Tennessee rolls in Week 1: This is what a good program does
The Tennessee Volunteers did what they were supposed to do yesterday in their season opener. FCS opponent UT-Chattanooga came into Neyland stadium and the Vols eviscerated them from whistle to whistle culminating in a 69-3 victory. No big deal right? Isn’t that what most Power 4 schools did in week 1 against lesser competition? Well no, not exactly is the answer. South Carolina struggled with Old Dominion, Abilene Christian took Texas Tech into overtime, and Oregon could only muster a 10-point win over Idaho. Even the Vol’s week 2 opponent NC State found themselves down in the 3rd quarter on Thursday night against Western Carolina. All these teams eventually came out of week 1 with victories, but history shows this is not a good sign.
Normally when Power 4 schools struggle with these opponents it almost guarantees troubles later in the season. Last year when Tennessee looked anemic on offense against FCS opponent Austin Peay, it showcased the issues that the offense would have the rest of the year. Furthermore, it didn’t give the younger players a chance to get live game reps, and when the injuries started last year the depth pieces weren’t experienced enough to give the Vols a chance against better teams.
On Saturday, Tennessee jumped on UTC early and didn’t let them up to breathe even once. The Vols had a 45-0 lead 23 minutes into the game. This lead essentially made the 2nd half a scrimmage and Heupel and staff took advantage. Backup QB’s Gaston Moore and Jake Merklinger both led TD drives and the backup offensive line held up well. The defense in the 2nd half only gave up a field goal and the special teams unit even got on the board with a blocked punt by Jordan Ross who picked it up and ran it in for a TD.
This is what a good program does against overmatched teams. The performance from the Vols on Saturday may not be the most outstanding win in Tennessee history, but the experience gained by the young players may lead to big wins down the road.