Five quick takeaways, Wildcat edition
Tennessee was a long way from perfect this afternoon but the Vols took care of business against Kentucky 49-36, a win that keeps the hopes of an SEC East title alive. Here are five quick takeaways from the afternoon.
1 — Regrouping after tough start, offense gets in gear— Tennessee once again stumbled out of the gate only this week it didn’t turn out to be crippling thanks to a quick turnaround. The Vols had their first offensive possession cut short by an offsides penalty while they were lined up to go for it on 4th & inches from their own 30. The penalty forced a punt and Tennessee then compounded the error by allowing UK’s Stephen Johnson to get loose for a 75 yard gain on the ‘Cats’ first offensive snap of the game.
Kentucky scored on the very next play to take a 7-0 lead and based on everything we’ve seen so far this season, that seemed like a bad omen.
Tennessee didn’t let the bad start linger though. The Vols responded immediately with a touchdown drive of their own to tie the game at 7-7.
The Wildcats would briefly retake the lead at 10-7, but the Vols answered that score with another touchdown to go up 14-7 with 3:31 left in the first quarter and never trailed again.
The Vols’ ground game set the tone, boosted by the return of Alvin Kamara,. Tennessee racked up 375 yards on the ground. but Josh Dobbs was ultra efficient today completing 11-of-17 passes for 223 yards and three touchdowns.
Tyler Byrd once again tantalized fans with his talent, making the most of his only opportunity by popping loose on a quick screen to pick up 43 yards.
2 — Early down production — Staying on schedule is always important for an offense and Tennessee excelled in that area today. How good were the Vols on first and second down? Through three quarters, while building a 35-16 lead, Tennessee faced only four third downs.
The running game, which averaged 9.2 yards per carry, was obviously key in making that happen. It also likely helped that the Vols showed a little balance, passing on five of 15 first down plays in the first half (discounting goal-to-go situations). That went against type to some degree and seemed to catch the ‘Cats off guard to some degree.
It also looked like Dobbs had his most effective game with the zone read since at least the Florida game. He finished with 147 yards on the ground and two rushing TDs. He had explosive runs of 41, 35 and 22 yards and generally gave the ‘Cats fits all day long.
Also credit the offensive line for blowing open some gaping holes with some consistency today. That’s noteworthy due to the fact that the Vols started their seventh different combination up front and responded with their best rushing day of the season.
That’s even more impressive considering that Dylan Wiesman went down in the first half and didn't return to the game.
For the day, Tennessee averaged 10.2 yards per play, which is a big number.
3 — Run defense & Penalties — We’re going to lump these in together because they were by far the biggest negatives I took away from the game.
Look, I get it, and I hate to be overly critical here given the injuries, but my word. Kentucky looked like Alabama for much of the day on the ground, at least until the ‘Cats got in the red zone.
Injuries aside though, Kentucky ran for 443 yards today, the third highest total surrendered in program history. Let that one sink in for a minute.
Yes, the Vols were working just about any healthy body they had at the defensive tackle spot, but that wasn’t the only troublesome spot.
Missed tackles at the second and third levels were an issue on some long runs and it also looked like the Vols got caught in a couple of bad positions when they were sending the blitz. And without the benefit of a second look at the tape, it also seemed like leveraging the ball-carrier and setting the edge was something of a problem.
Giving up explosive plays on the ground has been an issue all season long and it certainly was today. Tennessee gave up seven runs of 20 or more yards and two runs of 70 or more yards. You won’t see a team do that often and still win by three touchdowns.
The Vols also hurt themselves badly with penalties on several occasions and probably helped the ‘Cats hang around closer than they otherwise would have.
Tennessee was flagged nine times for 64 yards on the day, two of them coming on after the whistle, personal foul penalties which are totally avoidable.
4 — Welcome back guys — Cam Sutton made his much anticipated return today, getting back on the field for the first time since the third game against Ohio. He was joined by Alvin Kamara, who’s been out since the Alabama game. Both made their presence felt.
Sutton stopped an early Kentucky drive with a pass break up on third down that he played more aggressively and efficiently than we’ve seen from a Tennessee defensive back in awhile.
Watching him, it’s staggering how much differently he plays than another other option the Vols have at corner. Sutton plays so much more aggressively in terms of press coverage and just not giving up anything easy than any other corner on the roster. That allowed the Vols do to some different things defensively in terms of pressure, but it sure didn’t slow down the ‘Cats ground game.
Kamara had a scintillating return to action, topping the century mark with 128 yards on only 10 carries with two touchdowns. He had three runs of 15 yards or longer including a 29 yard gallop for the Vols’ final touchdown of the game.
He showed the kind of burst burst, elusiveness and explosion that have made him a fan favorite this season despite wearing a bulky brace on his left knee.
5 — Red zone work — Tennessee took control of this game by cashing in its red zone opportunities for touchdowns and forcing the ‘Cats to settle for field goals on the other end of the field, at least in the first half.
Tennessee turned all three of its red zone opportunities into touchdowns and got four scores on big plays in excess of 20 yards.
Kentucky meanwhile had to settle for field goals on three separate occasions in the first half alone which led to Tennessee taking a 21-13 lead into halftime.
One of those drives stalled on the Vols’ one yard line. If the ‘Cats are able finish a couple of those first half drives with touchdowns it would have totally changed the complexion of the game in the first half.
The Vols didn’t do a ton right on defense today, but they showed up when their backs to the wall.