By Chris Marler
Tennessee has checked off nearly every box in its climb back to national relevance—breaking free from two decades of mediocrity, making the College Football Playoff, reclaiming the No. 1 ranking, and finally toppling Alabama after 15 straight losses. But one obstacle remains: Kirby Smart and Georgia.
It may feel like there are bigger goals for Tennessee than beating just one team. However, for a program that has answered so many questions in recent years, the biggest one left is how to get past the Bulldogs.
Since the Vols’ resurgence in 2022, they have proven they can compete at the highest level. And, they slayed the dragon that was Nick Saban and Alabama after 15 straight losses to them. Then they slayed them again. They’ve reclaimed their spot among the SEC’s elite. And while consistently beating teams like Alabama may not be a realistic annual expectation, Tennessee has at least shown it’s possible.
Now comes the next step on the path of returning this storied program back to glory: how the hell do you beat Kirby Smart and Georgia?
It’s wild to think just how big of a hurdle this has been for the Vols, especially considering all their other recent success. It’s also wild because we’ve seen Lane Kiffin figure it out. We’ve seen Kalen Deboer figure it out in year four. Hell, we saw Brent Key and Georgia Tech nearly figure it out in year two, after their eight overtime game in Sanford last season.
Yet, entering year five in Knoxville, Josh Heupel is 0-4 against Georgia.
Losing to Georgia isn’t the issue—most teams do. The issue is the way they lose to Georgia.
Coming into last season, Tennessee was a monster early on in games early under Heupel. They scored first in 31 of 39 games under Heupel. They trailed opponents after the first quarter just six times in those 39 games. That extended into their games against Georgia as well, as the Vols have scored first in their last five games against Georgia dating back to 2020. That also includes scoring first in all four games against the Dawgs under Heupel.
Yet, despite that early success, the Vols are 0-4 against the Bulldogs under Heupel. Tennessee is 30-4 when they score first against teams not named Georgia.
It’s almost an anomaly how dominant Kirby Smart’s teams have been against what is consistently one of the country’s best offenses.
Under Heupel, Tennessee has averaged 38.2 points per game, scoring at least 17 points in 48 of 52 games. Against Georgia? Not once in four tries.
It seems almost impossible for an offense that’s been this consistently good to be this consistently held in check against one opponent. But that has been the case.
So, in 2025, the question for Tennessee isn’t how to reach the College Football Playoff, reach the top of the rankings, or beat their oldest conference rival in Alabama. The Vols have already done all of that.
The real question is: how do they slay the final dragon standing in their way?
And that’s the one in Athens with a bad haircut, white visor, and four years of dominance over your head coach and program.
