'I understand why they did it' - Former Vols offensive lineman details what he believes is the real reason Tennessee lost to Georgia

Everyone has an opinion on why the Tennessee Vols lost to the Georgia Bulldogs this past weekend in Knoxville.

Tennessee looked like they were poised to upset the Bulldogs, but the Vols were unable to finish the job, falling 44-41 to Georgia in overtime.

Some fans point to Max Gilbert's missed field goal that would've won the game for the Vols as the reason for the loss. Others think it was Josh Heupel's decision to run the ball on three straight plays after a Georgia turnover (which led to a field goal that pushed Tennessee's lead to 38-30 in the fourth quarter).

Former Vols offensive lineman Ollie Lane has a different theory on why Tennessee failed to beat Georgia.

Ollie Lane thinks the Vols' decision to go away from tempo in the middle of the game hurt Tennessee's chances of beating Georgia

Lane joined The Sports Source this week to discuss Tennessee's loss to Georgia and he pointed to the Vols' lack of tempo in the middle of the game as the primary reason for the loss.

"I think a big aspect of [the loss] is you pulled off your tempo," said Lane. "Especially in that second and third quarter, you pulled off [the tempo]. And I understand why you did it. Your defense was getting tired...We didn't have the depth because [of injuries] on that D-line. And, I mean, you saw Bryson Eason and Dom Bailey, I think, take more snaps than I've seen them take in the last two years. And so you kind of had to weigh your outcomes. And you're like, 'Well, I got to take care of my defense', so you sacrifice your offense. And I think that is probably one of the biggest reasons [for the loss].

"I mean, you start out the game, you come out hot. Three touchdowns...that is the best start the quarterback's had in almost 20 years. So why go away from that? I think that's what ended up costing you. Because, I mean, you had Georgia in a spot where it was 21 to 7 at one point and you could see the look on some of their faces. They were rattled."

It's hard to disagree with Lane's take.

Tennessee scored just seven points total in the second and third quarters against Georgia (the Bulldogs, meanwhile, scored 20 points in the second and third quarters). If the Vols had been able to put a scoring drive together in the second quarter, it would've given Tennessee some breathing room in the second half. And it also probably would've changed Georgia's offensive approach.

But you have to give Georgia some credit. As I like to say, those guys are getting paid, too. They're going to make some plays.

Still, Tennessee probably needs to keep their foot on the gas moving forward if they jump out to a quick lead against a quality opponent. The overtime loss to Georgia is going to sting for a while, but the Vols will be a better team because of that game as long as they learn some important lessons from it.

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