UT team is better than I thought
Tennessee renowned for beating bad opponents
Tennessee needed just one possession to remind you what its football program has become under coach Josh Heupel.
The 10th-ranked Vols breezed down the field 62 yards in eight plays for a touchdown against Virginia on Saturday at Nashville's Nissan Stadium. They were on their way to a 49-13 victory in their season opener. That tone-setting drive left me imagining more of the same in short order. You probably thought the same thing.
Why wouldn't you? Tennessee has become renowned for quickly vanquishing mediocre − or worse – opponents. And Virginia is worse than mediocre. It's a consensus pick to finish last in the ACC just as it did last season.
Maybe, you can think of four worse Power Five conference teams in the country. But my imagination isn't that big.
So, I was puzzled that Tennessee's first touchdown wasn't followed by an avalanche of points. The points came later. They were preceded by glaring mishaps on offense and special teams.
Usually surehanded receiver Ramel Keyton dropped a perfectly placed deep throw from quarterback Joe Milton for what should have been an easy touchdown. The Vols couldn't budge Virginia's defensive front on a fourth-and-1 try. Punt returner Dee Williams fumbled the ball over to Virginia. Jackson Ross squibbed a 16-yard punt. Running backs twice hit the ground without an assist from a Cavaliers defender. Milton misfired on three passes in one second-quarter possession.
Missed scoring opportunities are magnified under Heupel because of his track record. His first two teams averaged better than 40 points combined in 26 games. His 2022 team led FBS in points and yards per game.
Given Tennessee's offensive reputation and Virginia's gloomy preseason forecast, I expected the deficit to mount rapidly after Tennessee's first
drive – maybe akin to something like what was going on in Norman, Oklahoma, where the Sooners led Arkansas State (and former UT coach Butch Jones) 45-0 at halftime.
The offense eventually found its rhythm. The wave of mistakes subsided. And the stats reflected the turnaround.
The fourth quarter wasn’t two minutes old, and the Vols already had 26 first downs to Virginia’s seven, 241 yards rushing without injured center Cooper Mays, 442 yards in total offense, and Milton had completed 21 of 30 passes for two touchdowns and no interceptions.
The game had become just what I expected.
I apologize for not mentioning Tennessee’s defense sooner. Force of habit. Offense always has come first under Heupel.
Nonetheless, the defense was more impressive than the offense for much of this game. You didn’t have to check the stats for confirmation.
This defense looked physically stronger than coordinator Tim Banks’ first two units. It looked faster, too.
Defensive tackle Omari Thomas was as noticeable as anyone. He moved as quickly as his No. 21 might suggest.
Translation: He didn’t run like a defensive lineman.
Thomas and his defensive colleagues overwhelmed Virginia’s offense. Quarterback Tony Muskett bore the brunt of UT’s defensive surge. He eventually left the game with an injured shoulder.
By then, I had changed my mind twice about the Vols.
In the second quarter, I was wondering if they were vastly overrated. By game’s end, I was wondering if they might be better than I thought. And I thought they would go 10-2. John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.