The Tennessee Volunteers were victorious on Saturday afternoon in Neyland, but the way they got the win against the Texas A&M Aggies was entirely unexpected. The Vols turned in an absolute masterclass on defense and held one of the most talented teams in the country to 13 points. Heupel and the offense struggled throughout the game, but in the end, the Vols dug deep and found a way to get the much-needed win that keeps them alive in the SEC East race. Let’s take a look at 3 key takeaways from the slugfest in Neyland Saturday.

The Vols won the premier matchup of the game

Going into this matchup everyone was questioning if the Vols dangerous run game was going to be effective against the elite Aggies front 7. The Aggies came into the game allowing only 84 yards per game on the ground, but the Vols were able to surpass that number in the first quarter. Tennessee’s offensive line was able to pave the way for a monster game on the ground as the Vols ran for 232 yards, with Jaylen Wright averaging 7.2 yards per carry. Thank goodness they did too as Joe Milton and the receivers were abysmal for most of the game with a grand total of 100 yards through the air. Josh Heupel had to be thrilled with the way his team was able to dominate an immensely talented front 7, and I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that it might be the best run defense the Vols will face all year. This bodes well going into the back half of the season especially if the Vols continue to struggle in the passing game.

Dee Williams is a very special player

I predicted before the game that if the Aggies gave Dee Williams one chance to have a return he would take it to the house. Dee Williams did get that chance and he made the play of the game returning a punt for a touchdown in the 3rd quarter. Dee Williams also downed a beautiful Jackson Ross punt at the 1-yard line 3 plays before his dynamic return. The game was turned on its head from that moment on as the Vol faithful finally got a chance to explode and sustained that juice until the clock hit triple zeros. As dynamic as Dee Williams is with the ball in his hands and as anemic as the Vol passing game has been I don’t see why you wouldn’t try to get him a few touches on offense at receiver. Dee has certainly earned that chance in my opinion, and anything is worth a shot when you look at the passing game and its struggles at the moment.

Josh Heupel is not stubborn

Josh Heupel did not have his best game coaching on Saturday, and he said as much in his post-game press conference. Questionable decisions, vanilla play calls in short-yardage situations, and the offense being off all night all falls on the shoulders of Josh Heupel. However, despite all these points Heupel did coach his team to a win and it’s because he went away from his philosophy in order to give his team the best chance to win. It is completely out of Josh Heupel’s nature to play to his defense, but he eventually did in the second half. It is completely out of Josh Heupel’s nature to kill the clock and not run tempo on offense, but he did in the second half. The past 15 years for the Tennessee Football program have seen several coaches that would’ve been too stubborn and insecure to even think about admitting that what they want to do isn’t working and switch it up mid-game. Luckily for the Vols, they now have a coach whose main priority is winning the damn game instead of stroking their ego.

The Vols are now preparing for their toughest game of the season next week as they will travel down to Tuscaloosa to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide. Alabama is not the Juggernaut they have been in the past, but they are still a very good football team. Make no mistake about it the Tide will be looking for revenge after their loss in Neyland Stadium last year, and the Vols will be going into a hornet’s nest in Bryant-Denny Stadium. However, the Vols absolutely have a chance to win this game and there’s no reason they shouldn’t be in this game in the 4th quarter a few plays away from a victory. Alabama hate week starts now, and I hope Josh Heupel is filled with the most hatred of all of us as he prepares the team for another Third Saturday in October.