ATHENS, Ga. – Oct. 11 was Second Chance Saturday at Sanford Stadium, with the Georgia Bulldogs finishing up the first half of a 12-game regular season.

Two weeks after tumbling in the polls after tumbling to Alabama Between The Hedges, Mark Richt and company needed nothing more than a pedestrian victory over Tennessee to get back in the SEC Championship Game conversation.

Actually UGA was never out of that particular conversion. It’ll be surprising, indeed, if any team that exits the Georgia Dome Dec. 6 with a crown will be unblemished, so a 4-1 record was no cause for worry, even after that embarrassing first half against the Crimson Tide.

But two losses, well, that’s another story.

LSU got away with it a season ago in a weird year that saw the Bayou Bengals win it all with two blips, but that’s a rarity. It’s happened only once in the modern era and it could be a while before the Football Bowl Subdivision has another two-loss titlist.

No, if the preseason No.1 has any chance of reclaiming that spot in January, 2009, there can be no more losses.

So in a way, the Tennessee game provided a fresh start. Win it, and Alabama fades a little more in the team’s collective memory. Win it, and there’s a measure of momentum heading into a killer stretch that features Vanderbilt, LSU, Florida, Kentucky, Auburn and Georgia Tech – all but two on the road.

Georgia did what it had to do against the Volunteers in a 26-14 win.

Certainly Richt had to be concerned before kickoff. While UT had struggled entering the SEC East showdown, it also owned a two-game winning streak over the Bulldogs. In fact, the Vols used this game last year as something of a springboard, shaking off a 2-2 start with a resounding win in Knoxville and parlaying it into a berth in the SEC Championship Game.

This time, however, Phillip Fulmer’s Not-So-Big Orange was the perfect tonic for the Alabama hangover.

UGA punched UT in the mouth right from the start, and by halftime - following a 97-yard TD drive - there was little doubt this would be another Bulldog victory and another nail in Fulmer’s coaching coffin.

So credit Richt and his men for making the most of their second chance.

Against the Crimson Tide they showed they still had lots of fight even when the fight was already over. Against the Vols, they showed they’re ready to battle their way through six more games and see how far they can go.

There are tougher tasks ahead, to be sure. And honestly, it’s hard to imagine the Dawgs making it through unscathed.

Yet for now, the team’s goals are back in sight – as long as they don’t lose sight of the fact that there are no more second chances.