ATHENS, Ga. – For one pivotal night, with Georgia’s season on the brink, with the Bulldogs’ last rites on the tip of the tongue, Carson Beck transformed into a better quarterback than he’s ever been.

Where’s this guy been all season?

Better question: If this quarterback who tortured Tennessee’s defense Saturday night is here to stay, can Georgia win a national championship contender?

Only a sucker would count out No. 10 Georgia.

By beating No. 4 Tennessee 31-17 on Beck's shoulders at Sanford Stadium, the Bulldogs once again proved they achieve their best feats when they’re facing the most doubt.

The Bulldogs (8-2) understood their challenge: Beat Tennessee, or get eliminated from College Football Playoff consideration. Georgia’s CFP hopes couldn’t afford a third loss.

"Win or go home,” Georgia offensive lineman Jared Wilson said. “We knew what was at stake.”

Mere days ago, Kirby Smart got questioned about the idea of benching a struggling Beck in favor of a backup quarterback. Beck accounted for 14 turnovers in the six games prior to Saturday, but Smart quickly swatted down the notion of a quarterback change.

He’s dancing with the one who brought him, and Beck rewarded that faith with a heroic performance against one of the nation’s best defenses. Georgia’s quarterback had a hand in three of his team’s touchdowns.

“I haven’t seen that Carson Beck in a couple weeks,” Wilson said. “It was great to have him back.”

Carson Beck rallies Georgia football and earns a smile

Beck normally isn't one for dramatic speeches, but when Smart and the coaches left the players to talk among themselves after a team meeting early in the week, several veteran players spoke up.

Beck decided he’d say a thing or two about this critical moment Georgia found itself in, after a whimpering loss last weekend at Ole Miss.

“Everybody understood the situation we were in,” Beck said. “Our backs were against the wall, and the only way out was through whatever’s in front of you.”

In front of the Bulldogs was a Volunteers defense that hadn’t allowed more than 19 points to any opponent.

Georgia went for 453 yards.

So much for Tennessee’s defense.

And so much for Georgia’s offensive woes.

Beck fueled the revival.

Although Georgia’s receivers dropped several passes, causing a few hiccups, Beck gained some valuable allies. His offensive line delivered a master class in pass protection, and Beck repeatedly teamed with tight end Oscar Delp to exploit Tennessee’s defense through the middle of the field.

“There was just a fire about us tonight,” Beck said. “It seemed like we were having fun.”

A week ago, television cameras caught Beck grinning on the sideline while in conversation with a teammate in the closing minutes in Oxford, as Ole Miss stomped Georgia. That created an awkward image of a quarterback smiling after a rough performance, while his team lost.

The Bullddogs earned their smiles after this triumph, and they were in a joyful mood.

While Beck spoke with reporters afterward, Wilson caught his quarterback’s eye, jumped up and down, raised his fists and grinned.

Beck smiled back.

This one felt good – and overdue.

And it left the Vols in a spot of trouble.

What Georgia win means for CFP bracket, and is Tennessee in trouble?

This result should push the Bulldogs back to the right side of the playoff bubble, after they were the first team out of the bracket in Tuesday’s rankings update.

Win its next two games against Massachusetts and Georgia Tech at home, and Georgia should go into December on firm footing.

And what of Tennessee (8-2)?

The Vols stood toe-to-toe against a Georgia team that hasn’t lost at home since 2019. Georgia didn't go ahead by two scores until late in the fourth quarter.

This performance won’t extinguish Tennessee’s playoff case, but it didn’t cement it, either.

The Vols could have taken control of their postseason destination with a victory. Now, the Vols’ fate will be squarely in the hands of an unpredictable playoff committee. This loss likely leaves Tennessee needing a bit of help to feel comfortable about a playoff spot.

The playoff committee punished the Bulldogs after last week’s flop to Ole Miss by dropping Georgia nine spots in the playoff rankings, down to No. 12.

Tennessee probably won't fall nine spots, but it can expect to drop several.

The SEC remains topsy-turvy. Georgia failed the eye test – and every other test – last week. The Bulldogs were much easier on the eyes against Tennessee.

A quarterback firing darts sure helps.

Cool-hand Carson Beck emerges at the perfect time for Georgia

Beck passed for two scores. He scored another on a critical third-down scamper when he ran away from a pass rusher and into the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter.

He finished 25 of 40 for 346 yards, his third-highest yardage total this season.

Importantly, he committed no turnovers, and he kept his cool after Tennessee raced to a 10-point lead after one quarter.

Beck threw enough pinpoint strikes to remind us why many viewed him as a surefire first-round NFL draft pick coming into this season, before a rocky stretch of games in the middle of this season called for a review of his stock.

Beck played so well, he brought back memories of Stetson Bennett IV, his predecessor who quarterbacked Georgia to back-to-back national championships.

While Bennett lacked Beck's NFL tools, he ran on moxie and relished big moments. Bennett outdueled Tennessee star Hendon Hooker two years ago, when the Vols sat atop the CFP rankings.

On this night, Beck outclassed Tennessee's Nico Iamaleava, the Vols' ballyhooed redshirt freshman.

A Bennett type of performance?

“I guess you could say that,” Beck said.

Better to put it this way: A performance that reminded us of Beck’s ability.

In one-game changing moment, Tennessee's feared edge rusher James Pearce had Beck in his sights in the backfield with a chance at a drive-ending sack.

Beck juked past Pearce, sprinted into the end zone and saved Georgia from playoff elimination.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer. Subscribe to read all of his columns.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Carson Beck saves Georgia football, hurts Tennessee's CFP bracket bid