KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Georgia coach Kirby Smart noticed too many people whistling past his team’s grave.
In other words, he felt as if certain outside forces didn’t take the No. 6 Bulldogs as a serious threat entering the 2025 season, though they are less than three years removed from winning back-to-back national titles as college football’s hegemon. If there were any lingering doubts that Georgia still is what Georgia always has been during its run of dominance under Smart, the Bulldogs dispelled them in a 44-41 overtime win at No. 15 Tennessee on Saturday.
“I think we know who we are,” Smart said. “There’s a lot of outside whistling by the graveyard. A little bit of acting like one thing when we feel like our team has a certain identity. We’re not going to go down without a fight.”
Those “naysayers” that Smart called out during his postgame interview on ABC’s broadcast were almost right when Tennessee stunned Georgia by jumping out to a 21-7 first quarter lead behind the arm of quarterback Joey Aguilar, who went 14-of-14 passing — something no SEC quarterback has done in 20 years — for 213 yards and two touchdowns over the first 15 minutes of play.
They were almost right again in the fourth quarter when Tennessee took a 38-30 lead thanks to a 48-yard Max Gilbert field goal with less than 7 minutes to play. And again when, with time running out, Tennessee moved the ball to Georgia’s 20-yard line to set up a potential game-winning field goal attempt with the two teams tied at 38-all.
This time, Gilbert’s 43-yard kick sailed wide to the right, giving Georgia new life — and a chance to go for the kill in overtime.
The defense achieved that by forcing a quick three-and-out and yet another attempt from Gilbert, who was true from 42 yards out. The offense achieved that by owning the line of scrimmage and pounding the rock right through the teeth of Tennessee’s defense.
Running back Nate Frazier ripped off a 21-yard run on Georgia’s first offensive play of overtime. From there, the Bulldogs fed the ball to 240-pound wrecking ball Josh McCray, who fought through a few Tennessee defenders to plow into the end zone on his second touch.
That final, game-winning play from McCray was emblematic of the same Georgia team that owned college football from 2021-22; one that could push teams off the block, run the football on a consistent basis and make the plays through the air that it needed to.
It was the philosophy that Georgia refocused on when it outscored Tennessee 37-20 after the first quarter. Georgia had 121 yards rushing in the second half, 73 of which came in the third quarter. It ran the ball 13 times on a 14-play, 88-yard touchdown drive that opened the third quarter.
“That’s who we are,” Smart said. “If we’re going to be good this year, we’re going to have to run the ball. We’re not going to drop back 35 or 40 times a game with Gunner [Stockton] and be a dropback pass team. We can’t play behind in games. We can’t do that.”
If Georgia wants to keep winning games this season, it will need quarterback Gunner Stockton to continue making plays. Stockton entered Saturday’s contest with outside doubters of his own after a lackluster performance in Georgia’s sleepy Week 2 win against Austin Peay.
So Georgia dialed up a 41-yard deep shot on Stockton’s first throw, which he executed perfectly by hitting wide receiver Colbie Young in tight coverage. That set the tone for a standout performance from Stockton, who completed 23 of his 31 pass attempts for 304 yards and two touchdowns.
He took a beating from Tennessee’s defensive front but stood in the pocket and made big throws all night. None were bigger than his 28-yard touchdown strike to wide receiver London Humphreys on fourth-and-6 that allowed Georgia to tie the game at 38-38 with 2:32 left in regulation.
“He’s a dog,” Georgia defensive back KJ Bolden said of Stockton. “The whole team is behind him. He never let the score faze him. Defense kind of started off sluggish a little bit, but it never fazed him. He always came back with a plan, ready to attack.”
It was far from a sterling performance for Georgia. The secondary got torched in the first and fourth quarters. Though the offensive line opened up plenty of holes in the run game, it got gassed as the game wore on and allowed Tennessee to sack Stockton three times.
But if Georgia is going to beat a top-15 SEC opponent on the road while playing below its full potential, other teams may want to be on full alert when they pass the graveyard.
“We’re nowhere near where we need to be,” Smart said. “We’re a long way from being there. But, boy, we got some kids that aren’t afraid to fight.”
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