Imagine how bad the fall-off has to be for your opponent to not even consider your offense a threat. Josh Heupel and Co. are having quite the run this year. With an 8-1 track record, Tennessee is heading to Georgia for their next showdown. Now, here is something you have to keep in mind; if you roll back the tapes and check Tennessee’s track record, they’ve had 3 50+ pointer games at the start of the season. This momentum did fall off, and they started averaging around 20+ points in all of their next games. However, what you also have to look out for is the fact that the Tennessee D-line has barely allowed another team to cross past the 18-point mark.

And this is what brings us to today’s discussion. Back on Locked On College Football, Eric Cain pointed out, “There’s so much uncertainty right now, like, which quarterback’s going to play for Tennessee. Is Nico gonna go? He didn’t come out for the second half against Mississippi State.” Here is the thing. The Vols’ offense has been somewhat good this year. If Nico Lamaleava didn’t have the injury, then we can expect a blowout game for him. Why? As Eric pointed out, Nico has been making “all the right decisions”. He has been running the football when needed and has been solid in terms of passes.

Now, for Georgia, this is not good. You might be wondering why. Well, Kirby Smart and his offense have been all over the place. QB Carson Beck, who was once regarded as the No.1 Draft pick, has turned into a turnover machine for the Dawgs. Did you not see the Ole Miss showdown? Bulldogs couldn’t even manage to cross past the 10-point mark.

Lane Kiffin and his boys had the whole team in a chokehold. Beck had around 5 sacks that game, and the Georgia O-line could barely do anything. “Tennessee’s defense is legit,” Eric had mentioned. See, the Bulldogs won’t make this easy.

You have to keep in mind that Georgia is coming off of a major loss, and their back is pretty much against the wall. With the recent CFP ranking, placing them in the 12th spot adds fuel to the fire. If the Vols want to win this, they need to bring back their elite defense into play and they have to run the football. So, what if Kirby Smart loses this game? What’s next for the Dawgs?

Elimination game for Kirby Smart

See, Georgia’s offense, right now, is completely one-dimensional. They have no idea how to run the football, and their QB, with his disastrous plays and interceptions, just adds insult to injury. Going into the Vols game, the first advantage Smart is going to have is the fact that this will be a home game.

The only loss the Vols have had this year was against Arkansas and that was a road game for the team. So, there is a pattern. However, for Smart, this is the elimination game. The team is already at the bottom of the barrel on the AP polls and the CFP rankings. Another loss to their name means they are off the playoff.

What Smart needs to focus on is building back his offense. If Ole Miss could hold back Georgia this easily, then this game would be a walk in the park for the Vols’ defense. Smart still has access to an elite QB who is not injured, and that is not the case for Heupel. So, that is another advantage for Georgia. Despite all this, if they still fail, then they are done for.