Skip to content

Ad Disclosure

This article/post contains references to products or services from one or more of our advertisers or partners. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products or services.

College Football

3 things I liked, 3 things I didn’t like from Tennessee’s dominant win over No. 25 LSU

Ethan Stone

By Ethan Stone

Published:

Tennessee blitzed LSU, 40-13 in a game very few expected to be as one-sided as it was.

The Vols are 5-0, including 3-0 vs. ranked teams. Hendon Hooker was fantastic once again, adding to his Heisman résumé with 239 passing yards, 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions.

All eyes are on Tennessee-Alabama next week. The Vols would solidify themselves as a Playoff threat with a win over the Crimson Tide.

One foot in front of the other. Here are 3 things I liked and 3 things I didn’t like from Tennessee’s dominant win over No. 25 LSU.

3 things I liked

1. Byron Young leads an inspired effort on the defensive line

Byron Young was everywhere against LSU. He entered Tennessee’s road matchup with 0 sacks on the year and exited with 2.5 sacks.

Young had a hand in at least 6 points in the first half with 2 big sacks. He burst through the line and dropped the shifty Jayden Daniels to kick LSU out of field goal range early. He was in Daniels’ grill again at the end of the first half, escorting the Tigers off the field on 4th down. Chase McGrath was able to connect on a field goal as time expired, entering the half up 16 points.

Young kept up his tough work on 3rd down into the second half. He blew up LSU’s first drive of the second half on 3rd and 8.

The plays that don’t end up on the stat sheet were there, too. He was efficient against the run and forced Daniels into a few bad situations throughout the game. His push alone on the line was noticeable early.

And it rubbed off on the rest of the line. Roman Harrison was able to feed off Young’s push and energy, playing easily his best game of the season.

Tennessee combined for 9 tackles for loss and 5 sacks on the afternoon. Aaron Beasley led the way with 9 tackles and 1.5 sacks.

2. Tennessee set the tone early in quarters

Tennessee didn’t miss many opportunities and set the tone early each quarter.

The Vols seemingly scored at will. Striking at the right time broke LSU’s confidence and mental game as well.

That was clear less than 2 minutes into the game. Tennessee recovered an early special teams turnover and was in the end zone just a few plays later.

The start of the second quarter was a lot of the same. Aaron Beasley blew up a Tigers 4th-and-1 attempt and Tennessee scored 1 play later.

Hooker connected with Jalin Hyatt for a 45-yard score with the best throw of his college career.

Tennessee scored 10 points in 3 minutes and 17 seconds briding the 2nd and 3rd quarters. Once again, it was Rodney Garner’s defensive front blitzing against 5-man protection and getting home for a monumental sack on 4th down. A backbreaking 8-play, 76-yard scoring drive was waiting for the Tigers out of the halftime break.

It’s very difficult to defend against a team that quells any hope you have with efficient, devastating strokes. Truth is, LSU had to play perfect game Saturday.

And even that might not have been enough.

3. Road warriors

Danny White had a message soon after taking the job as Tennessee’s Athletic Director in 2021: Tennessee is going to start winning again – soon.

The Vols had just finished their worst season in program history, were being investigated for NCAA violations and had to convince a coach to come clean up the mess that Jeremy Pruitt had left in his firing. That was just under 2 years ago

Tennessee is now 2-0 on the road against ranked teams and had LSU fans leaving Tiger Stadium with 3 minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter.

The Vols put up 503 yards of total offense and scored its largest win over LSU since 1940, when the Vols won 28-0.

Let’s take some time to appreciate the Tennessee fan presence in Baton Rouge. There were times it seemed like a home game for the Volunteers. Vols fans were chanting Bru McCoy’s name, Rocky Top was blaring seemingly throughout and when the final horn sounded there was more Orange than Purple and Yellow in the stands.

For reference, Tiger Stadium is a 9-hour drive from Knoxville.

3 things I didn’t like

3rd-down defense

For all Tennessee’s success on stopping the Tigers on 4th down, the Vols struggled to get the Tigers off the field on 3rd down – especially 3rd-and-long.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before – it starts with the secondary. The Vols are just going to have to accept that it’s a weakness and work toward damage control as much as possible.

But let’s be fair, a lot of the struggles came from poor pass pickup by linebackers Jeremy Banks and company. The line was pressuring Daniels, but most of their damage came from quick pre-snap reads. The Tigers liked to stack horizontally and found success on 3rd-and-long using big-body receivers as blockers. Other times, Daniels made an easy pass up the middle of the seam when nobody picked up the receiver.

Tennessee did, for the most part, keep Daniels in the pocket. The shifty quarterback wasn’t able to punish the Vols with his legs like he has other opponents this season. Tennessee held Daniels to just 38 yards rushing on 16 attempts.

Penalties

Tennessee finished with 12 penalties, most noticeably a few regrettable facemask miscues in the first half.

You’re not going to catch me complaining about this too often. The Vols play fast and that’s going to come with a few offsides, holdings and whatnot. Some were easily fixable though, such as the facemasks and Christian Charles’ pass interference that eventually allowed LSU its second touchdown. A block in the back following that touchdown is a rough sight to see, too.

A few costly penalties could be the difference between a win and a loss against Alabama. The Vols will need all variables on their side next Saturday, after all.

Tight end play

Or lack thereof.

What works, works. Who am I to lament about how the offense does its work? One that scored 40 points on the road against the No. 25 team in the nation, no less.

The truth is this: Tennessee doesn’t seem to trust Jacob Warren to produce and Princeton Fant has yet to show that he can. Hooker has targeted Fant, but the senior tight end struggles to reel in the catch. That was clear Saturday, too.

For now, Heupel seems to be satisfied letting Fant and Warren do their work as blockers. That’s the right move if they aren’t going to step up as receivers.

Just imagine what a receiving threat tight end could do in Tennessee’s offense. Tennessee fans may see just that next season when Ethan Davis arrives on campus.

Ethan Stone

Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.

You might also like...

2025 RANKINGS

presented by rankings

RAPID REACTION

presented by rankings