Cocktail Thursday: Tennessee Edition

Are your Georgia Bulldogs preparing to travel to a stadium that eats knee ligaments to face the SEC’s most explosive offense in front of 103,000 screaming, mustard-hurling hillbillies? Then you could probably use a drink. I can help you with that.

A lot has been made this week of the Tennessee offense being a unique challenge for a Bulldog defense that has been decidedly unchallenged this season. And it’s true the Volunteers are putting up a lot of points (especially relative to the Jeremy Pruitt era). And the trend has been decidedly upward as the season has gone on, especially for quarterback Hendon Hooker.

Hooker has only thrown 2 interceptions this season against 21 touchdowns, an impressive ratio no matter how you cut it. But there’s a trade off there. The Vols have given up 33 sacks this season, last in the SEC by a fair margin. It’s a fine line between holding the ball too long and taking a sack and chunking up ill-advised passes and Hooker has stayed firmly on the side of eating some grass, getting up, and slinging the ball downfield on the next play.

I’m not sure how well that will work against a Bulldog defense that’s created turnovers, but more importantly turned those turnovers into points better than just about any team in the country.

At some point this Saturday I expect Hendon Hooker to cough the ball up either trying to make something happen with his legs or while hanging in the pocket too long. I can’t sY who will cause that turnover. But I’d put even money on Nolan Smith.

And what’s the perfect drink to celebrate Nolan Smith rolling through the porous Tennessee line and separating Hendon Hooker from the ball?

A Rollin’ Smith.

You’ll need:

• 2 and ¹⁄₂ oz blended scotch

• 1 and ¹⁄₂ oz lemon juice

• ¹⁄₂ oz honey syrup

• ¹⁄₂ oz ginger syrup

Shake the scotch, lemon juice, and syrup with ice and strain into a highball glass with ice. Garnish it with a lemon wheel and enjoy.

Go ‘Dawgs!!!