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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) -- The goal posts didn't have a chance after
Georgia ended a decade of frustration against Tennessee.
Led by a big-play offense and a defense that refused to give in
deep in its territory, the No. 19 Bulldogs beat the No. 21
Volunteers 21-10 on Saturday night.
"We just reached down deep and pulled out some pride," said
Jasper Sanks, who scored two touchdowns.
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Tue, May 2
The most surprising thing was the ease with which Georgia ran on the middle of the Tennessee defense. The Vols' have usually been very stout up the middle but the Bulldogs were able to overpower them.
Tennessee droping to 0-3 in the SEC is surprising, but the result of this game actually restored some order to the conference race. We certainly expected Florida and Georgia to be at the top of the SEC East at this point of the season, although we didn't expect each of them to have a conference loss.
Georgia has taken advantage of the fact that the loss to South Carolina has not been fatal to their championship hopes. Mississippi State helped them out by beating Florida. This is the race we thought we'd have. We didn't think Tennessee would drop out of it, but, with the Dawgs' win, things are again as expected in the SEC.
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"It felt like we won the national championship tonight. Nine
games of losing to UT and draw the line in 2000. It's an amazing
feeling, an awesome feeling."
All three Georgia (4-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) touchdowns
came on 1-yard runs, two by Sanks and one by Musa Smith.
Tim Wansley intercepted two Tennessee passes. After the second,
with 1:13 remaining, enthusiastic fans rushed onto the field in an
attempt to rip down one of the goal posts.
Officials cleared the field long enough to complete the game as
Georgia ran out the clock, bringing fans to both end zones where
both goal posts were torn down. They celebrated the end of
Georgia's nine-game losing streak against the Vols dating to a
28-17 triumph in Athens in 1988.
It also was Georgia's first home victory over a ranked opponent
since upsetting Clemson 27-12 in 1991. That streak included 10
losses to ranked foes.
"Our defense was awesome, our kicking game was good and our
offense did what it needed to do," said coach Jim Donnan, who
posted his 100th career victory in 11 seasons, including a 36-16
record at Georgia.
Tennessee (2-3) fell to 0-3 in the SEC for the first time since
1988.
"We had a lot of opportunities tonight, but we could not
convert," Tennessee's A.J. Suggs said. "They dictated how we
played in some ways tonight."
Tennessee recovered three Georgia fumbles in the first half, one
on the Bulldogs' 8, where it settled for Alex Walls' 27-yard field
goal that cut Georgia's lead to 7-3 late in the first quarter.
Another came on the Georgia 17 with only 31 seconds left in the
half. After throwing two incompletions, Casey Clausen's pass was
picked off by Wansley at the 13.
Georgia's defense also had a goal-line stand late in the fourth
quarter, stopping Henry on a 4th-and-inches at the 4-yard line.
Tennessee opened the second half with a 78-yard scoring drive
that featured a 58-yard run by Travis Henry to the Bulldogs' 19
with a half-the-distance added to that for a personal foul on
Georgia.
Two plays later, Travis Stephens scored on a 2-yard run, giving
the Vols their only lead of the night -- 10-7.
"We are playing hard, but we have to make more things happen,"
said Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer.
The Bulldogs regained the lead on their next possession,
beginning at its 44 after Smith's 35-yard kickoff return. The key
play was a 33-yard pass from Quincy Carter to Terrence Edwards at
the Tennessee 11. Four plays later, Sanks scored from the 1 for a
14-10 lead with 10:08 left in the third quarter.
Georgia then started a 99-yard scoring drive in the final two
minutes of the third quarter, one that featured Carter's 47-yard
pass to Edwards at the Tennessee 33, a 10-yarder from Carter to
Edwards, and a 21-yard run by Smith on the play before his 1-yard
scoring run.
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ALSO SEE
College Football Scoreboard
Tennessee Clubhouse
Georgia Clubhouse
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Georgia's Musa Smith charges for a 21-yard gain before topping it off with a touchdown.
avi: 1010 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Jasper Sanks rumbles into the end zone for his second touchdown of the game.
avi: 948 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Travis Henry's 58-yard run sets up Tennessee's only TD of the night.
avi: 1020 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Kendrell Bell's tackle and fumble recovery sets up Georgia's first TD.
avi: 1230 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Georgia's defense stifled the Vols' on an early fourth down conversion attempt.
avi: 1060 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 Coach Jim Donnan comments on his milestone victory over the Vols.
wav: 237 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Musa Smith talks to ESPN's Adrian Karsten about Georgia's long overdue victory over Tennessee.
wav: 255 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Jonas Jennings and the Bulldogs just wanted to stick to their gameplan.
wav: 99 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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