Tennessee football report card: Grading the Vols in their 59-10 win vs. Ball State

Coaching grades

Offensive play-calling: A

Josh Heupel and Alex Golesh called the perfect game. Ball State was dropping a lot of guys back and cheating up in the middle a lot, so Tennessee football relied a lot more on its intermediate passing attack. Meanwhile, the Vols called designed runs for Hendon Hooker to the outside when they cheated up the middle. There’s a reason they scored 59 points.

Defensive play-calling: A-

Tim Banks allowed a lot of passing yards, but it didn’t come without forcing turnovers, and the Vols did only allow 10 points, including pitching a first-half shutout. His unit stayed home on that reverse flea flicker to open the game, and they had two fourth down stops, including a 4th and 1 sneak. As a result, he still gets an A grade.

Overall head coach grade: A 

They made some mistakes late with their third and fourth teams in, and there were some unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, but for the most part, the Vols were prepared and ready to play. With no turnovers until the late part of that game, you have to give Heupel credit for keeping them focused early on.

Beyond just being focused, Tennessee football came out relaxed and ready, and that’s a huge reason this game had such a different vibe from last year’s blowout. That’s all a testament to Heupel, so he gets an A for his play-calling and his in-game coaching.