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Tennessee football: Ranking all 15 Vols non-Saturday openers

By Caleb Calhoun

Sep 4, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Tennessee Volunteers running back John Kelly (4) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets during overtime at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Tennessee won 42-41 in two overtimes. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 4, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Tennessee Volunteers running back John Kelly (4) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets during overtime at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Tennessee won 42-41 in two overtimes. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tennessee and Bowling Green players jostle for the Hail Mary pass thrown by Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton III (7) during a NCAA football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Bowling Green Falcons held at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021.Kns Ut Football Bowling Green Bp
Tennessee and Bowling Green players jostle for the Hail Mary pass thrown by Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton III (7) during a NCAA football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Bowling Green Falcons held at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021.Kns Ut Football Bowling Green Bp /

13. 2021

38. 839. Final. 6. 2242

Thursday, Sept. 2; Neyland Stadium; Knoxville, Tenn.

Yes, last year’s opener for Tennessee football was a forgettable one. If you take the whole season into account, then it becomes more memorable, but the Josh Heupel era kicked off with one of the most underwhelming blowouts in school history. It was a hideous game by any standard.

The Vols started Joe Milton III at quarterback and entered the game with extremely low expectations on the year given what Heupel inherited and the disaster that occurred under Jeremy Pruitt in 2020. However, in the first quarter, it at least seemed like the offense would live up to the hype that Heupel brings.

After all, Milton directed two straight touchdown drives right out of the gate, as the Vols’ run game dominated. Well, that became a sign of the whole year, where UT would start fast and then have a sluggish second quarter. They didn’t score at all, and Bowling Green hit two field goals.

Up just 14-6 at halftime, Tennessee football’s ground game led two touchdown drives in the third. They got a field goal in the fourth, and after missing multiple easy touchdown passes all day, Milton finally hit Cedric Tillman late to secure the blowout win. Milton got hurt the next week, Hendon Hooker took over, and he’s been the Vols’ star ever since.

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