Bulldogs - 12 1/2 vs. Volunteers One team tries to salvage their season while the other one wonders when their season will start in this clash of SEC stalwarts. Tennessee travels to Georgia this Saturday as both teams discover which path they will take for the remainder of their season. The last time we saw Georgia (4-1, 1-1), they donned their black shirts and encouraged their faithful at Sanford Stadium to do the same in order to provide a mental edge against rising rival Alabama. It did not work—oh how it did not work. Everyone remembers the throttling the Bulldogs received two weeks ago at the hands of Nick Saban’s bunch. Possibly the worst part for many Dawg players has been the week off to dwell on the beating.
Along with the inexcusable loss, Georgia saw its once bright BCS championship prospects grow dim. Things got worse for Georgia when star sophomore running back Knowshon Moreno sustained a bruised elbow and produced his worst effort of the season. The health of his elbow is uncertain, although Moreno and his coach Mark Richt have said he will play versus the Volunteers. Over in Knoxville, Vols coach Phillip Fulmer is in unchartered territory: a lackluster team, sub .500 record and stuck in hot water. Tennessee (2-3, 0-2) actually responded with a 13-9 uninspired victory over an inferior Northern Illinois team last week at Neyland Stadium. A victory does not always stop the pressure and this was the case this week for Tennessee, which has averaged an anemic 10.3 points in the past three games against NIU, arch-rival Florida and conference-mate Auburn. Perhaps the uninspired effort was due to the growing pains of the first start of sophomore quarterback Nick Stephens replacing an ineffective Jonathan Crompton. Stephens was 10 for 17 with 156 yards and a touchdown. Rest has been very good for Georgia who has won nine of its last 10 games when coming off an open week. There is good reason that Moreno wants to face Tennessee Saturday and that is for redemption. The back was not very effective, 13 carries for 30 yards, in his only previous game, a 35-14 road loss against Tennessee last October 6.
Tennessee has had a lot of success against their rivals of late. They have won the last two matchups in the series and have been victorious in their last two trips between the hedges.
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