The main concern for Tennessee this week was the fear of suffering from a hangover following the devastating loss to Florida in the Swamp last weekend. As predicted in the Week 4 picks column, the Vols nearly let the Hail Mary from the Swamp beat them twice but held on for a 17-13 win at home against now 0-5 UMass.

Tennessee fans in attendance were quick to boo head coach Butch Jones and his team early and often inside Neyland Stadium, given the effort the team showing against the 0-4 UMass team, the heckling was understandable.

This photo went viral in the fourth quarter, check out how many fans left the game early despite the results far from being decided until the closing moments of the game.

What I liked

John Kelly

The junior running back continues to show he’s the leader of this program. The heart and soul of the offense ran hard all day, despite often not having any lanes to run through in the game. Kelly finished the game with 101 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Tyler Byrd getting some touches

After a lack of opportunities in the first three weeks of the season, Jones said the team needed to get Tyler Byrd more involved in the gameplan. The Vols did so early, giving the sophomore an opportunity in the running game early and throwing him the ball in the end zone — which resulted in his first touchdown reception of his college career.

Brandon Johnson emerging

The sophomore had arguably the best game of his young career. He emerged as Dormady’s security blanket on third downs and recorded a huge 66-yard catch that set up the first touchdown of the game. He finished the game with seven catches and 123 receiving yards.

Pass rush showing signs of life

Tennessee entered the game having only recorded three sacks in three games. Much of that lack of production has been credited to the run-heavy offenses the Vols have faced off early in the season, the defense hasn’t produced many pressures. That changed in a big way Saturday.

UMass quarterback Andrew Ford was consistently under pressure in this game and was sacked by Alexis Johnson, Jonathan Kongbo, Colton Jumper and Kahlil McKenzie.

What needs work

The passing game

Starting quarterback Quinten Dormady continues to struggle early in ballgames. He leaves the pocket unnecessarily at times, his mechanics and footwork, in particular, go to hell much more than it should considering he’s in his third year in the program.

Adding to the frustration of his performances over the first month of the season, for all the erratic play he displays, he shows he is capable of dropping dimes in key moments of games. Forgotten from the Florida game, Dormady threw a perfect ball to Ethan Wolf late in the fourth quarter to make it a three-point game.

His touchdown pass to Byrd was a thing of beauty. Why Dormady can’t consistently perform after four starts has got to be figured out before the season goes sideways on this team.

Redshirt freshman Jarrett Guarantano got his chance to prove something in the second half, but he failed to do much with it. He fumbled a handoff, he was inaccurate with his throws, and he mishandled a bad snap which resulted in a punt on the ensuing drive. His best throw of the day would have converted a 3rd and long, but Brandon Johnson dropped the pass.

The offensive line

Kelly had a decent game, but he was often ducking and dodging immediately after getting the ball in the backfield. The offensive line certainly didn’t make things easy on him. A line full of four-star and five-star prospects generated no push more often than not against a woeful UMass team. Considering Georgia comes to town next week with arguably the deepest defensive line in the SEC, next week could be ugly.

The kicking game

Freshman Brent Cimaglia missed his third kick over the last two games after dinging the upright in the first half of the game. The Vols switched back to Aaron Medley, and the senior converted a 40-yard kick in the third quarter.