Tennessee’s overtime loss to Georgia was a gut punch, but not a knockout blow.
There were more positives than negatives during the Vols’ 44-41 overtime defeat to the No. 3 team in the country.
Tennessee proved it can compete with the elite in the SEC. Its offense is better than it was a year ago. The quarterback and receivers are better. Explosive plays are back.
The concern: The defense has taken a significant step back.
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Here are four takeaways from the Tennessee football SEC opener.
Joey Aguilar is better than Nico Iamaleava.
Before this season, I said I thought Nico Iamaleava was a better quarterback than the unproven-at-this-level Aguilar. If you rated Nico a 7 on a 1-10 scale, Aguilar needed to be at least a 6.
Well, he’s better than that.
He’s better than Iamaleava.
In fact, I’d rate him a 9 compared to Nico’s 7.
Sure, it’s only a small sample size, but Nico never had a game against Georgia like Aguilar. Aguilar was 24 of 36 for 371 yards and four touchdowns (he ran for another) against a stout Georgia defense. He started the game 14-for-14 for 213 yards, proving the moment wasn’t too big.
And even when he had a lull after the first period – 3 of 11 for 26 yards and two interceptions — he bounced back to hit 7 of 11 for 132 yards and two scores.
That showed a lot of grit, a lot of moxy, a lot of mental toughness. Not many quarterbacks could have slumped off like Aguilar and finished with a flurry.
“I think he fits Tennessee’s offense perfectly,” former Alabama coach Nick Saban said.
He fits it better than Iamaleava, whose 0-3 start at UCLA led the Bruins to fire their coach.
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Tennessee can go toe-to-toe with the SEC’s best.
Georgia isn’t as good as the back-to-back national champions of 2021-22. But the Dawgs still have plenty of talent and are plenty good.
National championship good? Not sure about that.
Good enough to win the SEC? The Bulldogs are the highest ranked SEC team at No. 3 in the coaches’ poll. And quarterback Gunner Stockton proved his mettle in his first road start in a hostile environment, completing a 4th-and-7 pass for a touchdown in the final 3 minutes and making plays with his feet to sustain drives.
And after not throwing downfield much in the first two games for Georgia, Stockton had seven completions of at least 15 yards.
If Tennessee football can lead Georgia by 14 and play the Dawgs into overtime, UT is good enough to beat anyone in the SEC.
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Star Thomas is the Vols’ best running back so feed him
Thomas, who played at New Mexico State with Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, is Tennessee’s best running back.
As a third-teamer who transferred from Duke, Thomas has led the Vols in rushing in each of the first three games and he leads the team in rushing touchdowns with three.
Thomas has more wiggle than DeSean Bishop or Peyton Lewis. He can break tackles. He can find holes. He has a nose for the end zone.
Thomas needs more carries and receptions – even if he doesn’t start.
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UT hot-strike offense averaging 21 first-quarter points
Tennessee’s fast starts have returned.
The Vols led the nation in first-quarter scoring in 2022 at about 14 points.
Thus far, the Vols are averaging about 21 points in the first quarter: 62 points in three games. That includes 21 against Georgia’s defense.
Coaches Josh Heupel and Joey Halzle have done a terrific job of scripting plays and Aguilar has done a masterful job of executing the attack.
Tennessee passed for 213 yards in the first quarter against Georgia – which surpassed some game totals against the Dawgs in previous years. UT has scored on its first possession in all five games Heupel has coached against Kirby Smart – four being touchdowns.
Tennessee football also had five touchdown drives of at least 75 yards against Smart’s unit.
How many teams can make that claim since Smart has been at Georgia?
