Georgia comes off a huge win against LSU and there is no doubt they are due for a let down in this spot. It may not happen and they may win this game, but at some point the injuries this offense has had has to catch up with them. They've been lucky to play some defenses in their own building but now losing Todd Gurley they have some depth issues at RB. I'll get to why I like Tennessee this week in a second, but more importantly I'm just not a big fan of Aarron Murray. Murray is over rated and there is a reason why he's never discussed as a big time NFL prospect. Murray's QB rating is 45 poitns less on the road over his career and though he played well against LSU it was evident LSU's defense is down after losing several NFL prospects a year ago. Murray is in his 4th year as the QB and he's never had to go on the road against the top SEC defenses like Alabama, LSU or Florida and we know how poor he's played against top teams. His one road game against a good defense last year was against South Carolina and the offense struggled putting up just 7 points. Tennessee is flying under the radar and I really like what this defense is doing. They are strong in the front 4 led by some veterans and the secondary already has 11 interceptions 10 of which have come at home. In Murray's only road game this year he was sacked on 12% of his drop backs so the offensive line is suspect on the road.
Tennessee is a dangerous opponent right now for Georgia, because they are strong up front on offense too. Actually Georgia's own coach is calling this offensive line the best in college football as they feature 4 future NFL linemen. Unfortunately for Tennessee they have young receivers and an a first year QB in Justin Worley. However, the running game has been great averaging 5.52 ypc this year behind senior Raijon Neal's 5.85 ypc and Marlin Lane's 6.22. Georgia may have stopped LSU at home, but they allowed some pretty big passing yards in the process. This Georgia front 7 is hardly a rock against the run they allowed their last 4 opponents in 2012 to run for 302, 306, 350, and 239 yards and their first two ran for 197 and 226.
Tennessee can move the chains on the ground and take chances through the air on play action for a balanced attack. That's one of the things Worley has been doing is being more aggressive down field which could create issues for Georgia's defense on the road. Worley should have plenty of time because the offensive line was built to pass protect and Georgia's pass rush is not what it was in previous seasons. Tennessee looked good on the road against Georgia losing 51-44 a year ago as 13.5 point under dogs and I think this defense is better while Georgia's is worse so I think they can actually win this game and shock a ton of people in the process.
