Tennessee fans know as well as anyone not to take any season-opening win for granted.

See “2019 vs. Georgia State.”

But that was a lifetime ago. Saturday’s 49-13 win against Virginia in Nashville was a good reminder of that. The Vols looked a whole lot more like a team that picked up where it left off after having its best season in nearly 2 decades.

Here are 3 takeaways from the Week 1 victory:

1. The Joe Milton experience is still up and down

If there was an expectation that Milton would immediately look like a Heisman Trophy winner on Saturday, well, I’d say that faded somewhere in the midst of a first half in which he averaged 6.4 yards per pass attempt. He also started 1-for-7 on passes that traveled 10-plus yards. At the same time, if Ramel Keyton could’ve held on to a peak-Milton dime in the first quarter, those numbers would’ve looked much different.

Milton had stretches wherein he missed 3 consecutive targets, and he also had moments wherein he delivered on-target darts over the middle to move the chains or reach pay dirt. He doesn’t always look safeties off, but he can make up for it the very next play with either a poised scramble or a deep pass to one of his bevy of skill-player weapons.

Dylan Sampson made a man miss in space on a swing pass to record Milton’s first touchdown pass of the season, which was the beginning of a 4-score day for the second-year back. Between Sampson, the oft-targeted Squirrel White, Bru McCoy and Oregon transfer Dont’e Thornton, a lack of help will never be an issue for Milton.

The other good news? Amidst those offensive peaks and valleys, that Tennessee ground game still totally dominated Virginia. As long as Milton doesn’t start throwing back-breaking interceptions, the Vols’ offensive floor will be incredibly high.

2. What an ideal way for Tim Banks’ defense to start

Dominant.

That Virginia offensive front didn’t have much of a chance. James Pearce Jr. and Omari Thomas set the tone early for a Tennessee defense that looked like it had something to prove. The Vols had 8 tackles for loss in the first half alone. Hence, why Virginia went into the break with just -8 rushing yards.

By the time Virginia converted its second 3rd down of the game, Tennessee was already up 35-3. They couldn’t get in any sort of rhythm. That’s what you’d hope to see for a group that was loaded with returning experience in Year 3 of the Banks defense.

3. Keep those expectations in check

It’s worth remembering that as great as Tennessee looked, there’s a chance that Virginia ends up being 1 of the 3 easiest games on the schedule. Yes, even easier than UTSA. Virginia is a 3-win team that had 1 Power 5 win last year. There’s a reason why the Vols were 4-touchdown favorites, and that was never really in doubt, especially after Virginia starting quarterback Tony Muskett went down with an injury in the second half.

Still, though. Not having to sweat out a season-opener as a heavy favorite was as much as a Tennessee fan could’ve asked for.

Tennessee fans left Nissan Stadium with plenty of time to hit Broadway.