Georgia coach Kirby Smart would not say if ranked 12th by the College football Playoff selection committee motivated the Bulldogs to prove point in Saturday night match against No. 7 Tennessee.
Last week 28-10 defeat at Ole Miss their second loss of the season the Bulldogs would be first team left out of the playoff if the 12 team bracket was based on current rankings.
No 13 Boise State would get an automatic bid as fifth highest ranked conference champion and would jump them.
Georgia look outstanding on both side of ball against Tennessee. The Bulldogs fell behind 10-0 in first quarter but came back to tie score at 17 at half.
Tennessee had only eight first downs and did not score in final 30 minutes.
It was ninth time a Josh heupel coached team# has scored less than 20 point four of them against Georgia.
The Bulldogs won their 29th consecutive match at home and defeated Tennessee for eight straight time all by double digits.
Georgia offensive line did not permit a sack while Bulldogs sacked Tennessee quarterback Nico iamaleava five times.
Georgia had 453 yards and went 5 for 5 in red zone.
After Ole Miss defeat Georgia fell from third to 12th in CFP rankings Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel the chairman of the CFP selection committee said Bulldogs inconsistent attack and turnovers were a reason why.
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Georgia had played most complex schedule in FBS and has third best strength of record which shows an average Top 25 teams would have team record or better against it schedule.
Victory against Tennessee should help Georgia CFP chances it closes the regular season with two non SEC match at home against UMass on Saturday and enemy Georgia Tech on Nov 29.
The Bulldogs lost 41-34 at Alabama on Sept 28 after falling behind 28-0 in first half.
They defeated Clemson 34-3 in opener and won 30-15 at Texas on Oct 19.
Georgia success against Tennessee was man of the match was quarterback Carson Beck who completed 25 of 40 passes for 347 yards with two touchdowns and no interception.
He had thrown 12 interception in past five matches.
Beck said
“I did not really feel any pressure to be honest”
“I stood up in front of the team on Monday and talked to them about how I felt about how our season has gone. I told them that whatever has happened has happened and all we can control is what we can control moving forward”
Smart said of the CFP selection committee
“I do not know what they are looking for I really do not” .
“I wish they could really define the criteria. I wish they could do the eyeball test where they come down here and look at people we are playing against and look at them. You can not see that stuff on TV and i do not know what they look for But that for somebody else to decide i am worried about our team”.
“Our kids showed resilience” Smart said
“I am proud of them Look it was a week ago a couple of hours that we were dead and gone. People had written us off it hard to play in this league week in and week out on road”
Smart said
“They are not in that enviroment” Smart siad.
“They are not at Ole Miss in that environment playing against that defense. which is top five in country with one of the best pass rushers in country and they are fired up.
They got a two score lead and they are coming every play. They do not know. They do not understand that.”
Beck normally is not one for dramatic speeches but when Smart and coaches left players to talk among themselves after team meeting early in week veteran players open up.
Beck decided he would say a thing or two about critical moment Georgia found itself in after loss last weekend at Ole Miss.
:Everybody understood the situation we were in “Beck said.
Our backs were against the wall and the only way out was through whatever in front of you.”
