3 reasons why Josh Heupel's Tennessee lost to Georgia in Week 12

Tennessee suffered its second loss of the season against Georgia on Saturday. The Volunteers made a trip to Athens to play the Bulldogs in a game that had postseason implications for both teams, but it was the home team that came out victorious.

It was expected to be a tough match for the Volunteers, as Josh Heupel has never recorded a win against the Bulldogs. While they started strong, they ended up losing the high-stakes conference encounter. Here's a look at three reasons the Vols lost the game.

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Three reasons why Tennessee lost to Georgia

#1 Tennessee’s poor outing in the second half

Tennessee started the Week 12 game solid on both sides of the ball, dominating Georgia in many aspects, and it looked like they were up for a win. The Volunteers ended the first quarter 10-0 ahead and entered halftime leveled with the Bulldogs 17-17.

However, the Volunteers couldn’t match up with the Bulldogs in the second half. They were limited to no score in the entire second half, as their opponents scored a touchdown in each quarter to seal the win at home.

Failure to play up to expectations in the second half at Sanford Stadium was responsible for the Volunteers’ loss on Saturday. Their inability to maintain the tempo proved costly.

#2 Carson Beck’s rising to the game

Carson Beck had a slow start to the game against the Volunteers on Saturday. The Georgia quarterback threw a host of incomplete passes in the first quarter as he struggled to read the Volunteers’ defense.

However, Beck grew into the game in the second quarter, and Georgia started competing. He helped level the game with two touchdown passes before halftime and went on to rush 10 yards to the end zone in the third quarter.

Beck has struggled significantly in the backfield this season, failing to live up to offseason expectations and draft projections. However, the quarterback was crucial to the Bulldogs’ win on Saturday.

#3 The Volunteers’ offensive problems

Tennessee's offense had a brilliant start to the game on Saturday. However, that didn't last so long before the Georgia defense rose up to the situation, limiting the performance of the Volunteers’ explosive offense.

The Vols faced a multitude of issues on the offense in the second half, which gave them little chance of winning the game. Nico Iamaleava endured three sacks in the first half, stalling one Tennessee drive entirely and restricting another to a field goal.

However, Iamaleava was far from the biggest concern in the team’s offense. He orchestrated the offense and evaded pressure with his scrambling ability, but his efforts ultimately fell short of making a significant impact.