Georgia beats Tennessee in OT thriller

By Chris Marler

Kirby Smart has had Josh Heupel’s number since he arrived in Knoxville. That trend didn’t change on Saturday. 

Georgia knocked off the Vols in Knoxville 44-41 in overtime. 

The game followed a similar script that these two have written over the last several years. For the sixth straight year Tennessee scored first against the Dawgs and took a lead on their opening possession. From there, the script flipped. 

Tennessee hadn’t scored more than 17 points in any game against Georgia in the Josh Heupel era. However, they led 21-7 at the end of the first quarter. They went into halftime with a 21-17 lead before Georgia was able to pull ahead in the third, which is when the fun began. 

A back-and-forth battle came down to Max Gilbert’s 41-yard field goal attempt at the end of regulation, which sailed wide right and forced overtime. He redeemed himself in the extra period, drilling a 42-yarder to give his team a three-point lead.

MAX GILBERT MISSED THE FIELD GOAL TO WIN THE GAME FOR TENNESSEE 😱

Watch overtime of Georgia-Tennessee on ABC and the ESPN App 👀 pic.twitter.com/TkIeoSbqNF

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 13, 2025

By then it was too late. Georgia’s momentum carried into a three-play, 25-yard drive that ended in the checkerboard end zone, breaking Tennessee’s hearts once again.

The defensive struggle that some expected was nonexistent. The two offenses combined for 998 yards of offense and 85 points. It was not only the most points that Tennessee has scored under Josh Heupel, but the second most any team has scored against a Kirby Smart defense in the last nine years. 

Tennessee falls to 2-1, and will host UAB next Saturday. 

Georgia will go into their first bye week 3-0 before hosting Alabama.