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UGA Bulldogs defeat Tennessee Volunteers 41-17 for 10th straight win

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Georgia Bulldogs ganged up on the Tennessee Volunteers to win 41-17.

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This is Georgia’s 10th straight win and their last Southeastern Conference game of the regular season. The team is 8-0 in the SEC for the first time since 1982.

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The Bulldogs (10-0, 8-0, No. 1 CFP) actually trailed by their largest margin this season after Tennessee scored a touchdown on the opening drive. Georgia also was down 10-7 at the end of the first quarter, new territory for the Bulldogs, who had only trailed by a field goal each to Auburn and Missouri.

Georgia responded by reeling off 27 straight points, including 17 in a dominating second quarter. Derion Kendrick intercepted a pass by Hendon Hooker, and Channing Tindall stripped Hooker of the ball. Tndall had three of Georgia’s six sacks.

Bennett converted the interception into a 9-yard TD run midway through the second, and he capped a 90-yard drive with a 23-yard TD pass to James Cook just before halftime. Cook also ran 10 times for a season-high 104 yards and two more TDs.

Tennessee (5-5, 3-4) had five-time NFL MVP Peyton Manning, former All-Star first baseman Todd Helton and WNBA champ Candace Parker on hand along with an announced crowd of 100,074 for a team coming off a win at Kentucky, its first upset of a Top 20 team on the road since 2006.

The Vols’ biggest win in this game came in with 3:38 left before lots of empty seats. Joe Milton hit Cedric Tillman on a 12-yard TD, giving Tennessee the most points scored against Georgia in a game this season.

Tennessee came in second in the Bowl Subdivision scoring an average of 1.59 points per minute. Georgia and the stingiest scoring defense, which had allowed 6.6 points a game, simply smothered the Vols. The Bulldogs held Tennessee to 9 yards total offense in the second quarter.

Georgia hosts Charleston Southern with the Bulldogs’ SEC slate finished. Georgia then finishes the regular season against Georgia Tech.

Tennessee hosts South Alabama in the Vols’ first night kickoff since losing to Ole Miss.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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