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Carrie Stroup here with your Georgia vs. Tennessee betting line. Be sure to claim your FREE $100 BET HERE.
Sportsbook.ag Line & Total: Georgia -11.5 & 65.5
Opening Line & Total: Bulldogs -11.5 & 65.5
Coming off its second win of the season against a top-10 opponent, No. 6 Georgia hits the road as double-digit favorites against Tennessee.
At 3-1 on the season, the Bulldogs suffered their only loss of the season as 1.5-point favorites in their opening game of the year to currently No. 3 Clemson, their first of three games so far this season against top-10 foes. That was their only road game so far and they are now 1-2-1 ATS and 12-17 ATS on the road since 2008. The Volunteers, meanwhile, are 3-2 SU and 2-3 ATS after snapping a two-game SU losing skid last week with a narrow 31-24 win over South Alabama. The Vols were 16-point favorites in that game, dropping to 1-2 ATS at home and 14-18 ATS at home since 2008. Last season when these two teams met, the Volunteers kept pace with the high-powered Georgia attack and covered the 14-point spread in a wild 51-44 loss in Athens. In the past five meetings between these two teams at Neyland Stadium, Tennessee is 3-2 SU and ATS. In those contests, the team that won the game SU also covered the spread. But the big question entering this game is the health of Bulldogs star RB Todd Gurley, who is day-to-day with a sprained ankle.
Todd Gurley was huge against the Volunteers last year, rushing for 130 yards on 24 carries with three touchdowns. Gurley has been spectacular again this year, with 450 yards on 71 carries even though he carried the ball only eight times before injuring himself in last week’s 44-41 win against LSU. The good news for Georgia is that QB Aaron Murray has the potential to put the team on his back, already throwing for 1,338 yards and 11 touchdowns with three interceptions through four games, completing 68.1% of his passes. He completed 19-of-25 passes for 278 yards and 2 TD last year against the Volunteers. Murray is an expert at evenly distributing the ball as six Bulldogs already have more than 100 receiving yards and four receivers have two touchdown catches. If Gurley is unable to go, RB Keith Marshall (51 carries for 213 yards) will have to pick up the slack. On the other side of the ball, Georgia’s rushing defense has been its strength, limiting opponents to 3.5 YPC. But through the air, they Bulldogs have allowed opponents to gain 277 passing YPG.
The Tennessee offense is built on the ground where it averages 215 rushing yards per game. RB Rajion Neal (468 yards, 5.9 YPC, 5 TD) leads the attack while Marlin Lane (280 yards, 6.2 YPC, 4 TD) provides an effective change of pace. Both backs have broken runs of more than 50 yards already this season while Neal carried the ball 23 times for 104 yards in last season’s meeting between the two teams. Where the Tennessee offense has been inconsistent is through the air, as QB Justin Worley is completing just 56% of his passes. He has thrown for only 725 yards through five games for eight touchdowns while getting intercepted six times. No Volunteers receiver has more than 150 receiving yards with Alton Howard leading the corps at 148 with two touchdowns on 11 receptions. The defense, meanwhile, is giving up 26.8 PPG, and allowing 4.4 YPC on the ground. The Vols have allowed 250 passing YPG, but have already forced 15 turnovers in their five games.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
