Field Level Media
Oct 10, 2020
Stetson Bennett threw for two touchdowns and ran for another to lift No. 3 Georgia to a 44-21 victory over 14th-ranked Tennessee on Saturday in a Southeastern Conference contest in Athens, Ga.
The Bulldogs' defense held the Volunteers off the scoreboard in the second half.
Georgia (3-0, 3-0) allowed only 71 yards and four first downs after halftime, erasing a 21-17 halftime deficit with 27 straight unanswered points. The Bulldogs held the Volunteers (2-1, 2-1) to minus-1 yard on 27 rushes.
Bennett completed 16 of 27 passes for 238 yards with no interceptions, more than overcoming an early gaffe that provided Tennessee with a 7-0 lead just 43 seconds into the game.
A bad center snap bounced from the Georgia 30 toward the goal line, and Bennett wasn't able to cover it around the 5. Another teammate failed to secure it in the end zone and linebacker Kivon Bennett fell on it for the easy score.
The Bulldogs responded with the tying score on a 1-yard run by Zamir White with 6:38 left in the quarter, set up by Bennett's 29-yard connection with Kenny McIntosh.
Stetson Bennett gave Georgia its first lead on an 8-yard run just 3:18 into the second quarter, but the Vols equalized when Jarrett Guarantano fired a 36-yard touchdown pass to Josh Palmer at the 6:40 mark.
Following Jack Podlesny's 47-yard field goal with 4:49 left, Tennessee answered less than two minutes later as Guarantano and Palmer hooked up for a 27-yard scoring strike. That gave the Vols, who entered the game with an eight-game winning streak dating back to last year, the lead at halftime.
The second half was all Bulldogs.
Podlesny connected on field goals of 34 and 51 yards in the first five minutes of the third quarter to give them the lead for good.
Stetson Bennett made it 30-21 with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Kearis Jackson.
Two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including a strip-sack and 20-yard return by Monty Rice, turned it into a rout.
Guarantano completed 23 of 36 passes for 215 yards with an interception. He was sacked five times.
--Field Level Media