It seems like every time they beat a Power Five team, now, Tennessee football begins cleaning up on awards. The Vols are doing that once again after a 52-49 win over the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday, one of the greatest wins in school history.
Make no mistake, that was an epic performance, particularly on offense, and that has been on display with the awards. Jalin Hyatt led the way as the Walter Camp FBS Offensive Player of the week Sunday, and that was when things just got started.
SEC Awards were once again loaded with Tennessee football players. Hyatt was SEC Offensive Player of the Week. Chase McGrath was Special Teams Player of the Week, and Darnell Wright was Offensive Lineman of the Week. The Vols were also the Cheez-It Bowl Team of the Week.
Congrats to @Vol_Football on being named #CheezItBowl National Team of the Week by @TheFWAA following their walk-off victory over Alabama this weekend! pic.twitter.com/ltHsbZKuIK
— Pop-Tarts Bowl (@PopTartsBowl) October 17, 2022
Winning Team of the Week was actually a bit of a shocker. You would think the Michigan Wolverines earned that award, as they dominated a top 10 team, beating the Penn State Nittany Lions 41-17, while the Vols were locked in a battle with Alabama.
However, UT was banged up in the secondary and facing the defending Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback. They were also facing a much more highly-ranked team, and they put together arguably the greatest offensive performance in history against a top five team.
This is the first time a top five team scored 49 points and lost. Rocky Top also scored the most points on a Nick Saban coached team, 52, since his days with the Michigan State Spartans. The Vols did all of this without their go-to receiver, Cedric Tillman.
History was made with the players too. Hyatt obviously stood out with an SEC-record five touchdown receptions, and he caught six passes for 207 yards. It may be the greatest game for a receiver in Tennessee football history.
McGrath, for the second straight week, was recognized by the SEC despite a kicking error. He missed an extra point in this game. However, nailing a 40-yard game-winning field goal was enough to still propel him to this award.
Then there was Wright, the most underrated player of the game. Against the best pass rush in the nation, Wright didn’t allow a sack, and he shut down transcendent talent Will Anderson Jr., which nobody saw coming. His play was as historic as anything.
In addition to that weekly award, Wright was named to the 49th Rotary Lombardi Award midseason watch list, given annually to the nation’s best college lineman. He’s one of 88 players nationally and 15 in the SEC who is on the list.
We haven’t even gotten to Hendon Hooker possibly being the Heisman frontrunner now. He couldn’t make any of the top offensive players lists because, well, the guy he threw too was winning all the awards.
However, Hooker threw for 385 yards and all five of those touchdowns and gained 441 total yards. For his efforts, he was once again named a member of this week’s Davey O’Brien Great 8, the third time he was on that list.
😰 What a week of college football! Presenting the quarterbacks that we selected for our Week 7 Great 8⃣! #DaveyQBs pic.twitter.com/CyMESUDg7s
— Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award (@daveyobrien) October 17, 2022
So you’ve got Hooker, Hyatt, Wright and McGrath all winning weekly awards, and the Vols set record after record in this game. Josh Heupel was hired for offense and scoring, and with these awards alone after facing Alabama, he is delivering.
What helps is this is the greatest game of the season too so far. Tennessee football put on one of the most entertaining performances in the history of the sport to get to 6-0 and in the top five, and they may just be getting started.