Nico Iamaleava is expected to start at quarterback for No. 7 Tennessee as it takes on No. 12 Georgia on Saturday in Athens, CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz reports. Iamaleava, who entered concussion protocol after leaving Tennessee’s game against Mississippi State last week, has progressed throughout the week, a good sign for the Vols in a game that has serious SEC Championship and College Football Playoff implications.
Iamaleava is averaging 8.5 yards per attempt, good for No. 19 nationally, but overall Tennessee’s offense has not been as explosive as usual under Josh Heupel. The Vols are No. 38 nationally in yards per play.
College Football Playoff selection committee chair Warde Manuel said Tuesday night that Iamaleava’s injury “had nothing to do” with the committee’s decision to hold Tennessee steady at No. 7 this week.
The Vols got more good news Friday night when Dont’e Thornton got the green light to play, according to ESPN. Thornton, who leads the Vols with 505 receiving yards, was also listed as questionable Wednesday and Thursday.
Georgia enters the matchup as a 9.5-point favorite. the Bulldogs have won 28 straight home games, the longest active FBS streak and in fact Georgia’s longest in program history. Per CBS Sports research, Georgia does not even have any players on its roster who were active during its last home loss (2019 to South Carolina).
The Volunteers have won just once in their last eight trips to Georgia, and that victory, which came in 2016, was quite literally a miracle. Josh Dobbs lofted a last-second Hail Mary pass that found the hands of receiver Jauan Jennings, lifting Tennessee to a 34-31 win. Since then, the Volunteers have lost their last seven games against Georgia by at least 14 points each. The Bulldogs won in Knoxville last season, 38-10.
There’s a reason analysts are hyping Saturday night’s showdown as a must-win for each. Seven SEC teams could finish the regular season 10-2: Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas and Texas A&M. Only two SEC games remain matching any of those 7 teams: Tennessee at Georgia in Week 12 and Texas at Texas A&M in Week 14.
