ATHENS, Ga. - Tennessee won't be the only team at Sanford Stadium with something to prove Saturday.

The Vols hope to prove that - record and eyewitness accounts to the contrary - they aren't the worst team in the SEC East. Georgia hopes to prove that - despite what happened against Alabama - it's a national championship contender.

The Alabama defeat is relevant for another reason. It's reminiscent of what happened to the Bulldogs in their last two games against UT.

In each of the last three seasons, Georgia has played three of the worst halves of football in the SEC. UT contributed to two of those halves.

Two years ago, Georgia's second-half collapse led to a 51-33 loss to UT, which actually trailed at halftime. Last year, Georgia didn't wait for the second half to go belly-up. The Vols jumped out to a 28-0 first-half lead en route to a 35-14 victory.

So you can understand why the Bulldogs might not be dwelling on UT's 2-3 record or its death-door offense. Never mind that they're a two-touchdown favorite. Last year's nightmare is more real than a betting line to the Bulldogs.

"We couldn't get anything going in that game," Georgia senior linebacker Dannell Ellerbe said. "It seemed like everything was happening in their favor."

It happened fast. UT set the tone for the game by driving 81 yards for a touchdown on its first possession.

"I guess you could say they shocked us," Georgia senior fullback Brannan Southerland said. "And we did not respond real well. But we definitely learned from that game."

Apparently, the lesson didn't carry over to this season. Ten days ago, the Bulldogs experienced another first-half shocker against Alabama. And their furious second-half comeback couldn't overcome a 31-0 deficit.

"We just came out flat," Ellerbe said. "We harp on coming out fast and playing hard for 60 minutes. But it's a different thing doing it than saying it."

The Alabama loss was particularly painful for Ellerbe, who went out early with a knee injury. Although he was limited in practice Monday, he's still hopeful of playing Saturday.

Part of his motivation comes from the last two losses to UT.

"I don't want to go out like that," he said.

Sophomore linebacker Rennie Curran has fonder memories of the last UT game. With the outcome virtually decided, Curran got extensive playing time in the one-sided loss.

"I was definitely excited to be playing," he said. "I wasn't even looking at the scoreboard. I was just trying to make plays. It was my chance to take the next step."

He made enough plays to win a starting job. Now, he's one of the defensive leaders on a team that hopes to bounce back from a loss to Alabama and change the course of the UT series as well.

"There's definitely no way we will overlook Tennessee," Curran said. "We know how they feel about our program. There's no question they don't like us. They're gonna play their A game.

"Their record is the last thing we're going to look at. They've outscored us by a large margin, so we have no reason to overlook them.

"We haven't proved anything to them."

Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com.