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What social media is saying after Georgia’s win over Tennessee with Alabama looming

Georgia picked up a 44-21 win over Tennessee on Saturday.
Tony Walsh/UGAAA
Connor Riley
Connor Riley

The No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs came away with a 44-21 win over No. 14 Tennessee Volunteers. The final score shows a comfortable victory but the story of the game painted a very different outcome.

The Volunteers held a 21-17 lead at halftime and the Bulldogs led only 23-21 heading into the final minutes of the third quarter.

But Tennessee never scored in the second half, thanks to a suffocating performance by Georgia defense. The group had five sacks in the second half to go along with two fumble recoveries and an interception of Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano.

In the second half, members of the Georgia defense actually outscored Tennessee. Monty Rice had a scoop and score touchdown, while Jalen Carter caught a touchdown pass on the offensive side of the ball.

It was another strong effort by perhaps the nation’s top defensive unit in the country. And a number of people on social media were speaking about the performance.

“What stands out is the camaraderie they have about them and they take pride in being good,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “They don’t have a bunch of primadonas.  They’re a lot of guys contributing. The atmosphere that’s created on defense, we’re not letting much go. We’re not going to let them in and they hold everyone accountable.”

Offensively, it was another nervy game at times. The Bulldogs could not have gotten off to a worse start, as an errant Trey Hill snap led to a Tennessee touchdown on Georgia’s second play of the game.

The Bulldogs also were stuffed on two fourth and short situations that drew a number of questions from Smart based on his decision making.

“I want you to know that analytics would have absolutely, absolutely slaughtered me for kicking a field with a chance to get seven over three,” Smart said after the game. “Now they may not agree with me on the fourth and one on the other part of the field. I know my dad would be mad at me, punt the ball and play defense, but got suckered into that one.”

Related: Georgia football fans not happy with sloppy first half against Tennessee

As for the rest of the offense, the big story once again was Stetson Bennett IV. It wasn’t a perfect day from the junior quarterback, but he was once again strong overall. He threw for 238 yards and two touchdowns, while also not turning the ball over. He also rushed for 22 yards and a touchdown as well.

Given his backstory and how Bennett got to the point, it’s clear he’s an easy player to root for this weekend.

Georgia fans and media types weren’t the only ones talking after the win, as a number of Georgia players and recruits shared their thoughts on the win.

Of particular note was some of the recruiting chatter following the win, as the Bulldogs and Volunteers are battling for a number of top prospects, including 5-star offensive lineman Amarius Mims, who is set to announce his commitment this coming Wednesday.

After the win, attention quickly turned to Georgia’s next opponent, as the Bulldogs visit No. 2 Alabama. This will be the first time the two sides meet in the regular season since Smart has taken over the program.

Alabama had its own struggles on Saturday, as it pulled out a 63-45 win over the visiting Ole Miss Rebels. With how the strengths, and weaknesses, of these two teams matchup, next Saturday should be the biggest game of the college football season to date.

The Bulldogs and Crimson Tide play at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. Safe to say a lot of eyes will be on that game given the history and pedigree of the two programs.

More Georgia football stories from around DawgNation

NEXT Georgia football: What Tennessee and Jeremy Pruitt said after the 44-21 loss
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