on three of their next four drives.
• An 18-yard Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint TD catch from Dillon Bell
• A Dillon Bell 9-yard TD catch from Beck
• A Brock Bowers 3-yard TD catch from Beck.
Beck is 17-of-20 passing for 210 passing and those 2 TDs and has not been sacked.
Smart indicated his message at halftime will be simple and direct.
“Go in here and correct the mistakes, be who we are,” Smart said, “and win the line of scrimmage.”
Georgia starting right guard Tate Ratledge left the game with a left knee injury in the first quarter and is not expected to return.
UGA receiver Ladd McConkey has been dealing with an ankle sprain since the win over Ole Miss and attempted to play, but the ankle was still too much of an issue for him to return.
