Tennessee proves it's a playoff contender even with an average offensive showing

When you think of Tennessee under Josh Heupel, one of the first things you probably think of is Jalin Hyatt streaking down the sideline for a touchdown against Alabama. Or maybe dropping 60 on Missouri two years in a row, possibly even Cedric Tillman's go-ahead touchdown catch in OT against Pitt.

A common misconception about Heupel's teams is that he runs a flashy air raid and hopes to play good enough defense to win shootouts. Most Tennessee fans know at this point that there is little truth to this and that everything in this offense develops around the power run game.

The nation is about to learn that Heupel is building a culture of elite defense at Tennessee. He knows the standard, as he stated in his post-game press conference.

Run first, play elite defense

NC State was Heupel's opportunity to display his dominant defense, and he took advantage. After NC State converted three straight third downs on their opening drive, they didn't convert a single one the rest of the game. Tim Banks' defense held the Wolfpack to 39 total rushing yards, 104 passing yards, and three points for a 60-minute football game against a top-25 opponent. It's probably the best defensive performance for the Vols in decades.

The offense had a fairly pedestrian game, with only 211 pass yards and 2 INTs, but in Heupel fashion, still had 249 rushing yards and scored 44 points. If Nico Iamaleava continues to improve, this team could be lethal in all facets of the game.

Heupel's 2024 team is a power run, play elite defense on the first and second levels, and beat you up type of team. This team isn't great at everything yet, but Nico has all the talent and ability to make the offense elite, and the young secondary has a chance to improve throughout the season into a very good unit.

Tennessee has proven to the country that they can win in other ways than just outscoring you, and they'll take pleasure in making you want to quit.

Playoff Picture

It's still way too early to talk about the playoff, but some things went well for Tennessee this weekend, most notably Notre Dame losing to Northern Illinois. Notre Dame was a favorite to land an at-large bid, but with their weaker schedule, it will be very difficult for them to overcome that loss, assuming they don't add another later.

Tennessee also jumped to No. 7 in the AP poll this week, and while that doesn't directly influence the playoff selection, it can help with perception if the Vols continue to win.

It's a long season ahead, but an utter splattering of NC State should put Tennessee on college football's radar, and it puts them squarely into the playoff race. It's on Tennessee to have the season that puts them there.