Was it worth the wait, Tennessee football fans? Over the summer, we've all heard nothing but good things about quarterback Joey Aguilar, who transferred in from UCLA after all of the Nico Iamaleava drama that the program went through.
On Saturday against Syracuse, Aguilar looked a bit nervous to start, but goodness, he sure did settle into things. He ended up putting on a show, very much living up to the hype surrounding his name before Week 1 arrived. Behind Aguilar's strong right arm, the Vols posted a convincing 45-26 win.
Right after the final whistle, Aguilar jumped on with ESPN for a quick postgame interview. He somehow made Saturday's win even better thanks to how humble he was. He also reminded everyone of how grateful he is to be Tennessee Vol this season.
Joey Aguilar has Tennessee fans everywhere talking after his amazing debut
“You know the trust that the (Tennessee) coaches have in me, the trust the players have in me, and then vice-versa the trust I have in them,” Aguilar said on how he was able to run the offense so well in his debut. “At the end of the day, this is football. I’ve been playing my whole life. Just go out there and let it loose.”
That's exactly what Aguilar did. He ended up completing 16-of-28 passes for 248 yards and three touchdowns. Keep in mind that the Tennessee receivers dropped several balls, so don't let those 12 incompletions bring you down too much.
Aguilar also made some plays with his legs, rushing for 34 yards. The highlight of his day was no question a DIME throw to Braylon Staley for a 73-yard touchdown. As soon as he and Staley connected for that monster score, Vols fans on hand went wild and rightfully so.
“Man, this feels great,” Aguilar said after the win. “It’s almost like a home game. We’re in Atlanta, but this is a good experience and I’m glad we got the win. A lot to work on, but I’m grateful. We’re going to enjoy tonight and then get back to work.”
That's the kind of attitude you love to see out of your offensive leader. This was a far-from-perfect victory for Tennessee, with things in need of being cleaned up on both sides of the ball. Despite that, a 19-point W was posted and Aguilar played the way UT supporters were hoping he would. Talk about a game he'll cherish for a long time too.