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Halftime Thoughts: Tennessee-Pitt

Quick hitters from Tennessee and Pitt's first half.
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Tennessee and Pitt are locked in a battle in the "Johnny Majors Classic" with Pitt leading 27-20 at intermission. The first half featured plenty of action, and here are some quick hitters from the first half of play.

QB Play

Kenny Pickett is better than I thought. I gave him a lot of credit during the week, but this is going to be one of the best quarterbacks Tennessee faces all season. He is extremely efficient, and he is more mobile than I realized.

On the Tennessee side, it was boom or bust for Joe Milton. He struggled with the deep ball again, but he made plays with his legs to alleviate some of that. He left midway through the second quarter with a leg injury, and he doesn't seem likely to return. I think Hendon Hooker would have got a shot in the second half anyway, so we will see if he can take advantage of the opportunity moving forward. Tennessee has to win this with quarterback play, in my opinion, because Kenny Pickett looks like a star right now.

OL Play

Tennessee has struggled to run the ball at times. The Vols are missing Tiyon Evans, but if the Vols are going to win this one, they are going to have to be able to control the LOS in the second half. Jabari Small has yet to get going, and Tennessee needs some balance to beat Pitt. This group is working on different rotations, but they have to create some push up front.

Tennessee Defense

This group is fast sideline to sideline and they make plays, but they have to sustain. Altogether, it could have been worse in the first half, as the Vols forced a couple of field goals that are the reason the score is this close. The pass rush has created pressure at times, but they have to be more disruptive against Kenny Pickett in the second half. Tennessee needs to force a turnover to win this.

Penalties

The Vols have to clean this phase of the game up. They wasted a trip inside the red zone and eventually had 3rd and goal from the 37. They had eight penalties for 95 yards in the first half. That is unacceptable for Heupel's team, and he will make sure that is known at half-time.

Special Teams

Mike Ekeler's unit is fun to watch. They cover phenomenally on kickoff return, and I cannot remember a group in recent memory that flows to the ball the way they do. They intentionally kick it short of the endzone so they can go make a play. They have a bevy of weapons in the return game. Paxton Brooks and Chase McGrath have both been weapons in this one so far, and they will need to continue moving forward. Special teams could be key in this one.