Four Quick Takeaways from the Vols’ Win Over the Mocs
Credit: University of Tennessee Athletics
By Tucker Harlin
Tennessee won by the very nice margin of 69-3 over Chattanooga to open its season at Neyland Stadium.
This one was over before it started as the Vols’ starters hung 45 in the opening half, scoring on seven of nine possessions.
These are my quick takeaways after watching this team for the first time in seven months.
1. NICO’S THROWS WERE SOMETHING TENNESSEE LACKED IN 2023
Nico Iamaleava’s second start at Tennessee was a thing of beauty.
For one, his 314 first half pass yards broke Tyler Bray’s record (313) for most pass yards from a Tennessee quarterback in a first half.
Nico demonstrated exceptional pocket awareness and knew when to scramble if he felt a collapse. His shiftiness was something that Milton didn’t have altogether, and I would even say Nico looks far more natural on the ground than Hendon Hooker ever did.
He did opt for a pass on the 2nd and 6 when he had plenty of green grass in front of him. In a bigger game he runs it, but risk management is of the essence against an opponent like Chattanooga.
Going back to the passing, the throws Iamaleava made in the opening half were absent all of last season with Joe Milton III starting.
Tennessee’s third scoring drive saw two perfect examples of this.
Iamaleava hit Chris Brazzell on a 23-yard completion on the first of the two plays. This pass was in a window in the middle of the field between four defenders with a slight contest. The middle of the field was off limits a lot of times for Joe last season.
Nico finished the drive with a pass touchdown on the next play to Dont’e Thornton, hitting him in stride with a defender trailing closely. You’d occasionally see Joe hit guys in stride on deep passes, but not often with defenders draped on them.
Speaking of deep balls, he hit Thornton at the start of the next possession and an animated Bru McCoy on the next to set up a 1st and goal.
Iamaleava’s first test wasn’t a difficult one, but Austin Peay wasn’t supposed to be difficult in 2023.
2. RB DEPTH WILL TAKE THIS TEAM A LONG WAY
We knew Dylan Sampson would be the key piece to Tennessee’s run game in 2024, and he put that on display in the opener.
I really believe Sampson’s twitchiness makes him look like a smaller Alvin Kamara. He finished the day with 124 rush yards and three touchdowns with a long run of 56.
I was a little surprised to see DeSean Bishop getting reps in the first half, but I liked what I saw out of him. The Karns Beaver had a nice run in the second quarter to set up a 1st and goal where he probably scores if he doesn’t lose his footing. He finished the day with 60 yards and a score.
While he didn’t score, Cam Seldon looked good after having missed most of spring and fall camp with a shoulder injury. Seldon looks like a skinnier Jalen Hurd; very tall, bruiser of a back.
Khalifa Keith and Peyton Lewis got some run late in the game as well. Keith was able to score a touchdown late in the game.
Maybe it was something Josh Heupel wanted to try against Chattanooga, but DeSean Bishop could be worthy of more playing time.
3. THE WIDE RECEIVERS LOOK HEALTHY
Injuries were unfortunately a big part of Tennessee’s story in 2023, and the receivers were one of the positions hit hardest.
Bru McCoy and Dont’e Thornton were sorely missed at points last season after devastating season ending injuries.
Both McCoy and Thornton were among the Vols’ best receivers in the opener.
Thornton finished with a very efficient three catches, 105 yards, and two touchdowns, by far his best performance as a Vol. McCoy had six catches for 89 yards and you could tell he was a man that had been waiting a long time to get onto a football field.
Receiver isn’t a position where depth should be a concern at all in 2024, but it’s always a plus if your top guys are in their best shape.
4. THE DEFENSIVE LINE IS AS DEEP AS WE THOUGHT
I didn’t spot James Pearce Jr on the field once, and Tennessee really didn’t need him the way its line played.
Tyre West made a strong impact in the Citrus Bowl last season and he’s still riding that high to start this season.
West forced the fumble that Josh Josephs recovered to set up Tennessee’s second scoring drive. Later in the half, West recorded a bone-crushing sack and tackle for loss on consecutive plays.
We saw nice plays from some of the other starters like Omari Thomas and Bryson Eason, but backups like Jayson Jenkins and Daevin Hobbs had some involvement.
Five star freshman Jordan Ross returned the blocked punt for a touchdown, a good sign of things to come for Tennessee at the position.
