VOLS GAME IN BITS & PIECES

SATURDAY’S STAR

Tennessee quarterback Brian Maurer had some freshman moments in his first college start, but he threw for 205 of his 259 passing yards in the first half. The 6-foot-3, 193-pounder struggled on the Volunteers’ first possession, but he had scoring passes of 75 yards to Marquez Callaway and 12 to Jauan Jennings in the first half while helping Tennessee build a 1410 advantage at one point.

SATURDAY’S STAT

The Vols had two 100-yard receivers (Callaway and Jennings) for the first time since Justin Hunter and Mychal Rivera topped the century mark in a 51-48 four-overtime loss to Missouri on Nov. 10, 2012. Jennings finished with 114 yards on seven catches, and Jennings had 105 on three.

TURNING POINT

After Georgia scored to go up 20-14 in the second quarter, the Vols were able to move into field-goal range with an opportunity to trim the deficit to three. Brent Cimaglia’s 47yard attempt was no good, and with less than a minute to play in the half, the Bulldogs marched 70 yards in five plays, with Jake Fromm finding George Pickens for a 7-yard score to make it 26-14 at the break.

HIGHLIGHT PLAY

On the second play of the Vols’ second drive, Maurer was given some time to throw and Callaway made a double move in the secondary that freed up the 6-foot-2, 204-pound senior. Maurer made a perfect throw, and Callaway was able to jog in for his ninth touchdown as a Vol and Maurer’s first touchdown pass for Tennessee.

WHAT IT MEANS

Tennessee may have found an answer at the position it needed one at the most — QB. Maurer was flawed, but he did excite the team and the crowd with some early throws. He also made some mistakes, but he gave the Vols a chance against a superior opponent. It will be interesting to see how the coaching staff handles the situation moving forward.