It’s become a reversal of roles between Georgia and Tennessee.

After close to a decade of coming up short against Tennessee, now it’s the Volunteers whose effort is coming up short on a yearly basis.

“It’s just being able to change our psyche toward Tennessee, knowing we’ve got just as good of football team and program as they do,” said Georgia defensive tackle Kedric Golston, who was heavily recruited by Tennessee in 2001. “You can’t let the name Tennessee beat you.”

Georgia has won the last four games in the series, meaning no current Georgia player has experienced losing to Tennessee.

“We’ve gotta do a better job of making it a rivalry,” said Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer. “Four losses in a row is tough. We’ve got to work to get that changed.”

Before the Bulldogs tore down a losing streak against the Vols along with the Sanford Stadium goalposts in a 21-10 win in 2000, the Bulldogs consistently fell to Tennessee over a nine-game stretch.

The Bulldogs not only lost to Tennessee on the field, but in the off-field recruiting battles as well.

In the late 1990s, Tennessee raided the Georgia state lines, snatching away prize recruits such as Jamal Lewis, Deon Grant, Jason Respert and Jabari Davis.

“Just having the tradition that Phil Fulmer had, I think Jabari made the safe decision,” Golston said. “I’m pretty sure he’s having a good team, and he wouldn’t trade it.”

Now the tables have turned in the Bulldogs’ favor.

In 2001, then-freshman quarterback David Greene led the Bulldogs to a memorable last-second comeback in Knoxville. The 26-24 win put Greene in the national spotlight.

And last year’s 41-14 Georgia win was the second-most points scored against Tennessee by a Georgia team.

The Bulldogs also have done what head coach Mark Richt refers to as “closed in the borders,” nabbing the blue chip recruits who in the past would leave the Peach State for Georgia’s SEC rivals.

One testament to the closing of the borders is Golston, the Tyrone native who took a gamble following his 2001 high school senior season in coming to Georgia.

“Coming out of high school (Jim) Donnan had just been fired here, and no one knew how good of coach that Coach Richt was going to be,” Golston said.