Except as Georgia Tech back J.J. Green scampered in the open field for yet another first down, Tennessee safety Rashaan Gaulden knocked the ball loose.

Then, when Georgia Tech had another chance to end the game with a 36-yard field goal as time expired, Tennessee walk-on defensive tackle Paul Bain—who sells shoes at Champs Sports and grinds horse feed on a farm to pay tuition—tipped Shawn Davis’s worm-burner of a kick.

“When we were getting taped today,” Gaulden said, “[Bituli] said ‘I’m going to show the world who I am today.’” The Vols survived thanks to Bain, who made a the biggest play of his career a few miles from his hometown of Marietta, Ga.

The Vols survived because Marquez Callaway slipped a tackle and beat the rest of the Georgia Tech defense down the sideline on a 50-yard catch-and-run touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

Tennessee must face Florida and Georgia before September ends, and despite what happened last year, it’s quite likely the results of those games will affect the SEC East race.