Tennessee Football opened the season by traveling to Nashville to take on the Virginia Cavaliers yesterday.
Volunteer Nation took over Nissan Stadium and dominated the Cavaliers. The entire stadium was sold out, and even broke the attendance record for the most people to ever come into the stadium. Despite Tennessee Football’s slow start, the Vols turned it on in the second half to get the big win.
3. Tennessee Football’s Defense Looks Unstoppable.
The Volunteers’ defense was a significant issue last year, and it’s what has been holding us back from being all-around unstoppable. However, things are changing on Rocky Top because the defense in Saturday’s victory was terrific.
The front seven played out of their minds, causing problem after problem for the Cavalier’s offense. On top of that, we have guys like Tyler Baron, Keenan Pili, James Pearce, and Omari Thomas, who are always dominant.
The depth on the Vols defense runs deep, and it showed throughout the game, even when backups were coming in and still getting the job done. It’s crucial for the defense to have extreme depth, and this year’s squad has just that.
The secondary was awful last year, but we were on top of everything yesterday, which is a fantastic sign for things to come. While it may have been because it was UVA’s offense, the defense looked like a complete unit and more Elite than they have had in years.
2. Joe Milton III looked good but has room for improvement.
The best way I could describe Joe Milton’s performance yesterday is that he played very well but has so much room for improvement. The offense will have a ton of struggles, especially early in the season, which is expected. This is the first time the Vols have played someone other than themselves in months, so it will take some time before Joe and the rest of the offense find their stride.
The big plays that we all expect from Joe Milton on every single play are unrealistic, especially in the first game. The big plays will come with time, and once Joe and his new receiving core get their timing down. I am 100% confident that the long bombs will come, even though they couldn’t connect yesterday.
The potential for Joe Milton is through the roof, and the only criticism against him is his accuracy, which he had no issues with yesterday. He threw a perfect 50-yard bomb to Ramel Keyton, who just dropped it, and other than that, was almost perfect, throwing no interceptions, two touchdowns, and over 200 yards. I think it’s funny when critics believe he is inaccurate when he hasn’t thrown an interception since 2020.
1. We have the best RB room in the nation.
The run game looked amazing yesterday, and I strongly believe we have the country’s best running back room. The Vols ran for almost 300 yards and five total touchdowns. Jaylen Wright led the charge and ran for 115 yards, Jabari Small had 67 yards, and Dylan Sampson had 52 yards.
Tennessee Football bullied the Cavaliers on the ground. It didn’t even have to use the cannon of an arm from Milton much at all. If the Vols can continue clicking on the run game, there will be endless big plays coming from Milton in the future. This new style of Tennessee Football may throw many teams off if they can continue emphasizing the run down the stretch of the season.
The 2022 offense is very different from the type of offense we have this year; we had to say goodbye to an elite quarterback, a top-10 offensive lineman, and two superstar wide receivers, including the Biletnikoff winner. There will be changes, but the three backs behind Milton will need to make a significant impact in every game.
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