Tennessee football had an interesting season opener against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets where the Vols pulled out a 42-41 double overtime victory.
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and Tennessee Volunteers started the game feeling each other out like two boxers in the ring. Both teams traded possessions in the early going before the Yellow Jackets’ offense found its rhythm. Georgia Tech threw the first blow on a 12-play, 86-yard drive to go up 7-0 in the first quarter. They overcame an early fumble that allowed Tennessee to tie the game 7-7.
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets led 14-7 at halftime, challenging the Volunteers at every turn. The second half was more of the same for the Tennessee Volunteers as Georgia Tech scored on their first drive of the third quarter to go up 21-7 and it looked like the Yellow Jackets would run away with this one.
However, the Tennessee Volunteers would not go away without a fight. Their defense came through late to force a fumble with 4:50 remaining in the game. The Volunteers would go on to march the ball down the field 93 yards in seven plays for a touchdown to tie the game at 28-28.
Then, the Volunteers defense luck kicked in again when the Yellow Jackets attempted a 37-yard field goal. It was blocked by Tennessee defensive lineman Paul Bain.
Overtime brought a renewed focus for both teams, as they both scored in the first overtime. Paul Johnson and the Yellow Jackets had other plans in double overtime. They attempted to go for two and failed, but all isn’t lost as we learned a lot about both teams. Here are three things we learned in the Tennessee Volunteers’ comeback victory.