The Day After: Takeaways from Game 1 of the Josh Heupel Era
Tennessee secured its first win of the Josh Heupel era and its 850th win as a program on Thursday night with a 38-6 victory over Bowling Green. The Vols broke in an entirely new scheme on offense and defense, and we share our takeaways here.
QB/WR Highs and Lows
In the first quarter, Tennessee's offense clicked off a quick 14 points while playing at a snap rate of roughly 10 seconds between each play. Joe Milton was dialed in early, connecting with his receivers consistently, but then Tennessee stalled in the passing game. Milton and his receivers had their own struggles, but overall the completion rate of roughly 48% will have to improve in SEC play if Tennessee expects to win. Tennessee had two drops that impacted this rate, although one of Jalin Hyatt's drops across the middle was the fault of each guy. Milton threw a catchable ball, but Hyatt had to slow down in traffic and try to grab the ball that came out with plenty of zip. Cedric Tillman made a circus catch in the endzone on a 50-50 ball that helped Milton's day, so it goes both ways on that front.
The concern is that Milton has been roughly a 50% passer for most of his career, even dating back to high school, and this is something Tennessee will have to improve on as a team by next week, as Pitt will be physical and disruptive at the line of scrimmage and aggressive on the backend. But, overall, the quarterback play was still better than what we have seen in recent years to start the season, and it should only improve if Milton can become more confident in his progressions. He did miss reads at times, including one to Princeton Fant that would have been an easy touchdown.
Running Backs Running Wild
The running backs lived up to their pre-season billing and were probably the best unit of the night. Jabari Small and Tiyon Evans looked confident in their ability to hit the hole, and they displayed shiftiness at the second level while also finishing runs when needed. Marcus Pierce and Jaylen Wright provided a nice compliment later in the game. Elsewhere on the rushing attack, Joe Milton was a pleasant surprise with his mobility, but he did not appear to like contact, which was a bit of a surprise for his frame. They won't get their own section, but minus a few plays, the offense line consistently controlled the line of scrimmage, which was expected and allowed the running backs to show their second-level ability. Still, we should be able to assess that unit more thoroughly after next week's contest.
Defensive Line Showed Progress and Depth
This group featured a heavy rotation, but it saw several guys make plays. Transfers Caleb Tremblay and Da'Jon Terry each made plays in the backfield and were disruptive at times. Tremblay looked healthy, and he was quick laterally, which allowed him to make plays. Look for him to be a key factor in this rotation. Despite not having high praise for him during the pre-season, Rodney Garner elected to start Elijah Simmons, and the third-year nose tackle put together a solid night. Overall, this unit played well, and they seem to be molding into what Garner expects from his unit. Sophomore Omari Thomas appears to be making progress.
Jeremy Banks Flashed his Ability
The rave at the linebacker position has been Juwan Mitchell, but Jeremy Banks flashed at the position last night. Give Bowling Green credit for moving Tennessee sideline to sideline and scarcely running up the middle, but Banks was consistently around plays, and he looked healthy. He looked more confident in pass coverage, and he could be in for a bounceback season. Tennessee utilized a lot of depth and rotation throughout the night, but Banks caught our attention from warmups.
Secondary Play
Tennessee's secondary had one real coverage issue, but it was more or less just a better scheme by Bowling Green. Overall, this unit played well as they utilized a lot of their depth to create rotation. Theo Jackson shined and earned one of our game balls. Jackson is thriving at the star position for the Vols, and if he could have picked off a pass that hit him in the hands, he would have had a career night. This group was particularly solid in run support, and they looked more confident in their coverage assignments.
Tempo
It was fun to watch Tennessee's overall tempo and how fast they played, but the most impressive part was how controlled they were within that tempo. There were no pre-snap penalties, alignment issues, or anything of that sort, which we think is one of the biggest takeaways of the night. Minus two holding calls, Tennessee did not have any real mental issues on offense.
Week Two Coming Fast
Overall it was week one, and there is plenty to clean up, but the focus turns Pitt, and it will be a hard-fought battle. Tennessee has to improve in all areas of the game, and offensively, they have to be able to extend drives and be more efficient in the passing game. The Vols will not be able to run at will against Pitt, so establishing a consistent passing game will be key for next week's Johnny Majors Classic.
