Throwback Thursday SEC-Style: 2000 Tennessee at Georgia

Tennessee and Georgia entered their match-up on Oct. 7, 2000 in Athens with the Volunteers riding a nine-game winning streak over the Bulldogs. Prior to the SEC's divisional split less than a decade earlier, the two schools had only played 20 times -- including only 10 between 1925 and 1992 -- despite only being separated by 140 air miles.

Entering the game, Tennessee had lost its first two SEC games for the first time since 1988. A home loss to Florida and a road loss to LSU had the Volunteers in a virtual must-win situation if it was to reclaim the SEC East title from Florida. A.J. Suggs started the season at quarterback and threw for 319 yard in the loss to LSU, but freshman Casey Clausen got significant time in the win over Louisiana-Monroe and played one series at LSU.

Georgia lost 21-10 in a Week 2 game at South Carolina (a week after South Carolina ended its 21-game losing streak), with quarterback Quincy Carter throwing five interceptions. The capitulation ended Carter's Heisman hopes early in the season before they really got started. The Bulldogs recovered for a 38-7 win in Athens over Arkansas, but in Jim Donnan's fifth season, he had yet to beat Tennessee and had lost two in a row to Georgia Tech and Florida.

Georgia ends up winning 21-10 and the ensuing celebration marks the only time the goalposts have been torn down at Sanford Stadium.

From the game recap from USA Today:

ATHENS, Georgia (Ticker) -- Georgia made sure that Jim Donnan's 100th career coaching victory was a special one.

Jasper Sanks had a pair of short touchdown runs and 19th-ranked Georgia ended more than a decade of frustration against Tennessee by defeating the 21st-ranked Volunteers, 21-10, in a key Southeastern Conference game. ...

"I can't say enough about the way our team came together," Donnan said. "Our defense was awesome, our kicking game was good and our offense did what it needed to do." ...

"I felt like we won the national championship tonight," Sanks said. "Nine games of losing to UT and we draw the line in 2000."

Georgia would go on to finish the season 8-4 with losses to Florida, Auburn and Georgia Tech, costing Donnan his job at the end of the year.

Tennessee would not lose again until the Cotton Bowl against Kansas State and would also finish 8-4.