After another slow start, the Tennessee Volunteers rallied in the second half to secure another win and improve their record to 7-1 (4-1 conference). We also experienced RB Dylan Sampson break the school’s single-season touchdown record that stood for 95 years. Sampson’s two-touchdown performance today pushed him to 19 for the year.
Although the officiating crew was certainly questionable at times, and the Vols won the game 28-18, here are four key takeaways:
- Tennessee does not play well coming off a bye week. Their first season loss against Arkansas came after the Vols’ week 5 bye. In both games, they looked sluggish and made more mistakes than usual. It is very disappointing, considering Arkansas and Kentucky played the week before their matchup. The Vols must learn to take advantage of their extra time coming off the bye.
- Our defense did not play anywhere near their best ability for 60 minutes. This was one of their worst performances of the season. Yes, there was the big interception by Will Brooks and the strip sack by Joshua Jopheps, but as a whole, the defense didn’t look as impressive as usual. Multiple times, the Vols unsuccessfully arm-tackled, were penalized, and gave up chunk plays.
- QB Nico Iamaleava looked much better tonight than in the last four games. His throws were more accurate, and he made much better decisions. He also threw for 292 yards, the first time going over 200 since week 2 against NC State. Nico has a bright orange future as he matures and gains experience.
- This season, the Vols find way more success in quick plays that aren’t deep. Throughout the game, we watched receivers catch short passes and rack up yards after catch. Offensively, the Vols can succeed more if they stick with a similar game plan. Right now, the Vols have been unable to sustain explosive plays downfield. They can still move quickly, as we have seen the positives of tiring the other team’s defense and catching them off guard. Let’s make things easier for a young quarterback and a struggling offensive line.
