Georgia–Tennessee football rivalry

Georgia–Tennessee football rivalry

Georgia Bulldogs Tennessee Volunteers
First meeting	November 11, 1899 Tennessee 5, Georgia 0
Latest meeting	October 1, 2016 Tennessee 34, Georgia 31
Next meeting	September 30, 2017
Statistics
Meetings total	45
All-time series	Tennessee leads, 23–21–2
Largest victory	Tennessee, 46–0 (1936)
Longest win streak	Tennessee, 9 (1989–99)
Current win streak	Tennessee, 2 (2015–present)

The Georgia–Tennessee football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Georgia Bulldogs football team of the University of Georgia and Tennessee Volunteers football team of the University of Tennessee. The series is currently 23–21–2 Tennessee.^[1] Both teams are founding members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Tennessee and Georgia are the second and third winningest football programs in SEC history, behind only Alabama.

Series history

From 1899 to 1989, UT and UGA met only 21 times before the Southeastern Conference (SEC) expanded to twelve members and split into two divisions of six members each, West and East. (The conference expanded by 2 members (Texas A&M and Missouri) in 2012; therefore the SEC West and East divisions have currently seven members each.) Since 1992, the Dawgs and Vols have both been in the SEC's Eastern Division and have met annually on the football field. The largest margin of victory overall was Tennessee by 46 points in 1936 at Sanford Stadium in Athens in their 46–0 victory. The largest margin of victory for Georgia is by 44 points in 1981 at Sanford Stadium in their 44–0 victory. The longest win streak for Georgia is 5, twice, from 2010–14 and from 1909–24. The longest win streak for Tennessee is 9 from 1989–99.^[1][2]

The Georgia–Tennessee rivalry quickly became one of the biggest rivals in the SEC. Through out the 1990s, Tennessee went 9–0 vs Georgia, holding a nine game win streak. Georgia ended the streak in 2000 when they defeated the 21–10. In 2001, former Georgia Head coach Mark Richt became the coach. He led the Bulldogs to a three-game winning streak against the Volunteers in his first three years. In 2007, Tennessee defeated Georgia 35–14 to win the tie breaker for conference title game. Georgia held a 6–4 record against Tennessee in the 2000s.

In 2010, Derek Dooley became the Tennessee head coach. Throughout his tenure he went 0–3 vs Georgia, and Georgia extended another three game winning streak against Tennessee. Georgia continued their streak until 2015 when Tennessee defeated them 38–31 in Knoxville, under head coach Butch Jones. Since 2011, every game in the series has been decided by eight points or less, including one overtime thriller in 2013.

Game results

Rankings are from the AP Poll.

Georgia victories

Tennessee victories

Tie games

# Date Location Winner Score 1 November 11, 1899 Knoxville, Tennessee Tennessee 5–0 2 November 7, 1903 Knoxville, Tennessee Georgia 5–0 3 November 21, 1906 Athens, Georgia Tie 0–0 4 October 12, 1907 Athens, Georgia Tennessee 15–0 5 October 24, 1908 Knoxville, Tennessee Tennessee 10–0 6 October 23, 1909 Knoxville, Tennessee Georgia 3–0 7 October 22, 1910 Athens, Georgia Georgia 35–3 8 October 21, 1922 Athens, Georgia Georgia 7–3 9 October 20, 1923 Knoxville, Tennessee Georgia 17–0 10 November 1, 1924 Athens, Georgia Georgia 33–3 11 October 31, 1925 Knoxville, Tennessee Tennessee 12–7 12 October 31, 1936 Athens, Georgia Tennessee 46–0 13 October 30, 1937 Knoxville, Tennessee Tennessee 32–0 14 September 14, 1968 Knoxville, Tennessee Tie 17–17 15 November 1, 1969 Athens, Georgia #3 Tennessee 17–3 16 November 4, 1972 Athens, Georgia #13 Tennessee 14–0 17 November 3, 1973 Knoxville, Tennessee Georgia 35–31 18 September 6, 1980 Knoxville, Tennessee #16 Georgia 16–15 19 September 5, 1981 Athens, Georgia #10 Georgia 44–0 20 September 3, 1988 Athens, Georgia #12 Georgia 28–17 21 October 7, 1989 Knoxville, Tennessee #6 Tennessee 17–14 22 September 12, 1992 Athens, Georgia #20 Tennessee 34–31 23 September 11, 1993 Knoxville, Tennessee #8 Tennessee 38–6 24 September 10, 1994 Athens, Georgia #19 Tennessee 41–23 # Date Location Winner Score 25 September 9, 1995 Knoxville, Tennessee #8 Tennessee 30–27 26 October 12, 1996 Athens, Georgia #7 Tennessee 29–17 27 October 11, 1997 Knoxville, Tennessee #10 Tennessee 38–13 28 October 10, 1998 Athens, Georgia #4 Tennessee 22–3 29 October 9, 1999 Knoxville, Tennessee #6 Tennessee 37–20 30 October 7, 2000 Athens, Georgia #19 Georgia 21–10 31 October 6, 2001 Knoxville, Tennessee Georgia 26–24 32 October 12, 2002 Athens, Georgia #6 Georgia 18–13 33 October 11, 2003 Knoxville, Tennessee #8 Georgia 41–14 34 October 9, 2004 Athens, Georgia #17 Tennessee 19–14 35 October 8, 2005 Knoxville, Tennessee #5 Georgia 27–14 36 October 7, 2006 Athens, Georgia #14 Tennessee 51–33 37 October 6, 2007 Knoxville, Tennessee Tennessee 35–14 38 October 11, 2008 Athens, Georgia #10 Georgia 26–14 39 October 10, 2009 Knoxville, Tennessee Tennessee 45–19 40 October 9, 2010 Athens, Georgia Georgia 41–14 41 October 8, 2011 Knoxville, Tennessee Georgia 20–12 42 September 29, 2012 Athens, Georgia #5 Georgia 51–44 43 October 5, 2013 Knoxville, Tennessee #6 Georgia 34–31^OT 44 September 27, 2014 Athens, Georgia #12 Georgia 35–32 45 October 10, 2015 Knoxville, Tennessee Tennessee 38–31 46 October 1, 2016 Athens, Georgia #11 Tennessee 34–31 Series: Tennessee leads 23–21–2 OT denotes game went into overtime.

