'Dogs pound Vols, jump to top of SEC

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The knock on Georgia was its easy schedule, and D.J. Shockley never starting against a top-10 team.

The undefeated No. 5 Bulldogs took care of all that and stayed on course for a trip to the Southeastern Conference championship with a 27-14 win over No. 8 Tennessee Saturday.

Shockley overcame an interception and fumble and helped alleviate any fear Georgia fans had about his ability to adequately replace four-year starter David Greene.

"I think this was a game that really put people out there to show that these guys can play a quality opponent and win a game and do it on the road," said Shockley, who was 16-of-27 for 207 yards and ran 11 times for 51 yards.

The Bulldogs (5-0, 3-0) won for the third straight time in Neyland Stadium and took advantage of Florida's loss last week to Alabama to control the SEC East standings.

Georgia has a favorable schedule to win the division. The Bulldogs' most difficult remaining league games are against Florida later this month and at home against Auburn in November.

"We control our destiny still. That's where you want to be," Georgia coach Mark Richt said.

An erratic season continued for the Volunteers (3-2, 2-2), and their offense showed more ineptness with two costly fumbles and an interception. They also had 12 penalties for 78 yards.

"Obviously we're very disappointed in the loss. I thought we had a really great week of preparation coming into the game," coach Phillip Fulmer said. "Defensively, I thought we played well enough to win the ball game."

The Vols were playing their third game in two weeks because of the postponement of the LSU game to a Monday.

Georgia led 13-0 in the third quarter after Brannan Southerland's 1-yard touchdown run and two field goals by Brandon Coutu.

Tennessee needed help from its defense to avoid a shutout.

Jonathan Wade set up the Vols' first touchdown when he intercepted Shockley and returned it 34 yards to the Georgia 1 in the third quarter. Rick Clausen sneaked over the pile to score on the first play, giving the Vols the momentum. But it didn't last long.

Shockley fumbled on Georgia's next series in Tennessee territory, but the Vols turned it over again. Tra Battle recovered Josh Briscoe's fumble, but the Bulldogs failed to score on the ensuing possession.