Four questions heading into Tennessee-Georgia

And now the season really begins.

Tennessee handled Syracuse and ETSU to open the year, giving everyone some real hope that things will be just fine or perhaps even better following a wild offseason. Georgia, entering a new era under center but still loaded with talent everywhere, notched two cupcake wins and sort of remains a mystery despite their lofty ranking.

This is one of those measuring stick games for both sides — one that the College Football Playoff committee will look back to over and over again. What will we find out on Saturday?

Since arriving at Tennessee, Josh Heupel has ended losing streaks to both Alabama and Florida. He’s pushed the Volunteers to big wins over the likes of LSU, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and South Carolina. He’s mostly won the others that he’s supposed to.

Heupel has yet to beat Georgia. In fact, outside of three quarters last season, Heupel’s teams haven’t even been all that competitive against the Bulldogs. Some of that is the fact that Kirby had his program rolling when Heupel arrived, sure. But this feels like the spot where that has to change.

Heupel still has streaks to put to rest in Gainesville and Tuscaloosa, but getting over the Georgia hump would be a sure-fire signal that he’s closed the talent gap in his fifth season at the helm.

Carson Beck had his shortcomings, but the Georgia passing game still had an element of explosiveness to it. With Gunner Stockton, we haven’t seen that just yet, although he only has a few starts under his belt.

According to PFF, 31 percent of Georgia’s pass attempts have come behind the line of scrimmage. 41 percent of their attempts have been nine yards or shorter. Through two games, Georgia has attempted just five intermediate throws and five deeper shots (20+ yards).

Tim Banks won’t be afraid to dial up the pressure and make Stockton beat him. The Georgia receivers winning some one on one matchups in the secondary will also be a key. Their best bet for that comes with Zachariah Branch, the USC transfer, who is averaging close to 20 yards per reception so far. Veterans Colbie Young and London Humphreys, along with very talented tight ends Oscar Delp and Elyiss Williams, still give you plenty to worry about defensively.

It’s just week three, but both sides are dealing with significant injuries already.

Georgia has two starters on the offensive line banged up, both on the right side. Right guard Juan Gaston and right tackle Earnest Greene both missed the Austin Peay matchup after suffering injuries against Marshall in week one.

Tennessee will be without its top two corners, as they’ve been for much of the first two games. This once again forces true freshman Ty Redmond into a starting role, along with Colton Hood. Both have been fantastic so far.

Defensive lineman Daevin Hobbs will miss this one, while Jaxson Moi is questionable. Even if it’s partial availability, having Moi out there would be a big deal against a front like Georgia’s.

And for the ultimate wildcard, five-star freshman tackle David Sanders is listed as questionable. A late injury ahead of the Syracuse game forced Sanders to delay his college football debut, which could come Saturday. Should that happen, Tennessee would be forced to shuffle the starting five with Jesse Perry likely kicking inside to guard. Or, will Heupel play it safe and keep him under wraps for another week?

Through two games there isn’t a Tennessee fan on the planet that has a single complaint with the Joey Aguilar-Nico Iamaleava swap. Aguilar has taken to the program and fit in to perfection, despite having to learn the offense from the ground up starting in May. He’s brought an element of aggression to the offense which is something that was seemingly missing the last couple of seasons.

And now the lights really get bright.

Aguilar’s first ever start in SEC play and just his second ever at Neyland Stadium will come against the mighty Georgia Bulldogs, which are 55-5 since 2021. The book on Aguilar going back to Appalachian State was that he was a bit of a riverboat gambler, dazzling with big time throws but also tossing some way-too-aggressive interceptions.

The Tennessee offense is very different, and quite honestly simplified, but it will be interesting to see Aguilar perform in his first pressure cooker spot. Georgia won’t give an inch defensively, particularly in the secondary. It’s going to take some tight throws on Saturday to keep the chains moving, and Aguilar’s receivers are going to have to make some plays.

His performance on Saturday should tell us a lot about Tennessee’s overall ceiling in 2025.

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