Tennessee football’s 2022 opener vs. 2021: Two blowouts with opposite vibes

Maybe it was because of all the updated renovations to Neyland Stadium and the hype behind the program. It could be because their opponent was perceived to be better. Most likely, though, it’s because Tennessee football just looked much better in its opener than it did last year.

For the second straight season, the Vols began the year on a Thursday night against a MAC opponent. In both instances, they dominated the game, beating the Bowling Green Falcons last year 38-6 and the Ball State Eagles this year 59-10.

However, this one just had a different feel to it. Normally, there is a ton of excitement for a new head coach, and they were entering Josh Heupel’s first season last year. Still, Tennessee football had 8,000 more fans at Neyland Stadium in this one despite fewer seats due to the updates that happened in the offseason.

Honestly, the reasoning behind that is pretty simply. Morale, even when Heupel took over, was extremely low last year. UT was coming off a 3-7 season. They then had to fire Jeremy Pruitt due serious violations, one that has been confirmed based on an NCAA investigation that they were under when last year kicked off.

All of that drama led to a wave of transfers the decimated the program. Finally, the hype behind Heupel just wasn’t there. Fans were not crazy about his tenure with the UCF Knights, and there was some legitimate suspicion (that should still exist) about Danny White hiring Heupel a week after UT hired him away from UCF.

To top all of that off, last year’s game was underwhelming. There are sometimes ugly blowouts, and that was one of them. In typical Heupel fashion, the offense got off to a red-hot start, scoring two touchdowns to open the game. Then it stalled.

Bowling Green came away with two second-quarter field goals, and with an offensive coach going up against what was supposed to be the worst team in the MAC, Tennessee football entered halftime up 14-6. They rebounded with a dominant second half, but the performance signaled the Vols were in for a long season.

Contrast that with what happened Thursday night. The Vols jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter, partially thanks to quick strikes but also thanks to an ability to move the ball. They then upped their performance in the second quarter, outscoring Ball State then 21-0.

We should mention that while Bowling Green came into last year’s game on an eight-game losing streak after an 0-5 record in 2020, Ball State came into this year’s game on the heels of back to back bowl appearances. Simply put, the win looked better in every way.

More importantly, the hype is more legitimate. At the very least the NCAA investigation is over, and Heupel, after going 7-6 last year and returning a ton of talent, has proven he can coach. All of that has fans beyond excited about what’s to come this year.

So sit back and enjoy the weekend Vol fans. Tennessee football has a huge matchup next week at the Pittsburgh Panthers, a revenge game, but this was the exact type of start fans were looking for. As of right now, there is nothing to be concerned about.