Tennessee football: Vols vs. West Virginia by the numbers

The 2018 Tennessee football season is off to a 0-1 start. Here is how the Volunteers and Mountaineers game broke down by the numbers.

First-year head coach Jeremy Pruitt started his tenure with the Tennessee football program with a loss. However, did anyone honestly expect anything different?

Did anyone believe the Vols could beat No. 17 West Virginia with a Heisman hopeful winner and a receiving core with a lot of guys that should play on Sunday?

Tennessee kept it close til halftime, but that was the extent of a close game. Here is how the game broke down by the numbers.

547 – Total yards the Vols defense gave up to Will Grier and the very explosive West Virginia offense.

429 – Passing yards from Will Grier. The 429 passing yards was a career high for the Heisman hopeful quarterback. After a slow start in the game, Grier and the Mountaineers’ offensive went off in the second half. He finished the game 25-for-34 and five touchdowns.

172 – Passing yards from Vols quarterback  Jarrett Guarantano. Sure, it doesn’t compare to the 429 yards from Grier, but it does rank fourth for the most passing yards in a game for his young career.

118 – Rushing yards from sophomore running back Tim Jordan. Starting running back, Ty Chandler went down with a game-ending injury, and it was Tim Jordan time. Jordan carried the ball 20 times and scored one touchdown.

59 – Yards per reception for West Virginia wide receiver T.J. Simmons. That number doesn’t tell the whole story because Simmons only had one reception. However, it just so happen to go for the first touchdown in the game.

38 – Rushing attempts in offensive coordinator Tyson Helton’s first game calling the play for the Vols. 13 more than the 25 passing attempts.

32 – Minutes Tennessee had the ball on offense compared to the 27 minutes of West Virginia. The Vols did a great job controlling the time of possession, or maybe West Virginia just scored at will and fast.

20 – Points is how many West Virginia scored in the third quarter after an extended halftime thanks to multiple lightning delays.

14 – Points is the lowest amount scored by a Tennessee team in a season opener since 1983 when the Vols lost to No. 10 Pittsburgh 13-3.

10 – Tackles by linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. The ten tackles led both teams, and Kirkland Jr. also had four solo tackles which led the Vols.

Remember he was going to leave the team but decided to stay at the last minute. Even in a 40-14 loss, the Vols needed all ten tackles to have a chance.

7 – Receptions from wide receiver Marquez Callaway. He didn’t have 100 receiving yards nor did he have a touchdown but Callaway played a good game. His seven receptions was tied with David Sills V from West Virginia as the most in the game.

2 – Scoreless quarters for the Tennessee offense. The Vols didn’t score in the first or fourth quarter. They made the West Virginia’s defense look like one of the best in the nation.

1 – Reception, yard, and touchdown. In his first game as a Vol, Dominick Wood-Anderson had one reception for one yard and a touchdown.

The grab came when Jeremy Pruitt decided to go for in on fourth down to give the Vols their first touchdown of the season.

0 – Interceptions in the game. We’ve been saying all offseason long, but Jarrett Guarantano will not lose the game for the Vols. Despite killing hit almost every drop back, he still made sound decisions and gave the Vols a chance.

Numbers tell a story that the Vols aren’t quite there…yet. However, they showed grit, at least some players did.

The next two games are essential for the young guys to get much-needed experience. Only five more days until it’s football time in Tennessee.