Tennessee football report card in 56-0 win vs. Tennessee Tech
Coaching grades
Offensive play-calling: B
Josh Heupel and Alex Golesh were right to stick to the running game, and they called the deep balls at the perfect time. However, they could have mixed in the run plays a little better. It wasn’t all the offensive line. Still, the unit was efficient from the second quarter on.
Defensive play-calling: A-
Lots of this is on the players. The defensive line got the pressure, and the defensive backs always knew to stay home. But Tennessee football was ready for every trick play the Golden Eagles tried, and many of the sacks and interceptions were brought about by smart blitz packages and coverage schemes. That’s why this gets an A-.
Overall coaching grade: A
The coaching in general is better than the play-calling. Heupel did a good job having his kids motivated to play after last week’s heartbreaking loss to the Pittsburgh Panthers. They were excited and highly disciplined, evidenced by only three penalties, a major improvement.
Next. Five takeaways from Vols' 56-0 win vs. Tennessee Tech. dark
Then there were the in-game decisions. Heupel decided to go for it on fourth down five times, and his team converted four of them. They scored touchdowns on three of them. That type of aggression, often near or behind midfield, will be a huge advantage for Tennessee football if Heupel keeps this up in SEC play.