Rapid Reaction: Tennessee routs Mizzou as Tigers turn in embarrassing defensive effort
It didn’t take long for Tennessee to find its groove in Columbia on Saturday morning.
Mizzou got the ball first and immediately went 3-and-out. Then, the Vols needed only 5 plays to put the ball in the end zone.
The opening score came via a beautiful Hendon Hooker pass to JaVonta Payton:
Hendon Hooker with a dime to JaVonta Payton for the 35 yard TD! #Vols pic.twitter.com/AnvHDTdxrD
— ✯✯✯✯✯ (@FTBVids_YT) October 2, 2021
From that point on, the rout was on. Tennessee quickly scored again on this easy run:
Vols up 14-3 at Mizzou! pic.twitter.com/0u6dEmYyrZ
— ✯✯✯✯✯ (@FTBVids_YT) October 2, 2021
Then, Tiyon Evans had a 92-yard run where he was untouched by the Mizzou defense:
RUNRUNRUNRUNRUNRUNRUN!!! pic.twitter.com/tnp5MjDz1I
— Houston Kress (@VolRumorMill) October 2, 2021
The Mizzou offense was struggling too. Here was a really bad interception thrown by Connor Bazelak:
Let's check in on Mizzou pic.twitter.com/esFLmRp7VM
— ✯✯✯✯✯ (@FTBVids_YT) October 2, 2021
This screen pass summed up the abysmal defensive performance. Multiple Tigers had a chance to tackle Velus Jones Jr., but he pinballed his way not only to a first down, but a touchdown, too:
3rd & 12. Screen pass was low, two Mizzou defenders had a chance to make a tackle, they can't and Velus Jones turns it into a 35 yard TD for the Vols! pic.twitter.com/8f4MjhWx8x
— ✯✯✯✯✯ (@FTBVids_YT) October 2, 2021
Tennessee took a 45-10 lead into halftime. After a field goal to start the second half, the Vols gave up a 100-yard kickoff return to Kris Abrams-Draine.
This was one of the only bright spots of the day for the Tigers:
Kris Abrams-Draine 100 yards to the house! #Mizzou pic.twitter.com/NheLK9krPd
— ✯✯✯✯✯ (@FTBVids_YT) October 2, 2021
The Vols didn’t slow down, though. Even when facing a 3rd-and-18, they did whatever they wanted against the porous Tiger defense. Here’s a 24-yard TD catch by Cedric Tillman:
Vols continue the beatdown! Hendon Hooker to Cedric Tillman for the 24 yard TD! pic.twitter.com/GQwA6sgjjU
— ✯✯✯✯✯ (@FTBVids_YT) October 2, 2021
The final score ended up being 62-24 in favor of the Vols. Tennessee ran for a whopping 452 yards, led by Tiyon Evans, who had 156 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Mizzou will host North Texas next weekend. Tennessee will host South Carolina. We’ll see if the Vols can keep the momentum going. Meanwhile, we’ll see if Steve Wilks and the Mizzou defense figure out how to tackle.