The #23 Tennessee Vols hosted the UTSA Roadrunners at Neyland Stadium, getting a comfortable 45-14 win. While it appears that it was an easy win for the Vols, it was actually a Jekyl & Hyde performance. Tennessee led 31-0 at the half and seemingly had things under control despite a few miscues. However, in the second half, the Roadrunners clearly made the correct adjustments. They opened the 2nd half with a 15-play 75-yard scoring drive that consumed 7 minutes and 28 seconds. After a quick three-and-out by Tennessee, UTSA would strike again with a four-play 66-yard scoring drive for their second touchdown of the quarter, using up another minute and 13 seconds. The Vols would have two rushing touchdowns to close out the game, but there were a ton of mistakes made and some injuries that they didn’t need.
The Tennessee offense started the game off with a bang, as QB Joe Milton would take the first play of the game for an 81-yard touchdown run. He would also have touchdown tosses to WRs Ramel Keyton and freshman Kaleb Webb (2 rec/22 yards) in the first half. Milton would head to the locker room with 156 passing yards, two passing TDs, 89 rushing yards, and another score on the ground. The second half wouldn’t be so kind to Milton, as it was littered with miss fires and errors. The saving grace for the Vols was their running game (which they should have ridden the second half) led by sophomore RB Dylan Sampson who had a career-high 139 rushing yards with two TDs. Senior RB Jabari Small added 61 rushing yards and a touchdown. Tennessee’s leading receiver should have been Squirrel White (4 rec/29 yards) but Milton missed him not once, not twice, but three times as he streaked wide-open down the field. White did lead with the four receptions but it was Keyton who led in yards (48), which came on his only catch for a score. Bru McCoy added three catches for 30 yards and transfer Donte Thorton pitched in with two catches for 24 yards.
Outmatched talent-wise, UTEP made a change at QB going away from starter Eddie Lee Marburger (12/21-61 yards-one INT) to freshman Owen McCown. Yes, his father and uncles are the NFL’s McCowns. Owen came out red hot and stayed hot, completing 18 of 20 attempts for 170 yards, two touchdowns, and an INT. He would throw the touchdowns to WRs Joshua Cephus (7-58-1) and Tykee Ogle-Kellogg (2-46-1). On the ground, they were led by Kevorian Barnes (13 carries for 40 yards) and Robert Henry (9 carries for 39 yards). UTSA totaled just 319 yards of offense and outside of the third quarter, they just couldn’t get much against the Vols defense.
Speaking of defense, the Volunteers' defense controlled this game from start to finish and except for that 3rd quarter lapse, they looked very good. They were led by LB Aaron Beasley (9 tackles & ½ a TFL) who is the heart and soul of their defense. His numbers should be even better but he left with an injury and didn’t return. Sophomore LB Elijah Herring had a nice game with eight tackles and a TFL, while senior SAF Tamarion McDonald had a very nice game with seven tackles, five being solos, two TFLs, and one sack. Up front, it was sophomore Tyre West leading the way with six tackles, while Tyler Baron (DE), Caleb Herring (DE), and Omar Norman-Lott each added a sack in the win.
For the Roadrunners, their starting safeties, Kelechi Nwachuku, and Elliot Davison led the team in tackles with six a piece. Defensive end Asyrus Simon and DT Brandon Matterson each had a sack, with Matterson adding 1½ TFLs. CB Kam Alexander pitched in with three PBUs. Star OLB Trey Moore added four tackles on the afternoon. Offensively the Vols were just too much for UTSA’s defense, who played from behind after the very first play and never rebounded.
When looking at the score and the stats, this looked like a complete blowout by Tennessee, but it was anything but. While they won this game easily, there are a ton of things that they need to correct and fix, and the schedule only gets harder from here. The natives on Rocky Top are restless and frustrated after the lackluster wins versus Austin Peay and UTSA, with a bad loss to Florida in between. Coach Josh Heupel has got reboot quickly and get this team back on track. For UTSA, they enter conference play next week and they will be a force in the AAC. They need their star defender Trey Moore, to be just that and lead this defense. Offensively I don’t see how they don’t move forward with Owen McCown as the starter at QB. The game changed when he came in and they rallied around him. Tough loss for UTSA but it made them a better team at the end of the day.
Thanks for reading my article. I am a member of the FSWA (Fantasy Sports Writers of America). Follow me on Twitter at @HollywoodTitan, on Facebook on my IDPNation page, on Reddit in the fantasy football IDP sub — I’m user KingTitan1 — and tune in each week and listen to IDP Nation and Devy IDP Grind, the podcasts that I co-host, on several different platforms. Feel free to email or DM me with any questions that you have, as I’m always glad to help fellow IDPers. #IDPNation #IDP #IDPDevy.
