Tennessee got it done. It wasn’t pretty, especially early, but Tennessee got it done.

Sure, the Vols looked terrible for the first 11 minutes and 46 seconds of Tennessee’s 34-27 , too-close-for-comfort overtime win over the No. 17 Pitt Panthers. But, as those with sharp reading comprehension skills will note, Tennessee still came out on top in the end.

Ultimately, it was Cedric Tillman’s overtime score that won the Vols the day and just Josh Heupel’s 2nd win over a ranked team across his tenure in Knoxville. Tillman hauled in this pass on offense and Nick Patti failed to convert on 4th and Goal from the 20-yard line on the other side of the coin.

  Momentum could be a good word to summarize Tennessee’s victory Saturday. One momentum play that stands out is Georgia Tech transfer Wesley Walker’s huge stop on fourth down about halfway through the 2nd quarter.

That set the tone for what Tennessee needed on defense: Some, any pressure at all. The line had been getting more push than they had against Ball State, but it still wasn’t quite enough to stop starting quarterback Kedon Slovis from torching the Vols’ shaky secondary early. When the pressure eventually did come, Pitt’s passing attack faltered as a result.

Tennessee’s offense started to turn it around in the second quarter too. Hendon Hooker’s 32-yard connection with Bru McCoy was just what Tennessee needed after falling into a 17-7 hole early. The USC transfer had another strong outing, finishing with 4 receptions for 58 yards and a touchdown.

Hooker found Tillman a few minutes later with another deep shot, eventually setting up Jabari Small for his second rushing score of the day. With that, Tennessee took the lead and didn’t give it back.

Tennessee kept up its impressive showing heading out of the locker room. Slovis was declared out for the remainder of the game with an undisclosed injury and Tennessee’s defense took advantage.

Perhaps the biggest testament to Tennessee saying it meant business came early in the third quarter. The Panthers came up with a huge punt block on Tennessee’s side of the field, but were unable to move the ball and ended up going 3-and-out. Kicker Ben Sauls missed the ensuing field goal.

Pitt relied heavily on running back Israel Abanikanda following Slovis’ injury. His 155 yards rushing kept the Panthers in the game heading into the late stages of the second quarter.

A major question mark going forward for Tennessee resides on special teams. Tennessee left the door open for Pitt with the aforementioned punt block and Trevon Flowers’ muffed punt – which eventually tied the game in the final minutes of the 4th quarter. The Panthers were able to drive the field and punch it in to tie the game at 27.

Tennessee gave the Panthers way too many chances Saturday night. But hey, a win is a win, right?