When you think of the Georgia Bulldogs under Kirby Smart, you think of dominant defenses that swallow an opposing offense. We're just one quarter into the matchup of the weekend between Georgia and Tennessee, and Josh Heupel is making the Bulldogs' defense look like one of Lincoln Riley's defenses rather than one loaded with NFL talent.
The Volunteers were red hot on offense in the first quarter, and hardly anything went against them as they quickly scored 21 points. Joey Aguilar was nearly flawless as he went 10-11 passing for 179 yards and a touchdown. Georgia's defenses constantly have first-round picks at every position in the defensive backfield, yet the defensive backs looked like they had never played before getting beaten deep and committing far too many penalties.
This Georgia defense doesn't look nearly like a group that fits the Kirby Smart standard, and it starts up front. Joey Aguilar has had all day to pass, and it looks like the constant turnover on the defensive line has gotten to the Bulldogs as they're getting outclassed in the trenches.
Defensive and offensive lines being overwhelmed in the trenches by the Vols, and it's not a talent gap. Searels and Scott will have a lot to answer for tonight if this continues.
— Michael Collins (@MCFanSided) September 13, 2025
While this result has been surprising, maybe we shouldn't be too surprised, as they showed some flaws in their two games against Marshall and Austin Peay. In both games, Georgia ended up making the stop because of their talent advantage, but against a better opponent, the Austin Peay game would've been very uncomfortable.
Kirby Smart and Glenn Schumann are going to have to adapt, and they're going to need to find a way to slow down Josh Heupel's offense; otherwise, this game could get out of hand. We've seen Josh Heupel do this before when his tempo ended Alabama's dominant run, and if they can't put an end to this scoring run, the Volunteers could end another losing streak.
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