Notable games

• 1899: On November 11, 1899, was the first meeting between Georgia and Tennessee. Both teams met at 15th and Cumberland Field in Knoxville, TN. Tennessee defeated Georgia 5–0.

• 1973: In 1973, Georgia, who trailed 31–21, scored a touchdown in the final minutes as quarterback Andy Johnson ran into the end zone for an 8-yard score after the football bounced back into his hands after a botched handoff. The touchdown clinched the Georgia comeback 35–31.

• 1980: In 1980, Georgia, who trailed early 15–0, rallied back behind Herschel Walker, who, on his first collegiate touchdown, ran right over Tennessee defender Bill Bates. Georgia would go on to win 16–15, their first victory of an undefeated national championship season.^[3]

• 1992: In 1992, No. 20 Tennessee defeated No. 14 Georgia 34–31 to clinch a 2–0 start. It was the official start of the Georgia–Tennessee rivalry.

• 1995: In 1995, Georgia had the ball with under two minutes to play in a tie game, 27–27. Georgia then missed a potential game-winning field goal with just over a minute and a half left. Peyton Manning then took the Volunteers to within 40 yards, and Tennessee kicked the game winning field goal with 10 seconds left to win their 5th game in a row against the Bulldogs, 30–27.^[4]

• 2000: In 2000, Georgia quarterback Quincy Carter beat the Volunteers 21–10 in Athens. The victory over Tennessee was Georgia's first win over the Vols since 1988, after 9 straight Tennessee wins. Fans stormed the field at Sanford Stadium in celebration for the only time in school history - taking down the goalposts. Larry Munson, Georgia's radio announcer, said "The athletic department is about to lose about $11,000...we won by 11 points and a lot of praying up here!"^[5]

• 2001 The Hobnail Boot Game: In the 2001 game,^[6] Tennessee was ranked No. 6 as it faced UGA coach Mark Richt for the first time. The lead was traded multiple times, but Tennessee had seemingly won the game on a 62-yard touchdown pass with only 44 seconds remaining to take a 24–20 lead. Georgia quarterback David Greene would take the Bulldogs down the field and threw a touchdown pass to Verron Haynes with 6 seconds left to upset Tennessee 26–24. Legendary Georgia radio announcer Larry Munson in an famous call exclaimed, "We just stepped on their face with a hobnail boot and broke their nose! We just crushed their face!".^[7][8]

• 2004: In 2004, No. 17 Tennessee ended the back to back SEC Eastern Division Champions 17 game home winning streak with a shocking upset, 19–14. The victory propelled the Volunteers to the SEC Eastern Division Championship, and knocked No. 3 UGA out of the national title.^[9][10]

Erik Ainge and the Tennessee Volunteers offense lineup against Georgia.

• 2007: In 2007, unranked Tennessee ran all over No. 12 Georgia in Knoxville early, en route to a 35–14 victory. Georgia and Tennessee would finish the season tied for the SEC Eastern Division, but Tennessee's head-to-head victory allowed the Vols to advance to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game which they lost. The Bulldogs would finish the season ranked No. 2, the loss preventing them from advancing to the BCS National Championship Game, while Tennessee finished No. 14.^[11][12]

• 2013: In 2013, Georgia jumped to a 17–3 half time lead. In the third quarter of the game Tennessee came back by a block punt for a touchdown, and a couple of touchdowns. With 1:13 left in the game Tennessee scored a touchdown by Rajion Neal to make the score 31–24. With 5 seconds to go Georgia answered back, with Aaron Murray's pass complete to Rantavious Wooten. In overtime Tennessee fumbled the football through the end zone, causing a touchback, turning the ball over to the Bulldogs. After the play Georgia took the 42 yard field goal by Marshall Morgan and was good to win the game 34–31.^[13][14]

