Tennessee football: Five takeaways from Vols’ 65-24 win vs. UT-Martin

4. Third down differential was huge.

Probably the most underrated stat of the game was how efficient the Vols were at staying on the field and how amazing they were at getting off the field. UT has been pretty good on third down all year, largely because they have brought up lots of third and manageable plays, but in this game, they were great no matter what.

The Vols finished 15-of-20 on third downs. They actually converted on their first eight and were 10-of-11 at one point. Down and distance was irrelevant too. On one of their touchdown drives in the first half, Hendon Hooker ran for 22 yards when it was 3rd and 19. Jaylen Wright also had a nine-yard run on a 3rd and 7 draw.

By contrast, UT-Martin was awful on third downs. They failed to convert on their first seven third down attempts and finished 3-of-13 on the day. Fourth downs were no better for them, as they went 0-for-2 on those while the Vols converted on their only attempt.

Given how Tennessee football struggled at stopping the Florida Gators on third down a month ago, this is a huge boost for them, even if it was against UT-Martin. Hey, the Skyhawks have a great pass offense, so that has to count for something.