UGA puts clamps on No. 1 Vols in statement win
ATHENS, Ga. — Defending national champion Georgia might not have been No. 1 in the first College Football Playoff rankings earlier this week, but the Bulldogs left little doubt Saturday who belongs in that top spot.
Their 27-13 beatdown of No. 1 Tennessee before a deafening crowd at Sanford Stadium was about as thorough as it gets. Senior quarterback Stetson Bennett passed for 257 yards and two touchdowns, and the Georgia defense held Tennessee’s high-scoring offense without a touchdown until the final minutes of the game.
The Bulldogs, who were ranked No. 3 in the initial CFP rankings, dominated the line of scrimmage, as Bennett repeatedly had plenty of time to throw and hit deep shots down the field of 52, 49 and 37 yards. Meanwhile, the Vols had no answers on offense for Georgia’s swarming defense. Tennessee came into the game leading the country in scoring (49.4 points per game) but was forced to punt three times in the first quarter. That’s after punting a total of 18 times in the previous eight games.
It was that kind of afternoon for the Vols, who lost their sixth straight game to the Bulldogs and were bullied physically after scoring a combined 92 points in wins over ranked opponents Alabama and LSU earlier this season.
Georgia (9-0) took a commanding lead in the SEC Eastern Division race and also put itself in prime position to make the College Football Playoff even if it were to lose in the SEC championship game, which would be similar to what happened last season.
Tennessee (8-1) was never able to get on track offensively against a Georgia defense that has allowed just eight touchdowns in nine games. The Bulldogs’ national championship defense a year ago, a defense that produced five NFL first-round selections, gave up 16 touchdowns in 15 games.
In the third quarter, the rain started pouring down, and the Bulldogs just continued to pour it on a Tennessee team that was greeted with chants of “overrated” by the Georgia student section. The Vols were playing in the loudest and most hostile environment they have faced all season. They seemed rattled by the crowd noise, which reached rock concert decibels at times. They committed one false start penalty after another, and in the first half when the game was still close, they were flagged for back-to-back false starts after moving inside the 10-yard line and had to settle for a field goal.
Tennessee’s deep passing game was rendered non-existent against a Georgia defense that was playing without its best pass-rusher, senior outside linebacker Nolan Smith, who is out for the season after tearing a pectoral muscle. The Bulldogs showed off their depth and never allowed Hendon Hooker to find any rhythm.
Hooker, the Heisman Trophy favorite entering the game, finished 23-for-33 for 195 and didn’t throw a touchdown pass for the first time in 20 games.
Hooker was sacked six times and also threw an interception in the second quarter. He was under duress for much of the game, as the Bulldogs repeatedly got pressure. He was hit hard in the final minutes and got up slowly before gingerly trotting off the field.
The Vols’ longest pass play of the game was 17 yards. They came into the game with an FBS-leading 36 plays from scrimmage of 30 yards or longer.
Georgia finished with 387 yards of total offense and was able to keep the ball away from Tennessee’s offense with longer drives, and Bennett wasn’t sacked a single time.
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Max Olson
FRISCO, Texas — A dynamic new quarterback, a new offensive system and two projected first-round picks up front have Utah coach Kyle Whittingham feeling enthusiastic about the Utes’ chances of bouncing back from a disastrous debut season in the Big 12.
Utah was voted No. 1 in the Big 12 preseason poll last year after joining from the Pac-12, but a brutal run of injuries and inconsistency resulted in a seven-game conference losing streak and a 5-7 finish — the program’s first losing season since 2013.
After weeks of contemplation about his future and what was best for the program, Whittingham, the third-longest-tenured head coach in FBS, decided in December to return for his 21st season with the Utes.
“The bottom line and the final analysis was I couldn’t step away on that note,” Whittingham told ESPN at Big 12 media days Wednesday. “It was too frustrating, too disappointing. As much as college football has changed with all the other factors that might pull you away, that was the overriding reason: That’s not us, that’s not who we are. It just left a bad taste in my mouth. I did not want to miss the opportunity to try to get that taste out.”
“The bottom line and the final analysis was I couldn’t step away on that note. It was too frustrating, too disappointing. … That’s not us. That’s not who we are. It just left a bad taste in my mouth. I did not want to miss the opportunity to try to get that taste out.”
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham on going 5-7 in 2024
Whittingham and Utes defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley conducted a national search for a new offensive coordinator and quickly zeroed in on New Mexico‘s Jason Beck. Then they managed to land Devon Dampier, Beck’s first-team All-Mountain West quarterback, via the transfer portal.
After finishing 11th nationally in total offense with 3,934 yards and 31 total touchdowns and putting up the fourth-most rushing yards (1,166) among all FBS starters, Dampier followed his coach to Salt Lake City and immediately asserted himself as a difference-maker for a program that had to start four different QBs in 2024.
“He’s a terrific athlete,” Whittingham said. “He’s a guy that, if spring is any indication, he’s an exciting player, and we can’t wait to watch him this season. … He’s got that ‘it’ factor. He’s a leader. Needless to say, very excited to see what he does for us.”
They’ve surrounded Dampier with 21 more newcomers via the transfer portal and will protect him with two returning starters at tackle in Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu, who are projected first-round NFL draft picks by ESPN’s Matt Miller.
“We feel they’re the best tandem in the country,” Whittingham said. “The offensive line in general, I feel, it’s the best since I’ve been there. And that’s quite a statement. We’ve had some really good offensive lines. We’ve got two first-rounders and three seniors inside that have played a lot of good football for us. That better be a strength of ours, and that’s what we’re counting on.”
Whittingham has previously said he did not want to coach past the age of 65. Now that he’s 65, he acknowledges that he might’ve arrived at a different decision about his future had the Utes ended up winning the Big 12 in 2024. He is reenergized about getting them back into contention, but he’s not ready to say whether this season might be his last.
“The best answer I can give you is, right now, I’m excited and passionate about going to work every single day,” Whittingham said. “As soon as that changes, I’ll know it’s time. I’m just counting on knowing when the time is right. I can’t tell you exactly what the circumstances will be other than losing the fire in the belly.”
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Jesse Rogers
The automated ball-strike system is coming to the All-Star Game next week in Atlanta.
MLB officials added the feature to the annual exhibition game knowing it could be a precursor to becoming a permanent part of the major leagues as soon as next year.
The same process used this past spring training will be used for the Midsummer Classic: Each team will be given two challenges with the ability to retain them if successful. Only a pitcher, catcher or hitter can ask for a challenge and it has to happen almost immediately after the pitch. The player will tap his hat or helmet indicating to the umpire he wants to challenge while any help from the dugout or other players on the field is not allowed.
MLB officials say 72% of fans who were polled during spring training said the impact of ABS on their experience at the game was a “positive” one. Sixty-nine percent said they’d like it part of the game moving forward. Just 10% expressed negativity toward it.
MLB’s competition committee will meet later this summer to determine if ABS will be instituted next season after the league tested the robotic system throughout the minor leagues and spring training in recent years. Like almost any rule change, there were mixed reviews from players about using ABS but nearly all parties agree on one point: They prefer a challenge system as opposed to the technology calling every pitch.
As was the case in spring training, once a review is initiated, an animated replay of the pitch will be shown on the scoreboard and the home plate umpire will either uphold the call or overturn it. ABS uses Hawk-Eye system technology which tracks the pitch trajectory and location in relation to the strike zone, providing an instant assessment which can be relayed to the home plate umpire.
The All-Star Game will be played at Truist Park in Atlanta on Tuesday.
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