The Tennessee Vols lost 31-17 to the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday night in Athens, but the final score doesn’t even come close to telling the full story of the game.
Tennessee didn’t play its best game of the season against Georgia. The Vols’ defensive line wasn’t nearly as disruptive as it’s been all season. Additionally, Tennessee’s linebackers and wide receivers had an up-and-down night against the Bulldogs.
Yet the Vols were still very much in the game all night. And if not for a lengthy Georgia drive in the third quarter that was heavily aided by a couple of botched calls by the officials, maybe the game plays out a bit different.
With the game tied at 17, Tennessee failed to get anything going offensively on its first possession of the second half. The Vols chose to punt the ball away from the Georgia 36 yard line (UT actually ended up punting from the 41 yard line after intentionally taking a delay of game penalty).
And that’s when the momentum of the game completely shifted in Georgia’s favor, thanks in part to some horrendous officiating.