It seems easy for heavy favorites to overlook opponents.
How else do you explain Notre Dame losing to Northern Illinois? Or Georgia struggling against Kentucky. Or Michigan barely beating Arkansas State.
Tennessee could have been in the same boat. But the Vols didn’t look ahead to next week’s matchup with No. 13 Oklahoma, or even Sunday’s Morgan Wallen concert.
Tennessee kept its eye on the bull’s eye and gored the life out of overmatched Kent State by a record-breaking 71-0.
Even if Tennessee had peeked ahead, it’s doubtful the Vols would have had much trouble with the worst team I’ve ever seen grace Neyland Stadium.
How bad was Kent State?
The Vols led 37-0 after the first quarter (the most UT has ever scored in one period).
Tennessee gained a record 740 total yards, 456 on the ground.
UT had three backs rush for at least 99 yards.
And four times, the Golden Flashes center snapped the ball over the quarterback’s head on third down, misfiring more often than a Steve Sax throw to first base.
“The focus comes down from the head coach,” said Tennessee safety Will Brooks. “Nobody was looking ahead.”
Certainly not a defense that has now gone 16 quarters without allowing a touchdown, dating back to last year’s win over Iowa in the Citrus Bowl. The defense held Kent State to 2-of-12 on third down and is now 6-of-36 on third down stops through three games.
“(Defensive Coordinator) Tim Banks has done an amazing job,” Heupel said. “They’re playing really hard.”
At one point, Tennessee had 37 points and Kent State had minus-51 yards, leading one media member to put bets on whether the Vols would score more points than Kent State would gain in yards.
The final margin: UT 71 points, Kent State 112 yards – but only with the help of some garbage first downs in the fourth quarter.
“There were some things we did well,” Heupel said, “and some things we need to clean up.”
Not much needs cleaning up. It’s hard to find much fault when you outgain an opponent by 628 yards, lead 65-0 at halftime and bench your starters before the end of the second quarter.
Tennessee was so overwhelming, the Vols requested a running clock or limited time in the second half. Kent State refused, apparently unaware that Tennessee could have scored 120 points.
Or maybe the Flashes were upset that Heupel resorted to an onside kick with a 30-0 lead in the first quarter. Or that Heupel called timeout with 24 seconds left in the first half, then threw a touchdown pass.
Both calls by Heupel were unnecessary.
But such is life in the fast lane when you run a fast-pace offense and run up the score – even if it was the first half.
Heupel took his foot off the gas in the second half. By then the damage was done.
Several Vols stood out. Dylan Sampson rushed for four touchdowns – tying the modern-day record with John Kelley, who did so in 2017. Gene McEver has the record of five set in 1929. Sampson, who had his third straight 100-yard game, has scored nine touchdowns. He had eight last season.
“He’s got great vision,” Heupel said of Sampson. “He’s elusive out in space. And he presses the line of scrimmage.”
DeSean Bishop, the walk-on from Karns, lead the team 120 yards and two scores, one on a 53-yard burst.
“I’m not surprised by the way he’s been playing,” Sampson said of Bishop.
Freshman Peyton Lewis had 99 yards on 10 carries.
Two freshmen had solid outings.
Receiver Mike Matthews had two catches for 35 yards and a score, and also returned a kickoff 32 yards.
Freshman linebacker Edwin Spillman made his debut and showed flashes.
The runaway win allowed Tennessee to play plenty of young players.
That likely won’t be the case against Oklahoma.
But an impressive 3-0 start has the Vols confident.
Is UT ready for SEC play?
“I think we’re very prepared,” Brooks said.
Based on the rout of Kent State, it would appear so.
