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Tennessee football: Five takeaways from Vols’ dominating season-opening 59-10 win vs. Ball State

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee offensive lineman Cooper Mays (63) defends Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker (5) against Ball State defensive lineman John Harris (97)during football game between Tennessee and Ball State at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022.Kns Utvbs0901
Tennessee offensive lineman Cooper Mays (63) defends Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker (5) against Ball State defensive lineman John Harris (97)during football game between Tennessee and Ball State at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022.Kns Utvbs0901 /
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It didn’t take long for Tennessee football to take control of this game. In their 2022 opener against the Ball State Cardinals, the Vols came away with an interception on their first play from scrimmage. They then scored a touchdown on their first offensive play to go up 7-0 and set the stage for an impressive 59-10 victory.

UT enjoyed over 500 yards of offense and broke 45 points for the fourth straight game, the first time they have done that since 1993. Just like they did last year against the Bowling Green Falcons, they began the season by blowing out a MAC opponent at home on a Thursday.

Coming off a 7-6 season, Josh Heupel’s team is now 1-0 in his second year, while Mike Neu’s Cardinals are 0-1 after going 6-7 last year. Up next for the Vols is a trip to the Pittsburgh Panthers on Sept. 10. Ball State, meanwhile, will host the Western Michigan Broncos that same day. Here are five things we learned from Tennessee football’s victory.

The Tennessee football Volunteers torched the Ball State Cardinals to begin Josh Heupel’s second season on the job.

Tennessee running back Jabari Small (2) runs the ball during football game between Tennessee and Ball State at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022.Kns Utvbs0901
Tennessee running back Jabari Small (2) runs the ball during football game between Tennessee and Ball State at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022.Kns Utvbs0901 /

5. Are the Vols not just a first-quarter team anymore?

Arguably the most underrated storyline that will come out of this game is what the Vols did in the second quarter. They had their typical first quarter, scoring within the first minute and jumping out to a 7-0 lead. However, things got sluggish at one point in that quarter and into the second, and you thought last year’s issue would emerge.

In 2021, UT would follow up the first quarter with awful second quarters. Shockingly, that didn’t happen in this one. The Vols outscored Ball State 21-0 in the second quarter, which turned out to be their best quarter of the game. That’s a huge 180 from where they were a year ago.

Even in last year’s opener against Bowling Green, Tennessee football went from being up 14-0 in the first to going into halftime up only 14-6. They turned it on in the second half to win 38-6, and they did the same thing here, but that second quarter is a huge deal. If they can maintain what they did there, this team could be scary.

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