Tennessee coach Josh Heupel addresses 8 game losing streak vs. Georgia football
Tennessee coach Josh Heupel is 0-4 in his career against Kirby Smart and Georgia, but he has helped lead the Volunteers' program back to respectability. Heupel is 37-15 in four seasons with Tennessee. The Volunteers have some momentum after they made their first ever College Football Playoff appearance in 2024. Now, Heupel and company are looking to reverse their fate against the mighty Bulldogs.
"Thanks for reminding me," said Heupel when a member of the media told him about Georgia's recent success against Tennessee. "We haven't been able to be on the right side of the scoreboard in that game. That's players and coaches together ultimately being a little bit better. A couple of those games last year, it's a tight ballgame in the fourth quarter. For us, it's tying all three phases of the game together."
Tennessee will have to try to beat Georgia in 2025 with a new starting quarterback after Nico Iamaleava transferred to UCLA this spring. The Volunteers and Heupel are confident UCLA/Appalachian State transfer Joey Aguilar can get the job done this year.
"Kirby (Smart) and their staff and their players have done a really good job and played really well in those games. It will be important for us, that's Week 3, that we're ready to go play at the level that we need to against a really good football team," added Heupel.
There's no doubt that Georgia will be a challenge for Tennessee, but we'll also learn a lot about Georgia when the two SEC rivals meet in Knoxville. Georgia opens the season with a pair of non-Power Four opponents (Marshall and Austin Peay) at home before playing at Tennessee, which is projected to be quarterback Gunner Stockton's first career road start.
Despite Stockton's lack of experience on the road, Georgia has opened as early road favorites for their Sept. 13 game at Tennessee.
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