Josh McCray’s 1-yard TD run in OT gives No. 6 Georgia a 44-41 win at No. 15 Tennessee

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – When No. 6 Georgia clawed its way back from three deficits against No. 15 Tennessee on Saturday, coach Kirby Smart got the answer he was looking for.

“We feel our team has a certain identity,” Smart said after the Bulldogs’ 44-41 overtime victory. “We’re not going to go down without a fight.”

Josh McCray scored on a 1-yard run in to cap the win. Georgia (3-0, 1-0 SEC) beat Tennessee (2-1, 1-0) for the ninth straight time with Nate Frazier setting up the winning score with a 21-yard run on Georgia’s first snap in overtime.

“I feel almost like we have to apologize,” said Smart. “I don’t think that we should have won that game. I thought (Tennessee) outplayed us in a lot of ways.”

Max Gilbert kicked a 42-yard field goal to give Tennessee a 41-38 edge in overtime. Tennessee had a chance to win in regulation, but Gilbert pushed a 43-yard field-goal attempt wide right just before the final whistle.

“It’s a series of one play that makes a specialist,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said. “Sometimes your life gets showcased in a way where you get limited opportunities. That’s the life of being a kicker.”

Joey Aguilar threw for 371 yards and four touchdowns and ran for a TD to lead Tennessee. The Volunteers came from behind twice in the second half after jumping out to a 14-point lead in the first quarter.

“I started off in a groove, but those come and go,” Aguilar said. “In the middle (of the game), I was pressing a little bit.”

Chris Brazzell III caught scoring passes of 72, 14 and 66 yards. Braylon Staley’s 32-yard TD reception early in the fourth quarter put Tennessee on top 35-30 with 11:01 left.

“It was a good performance,” Brazzell said. “If we’d have won it would have been better.”

Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton threw for 304 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for a TD. Trailing 38-30 with 2:32 left in the game, Stockton hit London Humphreys on fourth down with a 28-yard fade in the end zone. The two-point conversion tied it for the third time.

“We needed to convert and we ended up scoring,” said Stockton. “London ran a great route and made the catch.”

Smart was pleased with Stockton’s effort.

“(Stockton) grew up tonight,” he said.

Tennessee dominated the first quarter, jumping to a 21-7 lead but Georgia pulled within 21-17 at halftime.

Tennessee became the third team to score on its first three drives against Georgia since Kirby Smart took over in 2016. … Aguilar complete his first 14 passes for 213 yards and 2 TDs. … Aguilar is the first SEC quarterback to go 14 for 14 in 20 seasons. … The Bulldogs rushed for 77 yards in the first half.

Georgia: Game 4 of the Stockton era finally got the Bulldogs’ offense executing like planned. The Georgia attack, which is predicated on the power game, had success against Tennessee. The Bulldog secondary established its dominance and frustrated Tennessee’s passing game. The victory could be enough to get Georgia into the Top 4.

Tennessee: A setback this early in the season doesn’t end the Vols’ hopes for a return to the playoffs, but it does eliminate the margin for error. The game was an opportunity for the Vols to measure the talent gap that had existed between the programs. This showed there’s still work to be done. The loss shouldn’t impact Tennessee’s ranking too negatively.

Georgia: After an open date next week, the Bulldogs host Alabama Sept. 27.

Tennessee: The Vols leave the SEC and host Alabama-Birmingham next Saturday.