Tennessee football: Five takeaways from Vols’ 45-20 win vs. South Carolina

1. Vols won by passing early

First quarter success was once again a major storyline for Tennessee football in this game, but it was a bit unusual on this front. The Vols dominated through the air to set up the run late, and then they kept it on the ground to run out the clock.

Generally, Josh Heupel’s high-powered offense starts on the ground and then relies on the passing game to pour it on. However, in that 28-0 first quarter, Hendon Hooker was the star, throwing for 164 yards and three touchdowns. Now, the ground game was solid too, but it was still due to Hooker, who ran for 26 yards and a fourth touchdown.

This isn’t to say the running backs didn’t get going eventually. After all, Tiyon Evans had 16 carries for 119 yards and a touchdown, and Len’Neth Whitehead added 10 carries for 41 yards and a touchdown. Both did their part to keep the game in UT’s control.

What’s shocking, though, is that Tennessee football relied on the passing game first. Given South Carolina’s elite pass defense, one that was top five in interceptions, that’s highly impressive. Add in our previous slide about UT not committing any turnovers, and this is a great sign for the Vols going forward.