Tennessee football lost at Neyland Stadium for the first time in two years, and once again it was to No. 1 Georgia.

The No. 18 Vols fell 38-10 to the Bulldogs on Saturday, snapping their 14-game home winning streak. Their previous home loss was to No. 1 Georgia on Nov. 13, 2021.

A sellout crowd at Neyland Stadium erupted when UT (7-4, 3-4 SEC) scored on the first play from scrimmage. But they didn’t have much to cheer about after that.

Georgia (11-0, 8-0) coasted to its 28th consecutive victory for the longest winning streak in SEC history, tying the record held by two different Alabama teams. The Bulldogs scored on six of their first eight drives and outgained the Vols 472 yards to 277 in total offense.

UT will play Vanderbilt on Nov. 25 (3:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network) at Neyland Stadium in the regular-season finale.

Here are five observations from UT’s loss to Georgia.

Tennessee falls to No. 1 again

UT’s record dropped to 3-18 all-time versus No. 1 teams, considering every major poll. Its last three losses in that category were to No. 1 Georgia in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

The Vols beat No. 1 LSU 14-13 in 1959. They beat No. 1 Auburn 38-20 in 1985. And in 2022, they won 52-49 over Alabama, ranked No. 1 in the coaches poll. All three wins were at home.

UT (No. 21 AP/No. 19 US LBM Coaches Poll) entered this game ranked No. 18 in the CFP poll. Georgia is No. 1 in all three polls.

Joe Milton had a bad day

Quarterback Joe Milton was ineffective. Some passes were rocketed through receivers’ hands. Some were catchable but dropped. Others were overthrown.

Milton finished 17-of-30 passing for 147 yards, no TDs and no interceptions.

It was the second home game this season that Milton passed for fewer than 150 yards. He passed for 100 yards in a win over Texas A&M.

Milton’s TD streak was broken. He had tossed a TD pass in 14 consecutive games, the third longest streak in UT history behind Hendon Hooker (20 games) and Heath Shuler (18).

Vols scored TD on first play, but not much more

Jaylen Wright broke a 75-yard TD run on the first play from scrimmage, continuing a UT theme of scoring quickly to start games. It came just 11 seconds into the game.

Against UTSA, Milton scored on an 81-yard TD run on the first play, and just 20 seconds into the game. Against UConn, Wright scored on an 82-yard TD run on the second play, 33 seconds into the game.

UT has scored a TD on its opening drive in eight of 11 games this season.

But that momentum didn’t last long. The Vols went three-and-out the next two possessions, and Georgia jumped ahead for good.

Critical penalty cost Tennessee chance for early surge

Late in the first quarter, UT thought it had an interception and a chance for a go-ahead score. Cornerback Doneiko Slaughter picked off a Carson Beck pass and returned it to the Georgia 21-yard line.

But the Vols’ celebration was cut short when a flag was dropped where Slaughter made the interception. He was called for defensive holding, and the turnover was negated.

On the replay, it appeared that Slaughter tussled with the Georgia receiver. But he intercepted the pass because the receiver didn’t turn around to catch the ball.

Georgia, of course, snapped Neyland Stadium winning streak

UT’s 14-game home winning streak was bookended by losses to Georgia.

The Vols lost to No. 1 Georgia on Nov. 13, 2021, but they didn’t lose at Neyland Stadium again for more than two years. And then Georgia ended the streak.

The 14-game home winning streak had been the third-longest current streak in college football behind Georgia (25) and Michigan (21). And it was UT’s longest home winning streak since winning 23 straight from 1996-2000.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee football falls to No. 1 Georgia to snap Neyland Stadium win streak