Instant Reaction: Five takeaways as No. 3 Georgia routs Tennessee 43-14

Check out Cory Sanning's immediate reactions to Tennessee's loss to the Bulldogs.

What looked to be a surprisingly close matchup early on quickly turned into a blowout for Tennessee as Georgia imposed its will against the Vols for the third consecutive year. 

After taking an early lead, UT found itself at the mercy of the Bulldogs' rushing attack and defensive execution following the intermission. Ultimately, there were many encouraging signs, but it wasn't nearly enough to pull off a monumental upset.

Here are some quick takeaways from Saturday's action

Brian Maurer's poise early on was encouraging

Starting a true freshman against one of the country's top teams doesn't always instill confidence in a fanbase.

Maurer quickly put those doubts to rest early on.

Finishing the opening half 10-of-21 for 205 yards and two touchdowns, the Ocala, Florida tossed quite a few impressive passes, including a 73-yard touchdown to Marquez Callaway on Tennessee's second drive of the game.

Maurer continued his impressive play in the second quarter, finding Jauan Jennings for a 12-yard score that put the Vols up 14-10 with 14:57 to play in the second period.

His inexperience began to show as the game wore on, however.

At one point during the third quarter, Maurer had thrown five straight incompletions. He also got dinged up several times in the second half.

Overall, an encouraging performance for the freshman quarterback. His health may be an issue going forward, but the talent is there.

Defensive execution stalls the Bulldogs high-powered offense early

Georgia came into Saturday's matchup boasting one of the country's most high-powered offenses. The Bulldogs ranked third in the SEC in scoring offense, first in rushing offense and seventh in passing offense. 

Fromm and D'Andre Swift are among the country's top quarterback-running back tandems and had combined for nine total touchdowns coming into Saturday's matchup.

If Tennessee's defense bent, it certainly didn't break.

Oct 5, 2019; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers defensive back Alontae Taylor (2) celebrates after stopping the Georgia Bulldogs on third down in the second quarter of a game at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports

The Vols found themselves able to stall James Coley's offense on countless occasions, forcing Georgia into several punts and field goal attempts. 

Derrick Ansley's defense hadn't played with the intensity and effort it showed on Saturday since UT hosted Chattanooga in the final week of non-conference play. Needless to say, it was a sight-for-sore-eyes for Tennessee fans.

Ultimately, Georgia's talent proved too much for the young Vols to overcome and the Bulldogs were able to pull away late in the second half. 

Callaway comes to life at the perfect time

Marquez Callaway had struggled to make the impact we're used to seeing through the first five weeks of the regular season. 

Heading into Saturday's game, Callaway had hauled in just 10 catches for 154 yards and two touchdowns despite appearing in every game for the Vols thus far. He quickly put those struggles to rest on UT's second drive.

Hauling in a 73-yard pass from Maurer after getting behind the Georgia secondary, the senior wide receiver quickly sprinted to the end zone to even the score at 7-7 early in the first period.

In the first half alone, Callaway hauled in three passes for 103 yards and a score.

He failed to make the same impact in the second half, but with Maurer and Jarrett Guarantano under pressure for much of the final 30 minutes of play, Callaway wasn't going to get the ball no matter how open he was.

Georgia's offensive line proves too much for Vols defensive front

While Tennessee's effort on the defensive side of the ball in the first half was impressive, it mostly came by way of the linebackers and secondary.

Even early on, the Vols found themselves helpless to stop Georgia's surge on the ground and it all started with the stellar play of the Kirby Smart's offensive line. One of the better units in the country, they showed exactly why from their opening drive.

Oct 5, 2019; Knoxville, TN, USA; Georgia Bulldogs running back D'Andre Swift (7) runs the ball against Tennessee Volunteers defensive lineman Ja'Quain Blakely (48) during the first quarter at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

The Bulldogs rushed for 238 yards and while they only found the end zone twice on the ground, Tennessee was helpless to stop them no matter what scheme it deployed.

Brian Herrien's one-yard touchdown run with 8:02 to play in regulation effectively put the game out of reach, capping off what was a day to remember for the Georgia offensive front.

Inexperience comes back to haunt Tennessee late

While impressive early on, the Vols ultimately succumbed late due to lack of execution.

That's not entirely Tennessee's fault, but when you pit a team full of youth against a potential national championship contender, generally the results aren't going to go in that group's favor.

UT learned that lesson the hard way.

After a valiant effort through the first two quarters, the Vols were unable to make the timely stops that spurred their momentum early on. 

Unable to pick up the slack on the offensive side of the ball, Tennessee found itself at the mercy of Georgia's veteran presence. Ultimately, it proved to be the difference on the scoreboard.

Overall, a strong effort for UT but at the end of the day, it takes more than one half of good football to win games in the SEC.