5 things we learned about the Vols
Tennessee slogged its way to a 24-0 victory over UTEP on Saturday in its final tuneup before entering SEC play against Florida next week.
“It’d be hard to beat anybody in the SEC playing like that," an unsatisfied coach Jeremy Pruitt said afterward.
The Vols (2-1) were far from flawless, but they were good enough to hand the Miners (0-3) their 15th straight loss.
UTEP had allowed 82 points in its first two games of the season.
"When you say 24 points, it’s not where we want to be," coach Jeremy Pruitt said. "Absolutely not.”
Here are five things we learned.
Another slow start
On Monday, coach Jeremy Pruitt bemoaned his team’s slow starts. The Vols suffered another Saturday.
Despite piling up 259 first-half yards, the Vols entered the locker room holding a 10-0 lead. Ty Chandler ran 81 yards untouched for a touchdown on UT's first play of the third quarter to provide some breathing room.
UT also started slow in last week’s blowout over East Tennessee State, and it had a scoreless first quarter in a seasonopening loss to West Virginia.
Red-zone, penalty woes
The Vols entered the game with no turnovers and 67 penalty yards – fewest in the SEC. That narrative of UT being a model of discipline fizzled Saturday.
The Vols’ first trip into the red zone was derailed by a 15-yard chop block penalty assessed to Drew Richmond and Jerome Carvin. Then they had a 5-yard delay of game. They settled for a field goal.
On their next red-zone trip, Jeremy Banks fumbled while reaching the ball toward the goal line. UTEP recovered. It was the first of two UT turnovers.
The Vols finished with eight penalties for 65 yards.
Vols defense untested
UTEP looked incompetent offensively. To the Vols’ credit, their defense didn’t have any slip-ups, taking care of an overmatched unit.
It’s evident why Texas moved Kai Locksley from quarterback to wide receiver earlier in his career. A good runner, he is. A good passer, he is not. He finished 9-of-22.
The Miners mustered only 134 yards and never advanced past the Vols' 33-yard line.
Wide receivers help Jarrett Guarantano
Jarrett Guarantano was a bit erratic, but you wouldn’t know it from his stat line. He finished 12of-16 passing for 168 yards with a touchdown. He benefited from his wide receivers catching anything thrown within a reasonable radius.
Marquez Callaway snagged a high fourthdown throw to extend a drive. Later, Brandon Johnson made a good grab of a high throw for a 29-yard gain to set up UT’s lone first-half touchdown.
Ty Chandler looks A-OK
Chandler exited the season opener after taking a knee to the helmet while being tackled, and he sat out last week’s romp.
He returned as his best self Saturday.
He showed his breakaway speed on that thirdquarter touchdown burst but also looked smooth running between the tackles. He finished with 158 yards on 12 carries.