Tennessee at Georgia: How Kirby Smart has fared against high-scoring offenses

Something has to give between the hedges Saturday at Sanford Stadium in Athens. Forget the College Football Playoff rankings or the Associated Press Top 25. Instead, it’s Tennessee’s No. 1 scoring offense lining up across from Georgia’s No. 2 scoring defense.

Under head coach Kirby Smart, who took over at Georgia in 2016, the Bulldogs are 1-9 when the opponent scores at least 30 points. Smart has lost just 15 games in his six-plus seasons.

On the flip side, second-year Tennessee coach Josh Heupel’s offense has scored at least 30 points in 11 straight games, the longest active streak in college football and a new program record for the Vols.

Georgia has allowed just seven touchdowns and 12 field goals through eight games, giving up just 10.5 points on average. Kent State scored 22 points in Athens on September 24 and Missouri scored 24 more at home against Georgia a week later. 

Florida scored 20 points on Georgia last week. The Bulldogs shut out Vanderbilt and Samford, gave up only three points against Oregon to open the season on September 3, then just seven at South Carolina on September 17.

Tennessee’s top-ranked scoring offense averages 49.4 points per game, with 52 touchdowns and 11 field goals in 11 games. The Vols accounted for seven of the 15 touchdowns Alabama has allowed this season. Tennessee has scored 40 or more points in six games, 50 or more in four games and topped 60 twice.

The Vols (8-0, 4-0 SEC), No. 1 in the College Football Playoff Top 25 and tied for second in the AP Top 25, play at Georgia (8-0, 5-0) on Saturday (3:30 p.m. Eastern Time; TV: CBS). The Bulldogs are No. 1 in the AP Poll but came in at No. 3 with the release of the CFP ranking on Tuesday.

The last team to hold the Vols under 30 points … was Georgia, in a 41-17 win at Neyland Stadium last November. Here’s a look back at Smart’s history with the 30-point threshold:

2016

Ole Miss 45, Georgia 14: Chad Kelly passed for 282 yards and two touchdowns and Ole Miss ran 31 times as a team for 180 yards and two more scores on the ground. The Rebels finished the season No. 42 nationally in scoring offense.

Tennessee 34, Georgia 31: Joshua Dobbs threw for 230 yards and three touchdowns, including the Hail Mary to Jauan Jennings on the game’s final play. The Vols ran for 127 yards and a touchdown as a team. They finished the season ranked 24th in scoring offense.

2017

Auburn 40, Georgia 17: Jarrett Stidham passed for 214 yards and three touchdowns and Auburn ran for 237 yards and a touchdown on 46 attempts, getting 167 yards from Kerryon Johnson. The Auburn offense that trucked an undefeated Georgia team was ranked No. 25 in scoring offense.

Georgia 54, Oklahoma 48: Baker Mayfield threw for 287 yards and two touchdowns and Rodney Anderson ran 26 times for 201 yards and two touchdowns. Georgia won the track meet in double overtime, though, ending the season for Oklahoma and its third-ranked scoring offense in an epic Rose Bowl in the College Football Playoff.

2018

LSU 36, Georgia 16: LSU and its 38th-ranked scoring offense was dominant on the ground, running 51 times for 275 yards and three touchdowns while Joe Burrow completed 15 of 30 passes for 200 yards.

Alabama 35, Georgia 28: Alabama’s third-ranked scoring offense had an efficient 403 total yards in the SEC Championship Game win, with Tua Tagovailoa throwing for 164 yards and an interception and Jalen Hurts completing 7 of 9 passes for 89 yards while the Crimson Tide ran for 157 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

2019

LSU 37, Georgia 10: LSU had the No. 1 scoring offense entering the SEC Championship Game and it looked the part. Joe Burrow threw for 349 yards and four touchdowns and the Tigers ran for 132 yards on 36 carries, on their way to the national championship. LSU averaged 48.4 points per game that season, one point shy of Tennessee’s average through eight games this season.

2020

Alabama 41, Georgia 24: Georgia made a rare trip to Alabama in October 2020 only to see Mac Jones throw for 417 yards and four touchdowns in the Crimson Tide’s fourth-ranked scoring offense. Najee Harris ran for 152 yards and a touchdown.

Florida 44, Georgia 28: Kyle Trask threw for 474 yards and four touchdowns while the Gators were held to 97 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Florida finished at No. 13 in scoring offense in 2020.

2021

Alabama 41, Georgia 24: Georgia’s only loss last season came against Alabama and its No. 6-ranked scoring offense in the SEC Championship Game. Byron Young threw for 421 yards and three touchdowns and the Crimson Tide ran for 115 yards and a touchdown.