University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols Knock Off No. 3 Georgia, 19-14
October 09, 2004 | Football
Oct. 9, 2004
By PAUL NEWBERRY
AP Sports Writer
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) - Erik Ainge bounced back, and so did the Tennessee Volunteers.
Coming off a dismal performance the previous week, Ainge threw a pair of touchdown passes to lead No. 17 Tennessee to a 19-14 upset of third-ranked Georgia on Saturday.
The Vols prevented Georgia from taking control of the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division. They built a quick 10-0 lead and held off the Bulldogs (4-1, 2-1 SEC) at the end.
Driving from its own 12 to the Tennessee 19, Georgia had one shot at the end zone with a second remaining - and the chance for an improbable victory. Appropriately, David Greene's pass over the middle didn't come close to connecting with anyone, falling harmlessly to the ground.
Tennessee (4-1, 2-1) was coming off a 34-10 loss to Auburn at home. Playing their first road game of the season with a freshman quarterback, the Vols ended Georgia's 17-game winning streak at Sanford Stadium - the second-longest in school history.
Ainge completed 12 of 21 for 150 yards and - most important - had no interceptions. He was picked off four times by Auburn and also lost a fumble in his first college start.
Undeterred by Ainge's performance, coach Phillip Fulmer started him again.
Tennessee built on a 13-7 lead after stuffing a fake punt by the Bulldogs late in the third quarter. Ainge threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Chris Hannon that made it 19-7 with 14:04 remaining in the game.
Georgia had played a near-perfect game the previous week, routing LSU 45-16. Greene threw a school-record five touchdown passes, but didn't come close to duplicating that performance against the worst-ranked pass defense in the SEC.
He was 15-of-34 for 163 yards, failing to throw for even one TD.
The Bulldogs were their own worst enemy. After getting called for only one penalty against LSU, they were flagged 12 times for 82 yards. The most crucial call came in the second quarter, when Bryan McClendon returned a kickoff all the way to the Tennessee 2, only to have it wiped out by Leonard Pope's holding penalty.
Also, Andy Bailey missed a 29-yard field goal that might have made things easier on the Bulldogs in the final minute.
Georgia made it close when Danny Ware bounced off a tackler to score on fourth-and-goal at the 1 with 4:22 remaining. The defense twice stuffed Tennessee when only a yard was needed for a first down, but it didn't matter.
Georgia already had squandered a chance to go ahead early in the third quarter when Gerald Riggs fumbled and DeMario Minter recovered at the Tennessee 13. Greene threw two incompletions and the Bulldogs wound up with nothing when Bailey missed the chip shot.
Tennessee took the opening kickoff and drove 80 yards, converting twice on third-and-long and another time on fourth down.
It was third-and-9 when Ainge found Bret Smith all alone in the back of the end zone for a 22-yard TD strike.
After Georgia went three-and-out, Tennessee drove for a field goal that made it 10-0. Ainge converted another big third down, hitting C.J. Fayton with a 12-yard pass that set up James Wilhoit's 35-yarder.
The Bulldogs finally got a first down some three minutes into the second quarter, but only after D.J. Shockley took over at quarterback for Greene in a predetermined plan to come in for Georgia's third possession.
Shockley had a 13-yard run and completed all three of his passes on the drive, including a 24-yard touchdown to Fred Gibson.
Greene returned on the next possession, and the offense reverted to its previous struggles. Wilhoit connected on a 51-yard field goal with just under three minutes left in the half, sending the Vols to the locker room with a 13-7 lead.
Wilhoit also missed three field-goal attempts that could have stretched Tennessee's lead.
