ATHENS, Ga. — After another emotional win over an SEC East rival, Tennessee coach Butch Jones had no explanation Saturday for the one glaring issue that has continued to trip up the Vols.

They still aren’t playing well in the first half.

Senior quarterback Joshua Dobbs’ 43-yard touchdown pass to Jauan Jennings on the game’s final play allowed Tennessee to pull out a dramatic 34-31 win over Georgia at Sanford Stadium, but Jones said he’s still “mind-boggled” by the first-half struggles that forced the Vols to climb out of a 17-0 hole to rally past the Bulldogs.

“I didn’t like our performance in the first half,” Jones said. “I thought we were nonchalant. I didn’t think we were very physical on both sides of the football. …

“I told our players at halftime, ‘We take care of you here. We make sure you have the best of the best. But the things we can’t give you is a will to win, a heart and a desire.’ And I said, ‘You’re going to show me how bad you want it in the second half,’ and they came out and I thought we played pretty good football in the second half to overcome it.

“But, guys, I’m as mind-boggled as everyone on the slow starts. Again, we’ll keep making it a teach point. We’ve started practice different. We’ll continue to emphasize this. But at the end of the day, the best you can be is 5-0, and we’re 5-0.”

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Tennessee has been outscored by a combined margin of 77-51 in the first half this season, including a 41-10 margin in the first quarter.

The Vols, who also overcame a 21-0 deficit last week to rally for a 38-28 win over Florida, now have trailed by double digits in the first halves of four of their first five games.

Jones admitted Tennessee’s slow starts are “concerning, and I think every person in that locker room understands that we have to be better in the first half.”

“You can’t turn the football over, particularly when you go on the road,” he said, referring to the Vols’ three turnovers against Georgia, which included a pair of lost fumbles in the first half. “You cannot turn the football over. We took seven points off the board — all those things. We tried to play field position.

“But I’ve got to give our kids credit, too. They don’t blink. They don’t flinch. And if you don't have character, you don't win games like that.”

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