KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The Vols picked up their first loss of the season to Georgia, with the first overtime ending 44-41.

The Vols took the opening kickoff and efficiently advanced down the field, facing minimal resistance from the Bulldogs, scoring just two and a half minutes into the game. A pass across the middle to TE Mike Kitselman put Tennessee in charging position, and Joey Aguilar capped the drive with a four-yard rushing touchdown.

Gunner Stockton and the Georgia offense answered with a striking deep ball on the first play of their drive, advancing into Tennessee’s half. Stockton evened the score with a six-yard rushing touchdown of his own.

The Vols maintained their aggressive play, with Aguilar launching a deep throw on the second play of their subsequent drive, finding Chris Brazzell II for a 72-yard touchdown to claim a 14-7 lead.

The Vol defense stepped up on the Bulldogs second possession, forcing a quick punt.

Aguilar preserved his flawless performance by finishing the third drive at 14-14 with 213 yards and delivering a second passing touchdown to Brazzell II, securing a 21-7 margin.

On the first play of the second quarter, Stockton connected with Zachariah Branch on a screen pass, who took it 36 yards to the end zone, narrowing their gap to seven.

Aguilar threw his first incomplete pass at 14:41 in the second quarter, and a dropped pass by Braylon Staley concluded the drive with a punt. Long-snapper Bennett Brady executed a diving special teams maneuver on the punt, pinning Georgia deep in their own territory, leading to another punt with 10:27 remaining in the second quarter.

The Bulldogs forced a second consecutive punt and were once again backed up deep but helped out by two pass interference calls, setting them up around the 50 before Stockton connected with TE Oscar Delp to set up first and goal, eventually kicking a 20-yard field goal after a massive defensive stop.

Aguilar threw his first interception of the season to Georgia’s Joenel Aguero on a deep ball with just over a minute left in the half. Ty Redmond picked off Stockton on a last second heave to send it to the half with a 21-17 score.

The Bulldogs opened the second half with a long, ground and pound drive, chewing up more than half of the third quarter and finishing with a short rushing score from Josh McRay to take their first lead of the game, 24-21.

The Vols first third quarter drive lasted less than two minutes before a third consecutive punt. Aguilar took a big hit on a second down rushing attempt.

Following another Bulldog punt, Aguilar threw his second interception of the game, reeled in by KJ Bolden.

After four plays, the Dogs were forced to kick a 48-yard field goal, which extended the lead to 27-21.

The Vols showed their first sign of life in the second half, as Aguilar aired out a high-flying jump ball to Brazzell II, resulting in a 56-yard score. It was Brazzell’s third TD of the game, as Tennessee jumped in front 28-27.

Georgia responded by marching right down the field, but they’re held to their third field goal of the second half, taking a 30-28 advantage.

The fourth lead-change of the second half occurred just over a minute later, as a long run from Star Thomas set up a fourth passing touchdown for Aguilar. He hit Staley on a 32-yard strike to go back up 35-30.

Tennessee’s defense came out energized with a roaring crowd behind them. A Josh Joseph strip sack was recovered by Bryson Eason set the Vols up with a short field to work with just over eight minutes left in the contest.

The Vols immediately tried to run the clock down, but did not get far, setting up for a a 48-yard field goal, put through the upright by Max Gilbert, extending the lead 38-30 with 6:40 remaining.

The Bulldogs pushed on with Stockton finding London Humphreys with a 28-yard pass to pickup another touchdown. With the extra point, Georgia tied up the game 38-38.

Bringing the ball back, the Vols brought the ball back to Georgia’s 20-yard line. After a false start penalty, Gilbert was brought in for a field goal, missing the shot to the right of the uprights and turning the ball back over to Georgia with 3 seconds left on the clock. The Bulldogs ran for a loss of 1 yard to their own 24-yard line and leading the game into overtime.

Tennessee started off their first possession in the OT drive with an incompletion, but Gilbert came back and brought in a field goal to give the Vols 3 points.

Georgia followed up on the return with a 21-yard run to Tennessee’s 4 yard line. With a three-yard run, Georgia found itself at the Vols’ 1 yard line. McRay made a final one-yard run, giving the Bulldogs a touchdown and ending the game 44-41.

With the Vols’ loss, Georgia extends its series win streak to nine game, which is now tied with Tennessee (1989-1999) for the longest streak since the series began in 1898.

UP NEXT: The Vols are staying in Knoxville next weekend, taking on UAB at Neyland Stadium. The game is set to kick off at 12:45 p.m. and will be broadcast on SEC Network.