Following a top-25 win on the road at Pitt, Tennessee returned to Knoxville in front of its home crowd for a final game before SEC play began.
The No. 15 Vols (3-0) would coast to a 63-3 win over Akron (1-2) to start the season with three-straight wins.
Let's dive into the intricacies of the matchup.
Scoring
1Q:
Vols TD - Wright two-yard run (7-0)
Vols TD - Sampson nine-yard run (14-0)
2Q:
Vols TD - Hyatt 57-yard reception from Hooker (21-0)
Vols TD - Sampson 11-yard run (28-0)
Vols TD - Hyatt 48-yard reception from Hooker (35-0)
3Q:
Vols TD - Wright one-yard run (42-0)
Akron FG - Perez 35-yard kick (42-3)
Vols TD - Keyton 57-yard reception from Milton (49-3)
4Q:
Vols TD - Merrill 38-yard reception from Milton (56-3)
Akron FG - Perez 41-yard kick (56-6)
Vols TD - Jackson one-yard run (63-6)
MVPs
Offensive: Jalin Hyatt
The star on offense was Jalin Hyatt. Up to this point in his career, the game was debatably the best of his tenure at Tennessee.
The speedy slot receiver totaled 166 yards and two touchdowns on five receptions for the Vols. This included a long of 57.
His success began early but truly shined in the second quarter. He caught two touchdowns in the period accounting for two-thirds of their scores in the frame.
This game possibly laid the groundwork for the phenomenal season Hyatt had in front of him.
Defensive: Elijah Herring
On defense, it was freshman Elijah Herring that found the most success.
As a first-year player, he saw plenty of snaps in the blowout. He played throughout the game while getting in-game action under his belt.
By the end of the battle, Herring had managed three tackles with two coming as sacks. This ability to get to the quarterback was a good sign for his career going forward.
What it meant
The win over Akron was largely unimportant. It was a blowout win over a clearly inferior opponent that was never in question.
What it was primarily used for, though, was a game to refine the team before hosting Florida. With the Gators coming to Knoxville the following weekend, Tennessee had one last opportunity to sharpen up before the big game.
Unfortunately, another notable aspect of the match was Cedric Tillman's injury. The Zips were a physical team and Tillman suffered a lower leg injury that would hold him out for stretches of the season.
With the game against Florida coming up, this was a disaster at the time as the presumably top receiver would be held out from the matchup.
*****
– TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM.
– ENJOY VOLREPORT WITH A PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION.
– SUBSCRIBE TO THE VOLREPORT YOUTUBE CHANNEL.
– FOLLOW VOLREPORT ON TWITTER: @TennesseeRivals, @TMansfieldMedia, @ByNoahTaylor, @RealTBannerman, @RyanTSylvia, @Dale_Dowden, @ShayneP_Media, @TylerIvens.