• 2015: In 2015, the No. 19 Georgia Bulldogs made their way up to Knoxville riding a 5-year winning streak over the Volunteers but coming off a disheartening loss to Alabama at home. After the Bulldogs went up 24–3 before half, making it seemingly impossible for the Volunteers to come back, momentum would seem to switch hands quite fast. With just 3 minutes left in the half the Volunteers scored a touchdown and recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, propelling Tennessee to score again before half. Tennessee took control of the game in the second half outscoring Georgia 21–7. Georgia was rallying late in the 4th quarter down 38-31 when Greyson Lambert launched a long pass right into the waiting arms of wide receiver Reggie Davis only for Davis to drop the game-tying touchdown. The unranked Tennessee Volunteers would hold on and give Coach Butch Jones one of the biggest wins of his career, beating the No. 19 Bulldogs 38–31, and snapping a five game losing streak. The game would prove costly to Mark Richt. Even though Georgia's only other loss after would be to eventual SEC East champion Florida, Richt would be dismissed as head coach at season's end.^[15][16][17]

• 2016: The Hail Mary Between the Hedges/The Dobbnail Boot Game: The No. 25 Georgia Bulldogs and the No. 11 Tennessee Volunteers, like last year's matchup, saw the game end on a crazy finish, in Athens. The Bulldogs stormed to a 17–0 lead in the second quarter, but the Vols rallied to take their first lead of the game at 28–24 with under three minutes to play in the fourth quarter when Georgia quarterback Jacob Eason was sacked and fumbled. Tennessee's Corey Vereen recovered the loose ball in the end zone for the touchdown, setting up the dramatic finish. After an Eason interception and a Vols punt, the Bulldogs found themselves at the Vols' 47–yard line with 19 seconds to go. Out of timeouts, Eason launched a deep pass to receiver Riley Ridley, who was uncovered. Ridley caught the pass and ran into the end zone, and Georgia regained the lead at 31–28 with 10 seconds left in regulation. At this point the CBS television broadcasters were heaping praise on Eason as going down in Bulldog lore, replaying the Larry Munson "Hobnail Boot" broadcast while the final seconds ticked off. However, in what appeared to be the turning point of the game, the Bulldogs were whistled for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after the score and were forced to kickoff from their own 20–yard line. After another Georgia penalty, Tennessee found themselves at the Bulldogs' 43–yard line lining up for a desperation final play. Quarterback Joshua Dobbs heaved a long Hail Mary pass to receiver Jauan Jennings, who caught the pass in the end zone, leading the undefeated Volunteers to the 34–31 win.^[18][19]

References

1. "NCAAF Football : Series records : Tennessee vs. Georgia". mcubed.net.
2. Tennessee Historical Scores
3. Watkins, Edwin (September 7, 1980). "Georgia squeeze past Vols". Lawrence Journal–World. Google News Archives. p. 1. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
4. Hawley, Doug (September 13, 1995). "Bulldogs Applauded after lost". Walker County Messenger. Google News Archives. p. 1. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
5. "Flashback to 2000 Tennessee at Georgia". SB Nation. Alex Dusza. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
6. "David Greene And That 'Hobnail Boot' Thing". ugafootballlive. ugafootballlive. October 7, 2015. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
7. Watkins, Edwin (October 22, 1950). "Georgia stuns No. 6 Tennessee". Rome News-Tribune. Google News Archives. p. 1. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
8. "Tennessee vs. Georgia October 6, 2001". ESPN. ESPN. Retrieved October 6, 2007.
9. "Ainge steady as Vols end Dogs' home winning streak:Play by Play". ESPN. ESPN. Retrieved October 9, 2004.
10. "Ainge steady as Vols end Dogs' home winning streak". ESPN. ESPN. Retrieved October 9, 2004.
11. "Tennessee ends No. 12 Georgia's win streak in Knoxville:Play by Play". ESPN. ESPN. Retrieved October 6, 2007.
12. "Tennessee ends No. 12 Georgia's win streak in Knoxville". ESPN. ESPN. Retrieved October 6, 2007.
13. "Georgia rallies late, escapes Tennessee in overtime:Play by Play". ESPN. ESPN. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
14. "Georgia rallies late, escapes Tennessee in overtime". ESPN. ESPN. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
15. "Dobbs helps Vols rally for 38–31 victory over No. 19 Georgia:Play by Play". ESPN. ESPN. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
16. "Dobbs helps Vols rally for 38-31 victory over No. 19 Georgia". ESPN. ESPN. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
17. "Georgia coach Mark Richt stepping down in 'mutual' decision". Foxsports. Foxsports. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
18. "Tennessee beats Georgia 34-31 with TD pass on final play". ESPN. ESPN. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
19. "Doobnail Boot". Saturday Down South. Saturday Down South.com. Retrieved October 2, 2016.