Following a season-reviving home win over then-No. 7 Tennessee, No. 10 Georgia is mindful of avoiding a misstep against UMass on Saturday afternoon in Athens, Ga.Georgia (8-2, 6-2 Southeastern Conference) climbed two spots in Tuesday’s College Football Playoff rankings after its 31-17 win over the Volunteers last Saturday. On the heels of a 28-10 loss at Ole Miss on Nov. 9, the Bulldogs outscored Tennessee 31-7 over the final three quarters.Georgia quarterback Carson Beck delivered a much-needed 347-yard, two-touchdown performance in the win.Beck, who had thrown nine interceptions in his previous four games, was turnover-free Saturday for the first time since Oct. 5.”This team’s been in some tough situations this year,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said. “And they’ve never cowered down from those opportunities. They’ve shown resiliency, and they’ve battled back.”After wrapping up its conference slate, the Bulldogs still need help in qualifying for the SEC Championship Game. Entering Saturday, Georgia sits behind a pair of one-conference loss teams in No. 3 Texas and No. 15 Texas A&M. The Bulldogs are tied with No. 7 Alabama and No. 9 Ole Miss in the loss column but would lose the tiebreaker to each of those teams.Smart dismissed the idea of worrying about hypotheticals ahead of Saturday’s matchup.”The focus is on UMass,” Smart said. “I mean, it really is. So, why would I put energy or time into trying to figure out what the best pathway is, including the SEC Championship, when I’m worried about UMass? I just don’t think it’s a quality conversation.”Georgia and Smart hope to see the injury bug go away. Leading rusher Trevor Etienne (477 rushing yards, seven touchdowns) was sidelined against Tennessee with a rib injury, while wide receiver Dillon Bell (405 receiving yards, four touchdowns) left last week’s game with an ankle injury.
