The Tennessee Volunteers' comeback ended before it could ever truly begin with their three fourth-quarter turnovers allowing the Georgia Bulldogs to hang on for a 51-44 win.
Tennessee vs. Georgia 2012 results: Volunteers fall short of comeback, lose 51-44 to Bulldogs
Tennessee had opportunities to pull off the shocking upset but three fourth quarter turnovers stifled their chances.
Daniel Shirey-US PRESSWIRE - Presswire
The Bulldogs jumped out to a quick 27-10 lead in the early second with freshman running backs Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall finding the end zone a total of five times as a pair. But a miss on the point after from Georgia kicker Marshall Morgan would act as an omen for the sloppy play to come.
Following a 1-yard touchdown from the Vols' do-it-all linebacker A.J. Johnson out of the wildcat, Tennessee QB Tyler Bray would get his first touchdowns of the game after the Bulldogs set him up in the red zone twice with two costly fumbles.
A 50-yard Marshall field goal to close out the half along with two Aaron Murray-to-Michael Bennett touchdown connections gave the Bulldogs a 13-point cushion in the middle of the third.
But Tennessee had no aspirations of going down that easily with WR Cordarrelle Patterson finding pay dirt on a 46-yard reverse. Georgia answered back with Keith Marshall busting off his second 70-plus-yard touchdown run of the day as he sprinted 72 yards through a gaping hole.
Tennessee had their chances in the fourth after RB Rajion Neal cut the lead the deficit to 7 with a 9-yard rushing touchdown. Ultimately, though, they’d come up short with the three aforementioned turnovers (two interceptions and a fumble) putting a damper on their final three drives.
Box Score Hero: Georgia’s tag team of freshman running backs stole the show as Marshall and Gurley combined for 294 rushing yards and five scores.
Rankings Ramifications: Georgia didn’t have the strongest showing but they shouldn’t have a problem staying in the top 5 of the AP poll.
But Did They Cover? Vegas had the Bulldogs favored by two touchdowns so those who believed in Tennessee won some dough.
Next Week’s Schedule: Both teams will next be faced with the challenge of playing a ranked SEC team on the road as Tennessee visits No. 21 Mississippi State Oct. 13 and Georgia crosses state lines to play No. 6 South Carolina Oct. 6.
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