No. 18 Tennessee jumped on top of No. 1 Georgia early, but the unbeaten Bulldogs bounced back to claim a 38-10 victory over the Vols at Neyland Stadium on Saturday.
With a 12th-consecutive home sellout crowd of 101,915 looking on, UT (7-4, 3-4 SEC) saw its 14-game home winning streak come to an end. UGA, which was the last team to defeat the Big Orange on its own field back on Nov. 13, 2021, improved to 11-0 overall and 8-0 in league play.
Running back Jaylen Wright led Tennessee offensively, racking up 90 yards and a touchdown on only nine carries. Senior cornerback Doneiko Slaughter paced the Vol defense, registering a career-high 11 tackles, including a personal-best eight solo stops. Linebacker Aaron Beasley was in on nine tackles, including his third recorded sack of the campaign.
Tennessee struck first in the contest, scoring on the initial play from scrimmage. Wright took the hand-off from quarterback Joe Milton III and bolted through an enormous hole, sprinting 75 yards untouched to the end zone. Charles Campbell's kick gave the Vols a 7-0 lead with 14:49 left in the first quarter.
Georgia responded with points on its first two possessions. A 42-yard Peyton Woodring field goal cut the deficit to 7-3 with 10:01 remaining in the opening stanza. The Bulldogs then moved in front on an 18-yard touchdown pass from wide receiver Dillon Bell to fellow wide-out Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint. Woodring's PAT made it 10-7 UGA with 3:17 to go in the frame.
The Bulldogs tacked on two more touchdowns before the half to go up, 24-7. Quarterback Carson Beck found Bell for a 9-yard TD connection at the 8:04 mark and then hooked up with tight end Brock Bowers for a 3-yard score with 1:31 left before the intermission.
The Vols, though, put points on the board before time expired in the second period. After Tennessee moved 56 yards in a minute and a half, Campbell came on to boot a 37-yard field goal to send his squad into the locker room trailing UGA, 24-10.
Georgia pulled away in the third quarter, getting an 8-yard reception by Rosemy-Jacksaint and a 15-yard run from Kendall Milton to push the gap to 38-10 and ultimately end the game's scoring.
Up next, Tennessee closes out the regular season at home next Saturday, as in-state rival Vanderbilt comes to town. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. with SEC Network televising the contest.
