ATHENS, Ga. – No. 1 Tennessee and No. 3 Georgia will meet in a high-stakes matchup of unbeatens Saturday afternoon inside a sold-out Sanford Stadium in Athens at 3:30 p.m. on CBS.
Saturday will mark the first time ever that two top-three ranked teams will square off at Sanford Stadium as the 8-0 Vols hit the road to take on the 8-0 Bulldogs.
This weekend’s monster showdown will feature the nation’s top-ranked scoring offense of Tennessee (49.4 ppg) against the country’s second-ranked scoring defense of Georgia (10.5 ppg).
BROADCAST INFO
Saturday’s contest will be televised nationally on CBS as Brad Nessler (PxP), Gary Danielson (analyst) and Jenny Dell (sideline) will have the call. Kickoff is slated for 3:39 p.m. ET.
Fans can listen to Tennessee’s official radio broadcast on the Vol Network (Local: WIVK-FM 107.7/WNML-FM 99.1) over 64 stations across the state of Tennessee and the southeast, SiriusXM (Ch. 138 or 191) and the SiriusXM app (Ch. 962), as well as the Varsity App. A live audio stream of the broadcast will also be available on UTSports.com and the Tennessee Athletics App.
Bob Kesling (PxP), Pat Ryan (analyst) and Brent Hubbs (analyst) will call the action, with VFL Jayson Swain handling sideline duties for the Vol Network radio broadcast. The Big Orange Countdown pregame show begins at 1:30 p.m. ET.
GAMEDAY INFO
For any Tennessee fans making the trip to Athens, the most up-to-date information on Georgia’s gameday policies can be found at the Georgia Football Gameday Central page.
NEED TO KNOW
Beasts of the East
Not only does Saturday’s game have major national implications, but it will also be a showdown of the top teams in the SEC eastern division, with the winner putting themselves in prime position to make it to Atlanta for the SEC Championship game.
Polling, Vols Debut at No. 1 in CFP Rankings
Tennessee was the No. 1 team in the first edition of this year’s College Football Playoff rankings, which were released on Tuesday night. It is the first time that UT has been ranked No. 1 in any poll since finishing the 1998 season ranked No. 1 after winning the national championship. The Vols are one of just seven teams to ever achieve the No. 1 spot in the CFP rankings since they debuted in 2014.
With Georgia entering the game at No. 1 in the AP Poll and the Vols tied for second, Saturday will mark just the third AP No. 1 vs. No. 2 regular season meeting between SEC teams in history. The other two were No. 1 LSU at No. 2 Alabama in 2011 and 2019. The road team (LSU) won both of those prior matchups. It’s also just the second No. 1 vs. No. 2 contest that Tennessee has been involved with in program history. The No. 1 Vols beat No. 2 Florida State, 23-16, to win the national title in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan 4, 1999. UT is seeking its first victory over an AP No. 1 since defeating Auburn, 38-20, on Sept. 28, 1985.
Deadly Duo
The connection between quarterback Hendon Hooker and wide receiver Jalin Hyatt has been nearly unstoppable this season as the two have hooked up for 14 touchdowns through the air in just eight games. Hyatt’s 14 receiving touchdowns are a single-season program record, as he surpassed Marcus Nash’s previous record of 13 with two touchdown catches in the Vols’ 44-6 win over Kentucky last week. The South Carolina native has multiple touchdown catches in four straight games, the first Vol to accomplish that feat in program history.
Hooker is having a phenomenal season that has him among the Heisman Trophy favorites. The redshirt senior signal caller has thrown a touchdown pass in a program-record 20 consecutive games and ranks second in the FBS in passing efficiency (191.64). Hooker has accounted for multiple scores (passing or rushing) in 20 of his 21 games as a Vol entering Saturday’s contest.
Our Ball
The Vols’ defense under coordinator Tim Banks has been aggressive and opportunistic all year long, leading the SEC in turnovers forced (16), turnover margin (1.0) and interceptions (nine). For comparison, UT had just 13 takeaways in 13 games last season.
SERIES HISTORY
Georgia leads series, 26-23-2
Saturday will mark the 52nd meeting all time between the Vols and Bulldogs with Georgia holding a slight edge in the series. UT will be looking to snap a five-game losing streak to the Dawgs and earn its first win in the series since 2016’s dramatic Hail Mary victory in Athens.
ABOUT GEORGIA
The Bulldogs are led by head coach Kirby Smart, who has guided them to a pair of College Football Playoff appearances (2017 & 2021) and last year’s national title, the program’s first since 1980.
Georgia features one of the best and most balanced offenses in the country, ranking sixth nationally in scoring (41.8 ppg), eighth in passing yards per game (328.1) and 22nd in rushing yards per game (202.0). Senior quarterback Stetson Bennett ranks 14th in the FBS and second in the SEC in passing yards per game (293.6) and has tossed nine touchdown passes compared to just three interceptions. Bennett is also a capable runner with five rushing touchdowns this season.
Tight ends Brock Bowers and Darnell Washington provide Bennett with two massive targets in the passing game. The dynamic duo have combined for 879 receiving yards and three touchdowns while ranking first and third on the team in receiving yards, respectively. Redshirt sophomore Ladd McConkey is the Bulldogs leading wideout with 33 catches for 413 yards and two touchdowns.
Junior running back Daijun Edwards leads the team in rushing with 440 yards and seven touchdowns on 71 carries (6.2 avg) while senior back Kenny McIntosh has been a factor on the ground and through the air, racking up 597 yards from scrimmage with seven scores this season.
UGA once again boasts one of the nation’s top defenses, leading the SEC and ranking second in the FBS in scoring defense, allowing just 10.5 points per game. The Dawgs also lead the conference and are fourth nationally in total defense, surrendering a paltry 262.5 yards per contest. Sophomore linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson leads the team with 40 total tackles to go along with 13 quarterback hurries, five tackles for loss and two sacks. Defensive backs Christopher Smith and Malaki Starks both have a pair of interceptions to their name while Kelee Ringo is considered one of the nation’s top corners.