Athens, GA (Sports Network) – Aaron Murray threw for two touchdowns and ran for another two, as the Georgia Bulldogs cruised to a 41-14 win over the Tennessee Volunteers in SEC play at Sanford Stadium.
Murray completed 17-of-25 passes for 266 yards in the win. A.J. Green hauled in six passes for 96 yards and a score to help the Bulldogs (2-4, 1-3 SEC) snap a four-game losing skid, their longest since 1990.
Vols (2-4, 0-3) quarterback Matt Simms completed 9-of-13 passes for 179 yards with one touchdown and one interception before being replaced by Tyler Bray. Justin Hunter paced the receiving corps with 110 yards and a TD on four catches.
Georgia grabbed a 7-0 lead midway through the opening quarter when Murray broke loose for a 35-yard touchdown run.
The Bulldogs’ defense came up with an interception on the very next possession, which eventually led to a 42-yard field goal by Blair Walsh at the 2:15 mark of the first quarter.
Tennessee fumbled away the ensuing kickoff, setting up another Georgia touchdown as Murray found Rantavious Wooten for a nine-yard score with less than a minute to play in the opening frame.
UT got on the board at the 12:58 mark of the second quarter, when Simms connected with Hunter for a 38-yard scoring strike to cut the deficit to 17-7.
But the Vols lost another fumble midway through the quarter, which resulted in a 22-yard touchdown pass from Murray to Green with 6:42 remaining until halftime.
Georgia pushed its lead to 27-7 on a 20-yard field goal by Walsh with 2:15 to play in the half.
The Bulldogs made it a 34-7 game at the 10:26 mark of the third quarter, as Murray scored on a five-yard scamper.
UT trimmed the margin to 34-14 on Tauren Poole’s two-yard touchdown plunge with 7:07 remaining in the third quarter.
Four minutes later, Georgia added another touchdown on a one-yard run by Shaun Chapas to account for the final score.
Georgia had a nine-minute edge in time of possession, as the Bulldogs’ defense held the Vols to just 269 yards of total offense, including only nine yards on the ground.