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Beasts of the East
Not only does Saturday's game have major national implications, but it will also be a showdown of the top teams in the SEC eastern division, with the winner putting themselves in prime position to make it to Atlanta for the SEC Championship game.
Polling, Vols Debut at No. 1 in CFP Rankings
Tennessee was the No. 1 team in the first edition of this year's College Football Playoff rankings, which were released on Tuesday night. It is the first time that UT has been ranked No. 1 in any poll since finishing the 1998 season ranked No. 1 after winning the national championship. The Vols are one of just seven teams to ever achieve the No. 1 spot in the CFP rankings since they debuted in 2014.
With Georgia entering the game at No. 1 in the AP Poll and the Vols tied for second, Saturday will mark just the third AP No. 1 vs. No. 2 regular season meeting between SEC teams in history. The other two were No. 1 LSU at No. 2 Alabama in 2011 and 2019. The road team (LSU) won both of those prior matchups. It's also just the second No. 1 vs. No. 2 contest that Tennessee has been involved with in program history. The No. 1 Vols beat No. 2 Florida State, 23-16, to win the national title in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan 4, 1999. UT is seeking its first victory over an AP No. 1 since defeating Auburn, 38-20, on Sept. 28, 1985.
Deadly Duo
The connection between quarterback Hendon Hooker and wide receiver Jalin Hyatt has been nearly unstoppable this season as the two have hooked up for 14 touchdowns through the air in just eight games. Hyatt's 14 receiving touchdowns are a single-season program record, as he surpassed Marcus Nash's previous record of 13 with two touchdown catches in the Vols' 44-6 win over Kentucky last week. The South Carolina native has multiple touchdown catches in four straight games, the first Vol to accomplish that feat in program history.
Hooker is having a phenomenal season that has him among the Heisman Trophy favorites. The redshirt senior signal caller has thrown a touchdown pass in a program-record 20 consecutive games and ranks second in the FBS in passing efficiency (191.64). Hooker has accounted for multiple scores (passing or rushing) in 20 of his 21 games as a Vol entering Saturday's contest.
Our Ball
The Vols' defense under coordinator Tim Banks has been aggressive and opportunistic all year long, leading the SEC in turnovers forced (16), turnover margin (1.0) and interceptions (nine). For comparison, UT had just 13 takeaways in 13 games last season.
