ATHENS, Ga. – A foot injury kept Brannan Southerland out of the Georgia lineup until Saturday’s game against Tennessee, but the big senior fullback wasted little time making an impact for the Bulldogs.

Although the team captain, who missed the first five games due to a foot injury, dropped a pass on UGA’s first drive of the day, he finished it off with a 1-yard plunge at 7:16 of the first quarter for a UGA touchdown.

The handoff from quarterback Matthew Stafford marked Southerland’s first carry of the contest.

LONG DISTANCE DAWGS

When Georgia scored on a 9-play, 97-yard drive just before halftime to take a 20-7 lead, it marked the third time this season the team has punched it in from more than 90 yards.

This one was probably the biggest, however. After the Vols cut the lead to 13-7 and pinned UGA deep after a bungled kickoff return, they still had more than two minutes to get the ball back and possibly move ahead by intermission.

When Matthew Stafford hit Mohamed Massaquoi for a 9-yard TD with :09 left in the second quarter though, it deflated Tennessee and the Bulldogs never looked back.

BIG LOSS

Late in the first half Georgia left offensive tackle Vince Vance left the game with a knee injury and didn’t return, adding to the team’s depth problems up front. Not only does Vance start at tackle, he is also on the depth chart as a reserve left guard.

On the positive side defensive end Rod Battle, who has been out of action since the Central Michigan game with a neck injury, was able to return against Tennessee Saturday.

FLAG ‘EM

Yellow flags have been a major problem for Georgia throughout the 2008 season, with the Bulldogs coming into Saturday’s game as the most penalized team in the country. Through five games UGA had been whistled 53 times for 437 yards, while its foes had just 21 flags for 165 yards.

Richt preached all week about the need to clean things up and his team responded, getting just two penalties for 10 yards in the first half.

The Vols, on the other hand, already had 57 backward yards before the second half began.

150 ON HOLD

Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer is under fire for his team’s poor performance in 2008, but the UT coach, in his 17th season in Knoxville, is one victory away from his 150th career victory and has yet to coach his 200th game.

Currently sitting at 149-49, Fulmer’s next conquest will put him alongside Tennessee legend Gen. Bob Neyland as just the second coach in school history to register at least 150 victories.

Neyland won 173 games heading up the Big Orange.

Currently Michigan is the only program to boast two coaches with 150 or more wins. Bo Schembechler had 194 and Fielding Yost closed out his tenure with the Wolverines with 165.

Incidentally Fulmer won his first eight games against Georgia and now stands at 11-6 in the Eastern Division rivalry game.

ROAD SWEET ROAD?

There’s nothing like home cooking for a college football team, so Georgia better enjoy its meal next Saturday when Vanderbilt comes to Sanford Stadium. Although the game against the Commodores will be just the seventh of the season for the Dawgs, it’ll be the last appearance the team makes at Sanford Stadium until Georgia Tech comes to town Nov. 29.

This year Georgia’s slate was home-heavy early, with Mark Richt’s team playing five of its first seven Between the Hedges. After next week Georgia will go to Baton Rouge, Jacksonville, Lexington and Auburn before finally experiencing another Saturday in Athens.