Carson Beck and the Georgia Bulldogs silenced critics on Saturday night by leading Georgia (8-2, 6-2) to a 31-17 victory over Tennessee (8-2, 5-2). 

The win comes less than a week after the CFB playoff committee ranked Georgia on the outside of the playoffs following the loss to Ole Miss. Fair to say this week that Kirby Smart and the Dawgs needed a statement, and what a statement they made. Carson Beck threw for 347 yards and tallied three total touchdowns, and the defense held a dangerous Volunteer offense to only 17 points. It was a confident, comfortable victory, just what Kirby Smart needed to get back into the playoff hunt. 

At first things didn’t seem like they were headed that way. Tennessee got out to an early 10-0 lead, but in the second quarter, Carson Beck woke from a coma and found Oscar Delp on a 19-yard touchdown pass capping off a 75-yard drive. If once wasn’t enough for you, they then went on a 84-yard drive again finished by another Delp touchdown. Standout Vol running back Dylan Sampson broke open a 27-yard touchdown late in the 2nd quarter, and Georgia responded with a field goal to make it 17-17 at half. 

The rest was all the Dawgs. Carson Beck and the Georgia offense sustained drives in the second half eating up 7:22 seconds in the third on a 12 play, 87-yard drive finished by a Beck scramble and touchdown. They did the same in the 4th wasting 8:47 seconds with a drive that ended in a Nate Frazier touchdown, sealing the 31-17 victory. 

What a sigh of relief for Carson Beck. After weeks of poor performances, criticism, abuse from armchair experts, and leaked cell phone numbers, Carson had the last laugh. The Georgia offense looked stellar through the air all night. The tight ends, Delp in particular, stepped up in a need way, and Kirby Smart found important depth from freshmen like Chauncey Bowens and Nitro Tuggle. 

The crowd played their part as well. Smart credited the blacked-out crowd for their role in the victory: “The energy was electric. It helped us and inspired our kids and players. I thought it affected [Tennessee]. Once again, a team has to go on the road to that kind of night environment, it’s really hard.”

Beck and Smart will look to carry this momentum into the final two regular season games: Umass and Georgia Tech at home. The victory finishes Georgia’s regular season SEC schedule with a 6-2 record and the greatest odds of making the SEC Championship game. ESPN also puts the Dawgs CFB Playoff odds at 92%.