Vols will need to solve first-down struggles if they hope to beat Georgia

Tennessee’s offense started slowly in Saturday’s game against Massachusetts, but the Vols found a rhythm before halftime. They went on touchdown drives of 80 and 75 yards on their final two possessions of the second quarter.

“We thought we had a lot of momentum,” right tackle Brett Kendrick said.

More:Up next for Tennessee Vols: Georgia Bulldogs

But that second-quarter surge didn’t carry over after halftime. The Vols (3-1, 0-1 SEC) mustered 58 yards of offense in the second half and had to grind out a 17-13 victory over winless UMass.

“We never were able to gain a rhythm in the second half. I thought we were very, very sloppy,” Vols coach Butch Jones said Sunday on “The Butch Jones Show.”

Where did Vols' problems begin?  

It was a troublesome offensive performance in advance of UT’s game Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS) against No. 8 Georgia. The Bulldogs (4-0, 1-0) are coming off a 31-3 victory over Mississippi State. They're surrendering just 11.5 points per game.

The Vols’ second-half offensive woes were wrapped up in their inability to gain meaningful yardage on first down.

More:'SEC Nation' coming to Knoxville for Tennessee Vols vs. Georgia

Tennessee amassed just 1 yard on 12 first-down plays after halftime. Only five of their first-down plays in the second half gained positive yardage, and none of those plays produced more than 5 yards.

“We had too many negative-yardage football plays, way too many third-and-long situations, and when you have that, you’re not going to move the ball effectively,” Jones said.

For the game, the Vols averaged just 2.7 yards on 29 first-down plays.

“Most prolific offenses, most of their first downs are generated on first and second down,” Jones said on his television show.

Do Vols have QB they can count on? 

Perhaps most troubling is that, four games into the season, the Vols don’t have their quarterback situation figured out.

Jones said Saturday that UT has "two very capable quarterbacks,” but the truth is he alternated his QBs against UMass in a failed quest to find consistency.

Backup Jarrett Guarantano entered late in the third quarter with the Vols clinging to a four-point lead. He took the field for three consecutive series, during which time the offense produced one first down. He completed two of five passes for negative-3 yards, although a dropped pass didn’t help.

Starter Quinten Dormady, who was 17-of-27 for 187 yards, still looks like the more reliable option, but his production has come in fits and spurts.

And to have a chance against the Bulldogs, the Vols probably will need a solid day from their quarterback because Georgia has been particularly stout against the run, surrendering just 3 yards per carry.

The Vols produced a season-low 135 rushing yards against UMass. It didn’t help that starting center Jashon Robertson sat out with an undisclosed injury. Coleman Thomas started in place of Robertson.

Jones said he fully anticipates that Robertson and defensive tackle Shy Tuttle, who also was sidelined with an undisclosed injury, will be back against the Bulldogs.

More:Maybe these Vols just aren't good

The Vols tried multiple options on the left side of the line. Drew Richmond started at left tackle and Venzell Boulware earned his first start of the season at left guard, but tackle Marcus Tatum and guard Jack Jones also played.

“I’m speaking for the offense: No one is excited about how we played,” Kendrick said. “We know that as an offense. You’ve got to give a lot of credit to our defense. They had our back the whole game. As an offense, as a leader on the offense, we’ve got to come back next week and have a great week because we can’t do that again next week.”