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

4. Defense forced turnovers and got key stops

Sure, Tennessee football’s rush defense dominated, allowing just 74 yards on 27 carries, but that’s to be expected given how much of an advantage they have in the middle. The issue was once again the pass defense, and there were some concerns. They did allow new starting quarterback John Paddock to complete 27 of 69 passes for 263 yards.

However, the unit did make the necessary plays when needed. Although it was due to the pressure Aaron Beasley put on, they did get that interception on the first play of the game, and that was because they stayed home on a reverse flea flicker. You can’t overlook that.

Paddock actually threw two interceptions on the day. More importantly, the Vols stopped both of Ball State’s fourth down attempts, including a 4th and 1 quarterback sneak. Since they converted all three of their attempts, it’s safe to say they were the better team on the key plays.

Ball State had three turnovers overall, while the Vols had none. This will be the defensive formula for winning throughout the year, as tempo will dictate that they allow a lot of yards. The third turnover was one of those fluke plays, to be fair, as Ball State running back Will Jones was diving for the pylon only to fumble it for a touchback. However, UT didn’t make that mistake.