Tennessee football: Five takeaways from Vols’ 40-13 win at LSU

4. Run game was dominant

Jabari Small was a star in this game, carrying the ball 22 times for 127 yards and two touchdowns. However, with LSU playing tons of press man coverage and focus on trying to shut down the pass from the outside, they dared Josh Heupel to beat them with the rushing attack. His offensive unite did just that throughout the game.

In addition to Small, Jaylen Wright had 12 carries for 59 yards. Hendon Hooker continued his Heisman-caliber campaign with 10 carries for 56 yards. Even Dylan Sampson had 14 yards. Altogether, this team had 263 yards on the ground, and that allowed them to control the game, particularly the second half.

Josh Heupel’s offense is predicated on the rushing attack, and Tennessee football took that to another level in this one. The Vols may be famous for their passing attack, but it all starts with what they do up front, and they proved that in this game.

On he other side, the rush defense was also dominant. UT held LSU to 55 yards on 28 carries, and they also came away with five sacks on the day. That was a huge part of them making sure they controlled the matchup from start to finish.