Most coaches script a series of offensive plays to begin a game. But when Tennessee football plays against a designated patsy at Neyland Stadium, the entire game frequently looks scripted.
Fans might as well have read the script before the first play was run in No. 15 UT’s 56-24 victory over UAB on Sept. 20. They knew what was coming.
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September games at Neyland Stadium against nonconference opponents are as predictable as an I-40 traffic jam. Before UT’s latest runaway victory, the average score of nine such matchups during four-plus seasons of Josh Heupel football: Tennessee 55, Opponents 9.
Based on that, you could sum up Tennessee’s performance against UAB with one word: average.
UT has been piling up points ever since it hired Heupel in 2021. And it keeps upstaging itself. This is the first team in school history to score more than 40 points in its first four games.
The Vols haven’t just run up outrageous scores. Unlike so many good teams, they haven’t played down to the competition.
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They overwhelmed 39-point underdog UAB from the very first play and had compiled 28 points and 266 yards before the second quarter was five minutes old. By halftime, they had 42 points, 19 first downs and 352 yards.
Quarterback Joey Aguilar continued his superb play. He completed 15 of 22 passes for 218 yards and three touchdowns. Aguilar has thrown 12 touchdown passes in four games.
What happened against UAB should only confirm opinions formed by UT’s easy wins over Syracuse and ETSU or in a heartbreaking, overtime loss to Georgia. Just like last season, the Vols are a College Football Playoff contender.
Of course, the road to the playoffs won’t be a smooth ride. Once the Vols had put the finishing touches on another ridiculously easy victory, some UT supporters might have heard cowbells ringing ominously.
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Tennessee will make its first SEC road trip of the season to Starkville, Mississippi, on Sept. 27.
Never mind that Mississippi State didn’t win an SEC game last season. Or that it was a popular pick to go back-to-back at the bottom of the conference this season. The Vols have been no sure thing as a road favorite under Heupel.
Last season’s upset loss to Arkansas is the most recent example, but there have been others, like in 2023 when the Vols entered The Swamp as a favorite and left with a 13-point defeat.
Those were mild upsets. The 63-38 loss as a heavy favorite at South Carolina in 2022 was mystifying.
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After brushing aside UAB with predictable ease, the Vols are assured of the favorite’s role in Starkville even though the Bulldogs pulled off a notable upset in a last-minute comeback against Arizona State in Week 2. That victory could work to Tennessee’s advantage.
It might remind the Vols that Mississippi State at Davis Wade is nothing like a helpless nonconference opponent at Neyland. Even last season, when the Bulldogs struggled terribly, they trailed Tennessee by only 16 points after three quarters on the way to a 33-14 loss.
The Bulldogs are more threatening now.
Second-year coach Jeff Lebby is a renowned offensive coach, whose philosophy is similar to Heupel’s. He coached quarterbacks for Heupel at UCF and served as offensive coordinator for Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss and as an offensive assistant to Art Briles at Baylor.
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Baylor transfer quarterback Blake Shapen is well versed in Lebby’s system and healthy again after missing eight games – including the one at Tennessee – due to injury last season. Shapen ran Baylor’s offense for two years before transferring to Mississippi State and already has amassed more than 7,000 yards passing in his career.
The Bulldogs also have a capable one-two punch at running back with Davon Booth, who rushed for 125 yards against the Vols last season, and South Alabama transfer Fluff Bothwell.
AGUILAR: Joey Aguilar stats: Grading Tennessee football QB in win over UAB
Defense has been a problem. The Bulldogs ranked 118th in total defense last season when no other Power Four team was as ineffective against the run. Overall stats suggest they have improved defensively, but two Arizona State running backs surpassed the 100-yard mark against them.
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So, if the Vols are at their best, they could surpass the 40-point mark for the fifth consecutive game.
But an SEC road game – unlike a nonconference game at Neyland – doesn’t always bring out the best in Tennessee football.
John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Can high-scoring Tennessee football handle an SEC road test?
