KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — History said Georgia couldn’t beat
Tennessee at Neyland Stadium.

Things change.

In a 39-second fourth quarter scoring drive, unranked Georgia
(3-1, 2-1 SEC) erased 21 years worth of Knoxville nightmares with
a 26-24 upset of sixth-ranked Tennessee (3-1, 2-1).

It was the Volunteers’ first loss to an unranked opponent at home
under 10th-year Volunteer coach Phillip Fulmer, and the first win
for Georgia at Tennessee since its 1980 national championship
season.

The win, which moved Georgia to No. 19 in the AP poll, most likely
upset the pecking order of the SEC Eastern Division.

However, junior Jon Stinchcomb said to think bigger. This victory
has repercussions for seasons to come.

“I can’t think of a bigger win right now,” Stinchcomb said. “I think for
the program as a whole, with a new staff, it’s got to be the biggest
win. It was such a momentum swing for a lot of things. Not even
this season, but as a program to be able to start from the
core.”

A late fourth-quarter scoring drive by the Volunteers capped by a
62-yard touchdown pass to running back Travis Stephens put
Tennessee ahead 24-20 with 44 seconds left.

However, Georgia redshirt freshman quarterback David Greene
engineered a 59-yard, 5-play scoring drive completed with a
touchdown pass to senior fullback Verron Haynes, left wide open
in Tennessee’s checkerboard endzone.

“We believed we could win this game,” said Haynes, who caught
four passes for 59 yards. “We had high expectations coming into
this season, and this gets us back on track to where we wanted to
be.”

Haynes was just one of many Bulldog heroes Saturday. Much of
Georgia’s success was due to its special teams play.

In the second half, junior punter Jonathan Kilgo kicked two punts
inside the Tennessee 1-yard line to pin the Volunteers.

In the second quarter, sophomore wide receiver Damien Gary
returned a punt 72 yards for a score, cutting an early Volunteer
lead to 14-10. It was the first Georgia score on a punt return since
1993.

True freshman wide receiver Fred Gibson, who returned two
kickoffs for 62 yards, also scored his first touchdown on his first
career reception on a 15-yard pass from Greene in the second
quarter.

“We all knew what we had to do,” Gibson said. “We just knew we
had to make big plays.”

A total of nine Bulldogs caught passes from Greene, who threw for
303 yards and two scores, along with one interception.

Junior tight end Randy McMichael led all Georgia receivers with six
receptions for 108 yards, including two key receptions in

Georgia’s miracle last-minute drive.

Defensively, Georgia forced Tennessee to punt in five of seven
second-half drives after allowing 17 first half points.

First-year Georgia coach Mark Richt has now done something
neither former Bulldog coaches Ray Goff nor Jim Donnan could do
– win in Knoxville.

The duo were a combined 1-9 against the Volunteers, counting
last season’s 21-10 victory under Donnan in Athens.

Richt credited team chemistry and senior leadership to the no-quit
attitude the Bulldogs displayed Saturday.

“These guys really love each other, care about each other and will
fight for each other,” Richt said. “There’s just an unbelievable
chemistry on this team.”