It was clear early on that Tennessee’s defense was going to take control Saturday night against Missouri.

On Missouri’s first drive Saturday night, Missouri QB Drew Lock was planning on handing the ball off to RB Tyler Hunt on a draw play. But Hunt misunderstood the play call and ran past his quarterback before Lock could hand the ball off to him. By the time Lock realized the mistake, Tennessee’s defense was in his face. Lock rolled to his right and threw an errant pass toward the sideline, right into the hands of Tennessee CB Cameron Sutton.

From there, Tennessee’s defense held Missouri’s inept offense to 223 total yards and one touchdown in the Volunteers’ 19-8 win over Missouri.

Here’s a closer look at the game.

5 TAKEAWAYS

1. At this point in the season, Tennessee looks like the best team in the division: Yes, Tennessee lost to Florida. But the Gators received quite a scare from a Florida Atlantic team with a 2-9 record on Saturday. Florida went scoreless in the first half and was forced into overtime before escaping with a 20-14 win. The Vols have defeated every other team in the SEC Eastern division (except for Vanderbilt, whom they play this Saturday) and are the only team in the division that is competent in all three phases of the game. After this season is over, Volunteer fans will look back at the loss to Florida when Tennessee’s defense allowed a 63-yard touchdown reception on fourth-and-14 with 1:26 left in the fourth quarter and wonder, “What if?”

2. Tennessee won the turnover battle and the field position battle: Earlier this week, coach Butch Jones said: “We have to generate turnovers. These games are going to come down to field position, taking care of the football, great play on special teams and not beating ourselves. And part of that is generating momentum plays and generating some turnovers.” Sure enough, the Vols did just that. Tennessee was plus-two in turnover margin. And the Vols dominated the battle for field position. Of Tennessee’s 13 offensive possessions, seven of them started at the Vols’ 40-yard line or better. Of Missouri’s 14 possessions, nine of them started no better tha the Tigers 20.

3. Tennessee’s defense is really starting to find its groove: This is the second game in a row that Tennessee’s defense has held the opponent to less than 250 total yards. The Vols held Missouri to 2-of-15 on third down.

4. Tennessee isn’t taking advantage of good field position. Last week, after Tennessee took a 14-0 lead over North Texas early in the second quarter, its offense fell into a slump. On its next four possessions, Tennessee only scored three points even though its offense started on North Texas’s side of the field on three of those possessions. Then Saturday against Missouri, Tennessee’s offense drove inside Missouri’s 25 on four of its first  five possessions, but came away with only nine points. Tennessee needs to improve in the red zone.

5. Tennessee’s conservative second-half offensive play calling is still a concern:  On third-and-7 of Tennessee’s first possession of the second half, QB Joshua Dobbs ran the football and was stopped for a two-yard loss. On Tennessee’s next possession on third-and-7 from Missouri’s 8-yard line, Dobbs completed a pass behind the line of scrimmage to RB Jalen Hurd, and Hurd was tackled for a 4-yard loss. Then two possessions later, Tennessee’s first three plays were all running plays, including a designed quarterback run for Dobbs on third-and-11. Dobbs only gained two yards on the keeper, and Tennessee had to punt. The conservative play calling in the second half allowed Missouri to come back in fourth quarter. Conservative play calling played a part in Tennessee blowing four double-digit leads this season.

REPORT CARD

Offense: (B-) — Tennessee’s offense did not do a great job of taking advantage of its opportunities in the red zone, but it did come away with points on five of its six possessions that made it to Missouri’s 25. Tennessee’s rushing attack was also effective, accounting for 248 yards, including Hurd’s 151 rushing yards.

Defense: (A) — Tennessee’s defense held Missouri’s offense to 223 total yards and forced two turnovers. It stopped Missouri’s rushing attack — allowing only 88 rushing yards — and it forced Lock to try to make plays through the air. Lock couldn’t come through because he had pressure in his face most of the night.

Special Teams (B+) — P Trevor Daniel and Tennessee’s punt coverage team had another solid game, forcing Missouri to start four dives inside its 20-yard line. PK Aaron Medley went 4-of-5 on field goal attempts.

Coaching (B) — The conservative second-half play calling on offense was concerning, but on the other side of the ball, Tennessee defensive coordinator John Jancek deserves a lot of credit for his defense’s game plan against Missouri. By allowing his defensive backs to play press coverage, Jancek put the onus on Missouri’s wide receivers to get open and make plays. Missouri’s wide receiver corps was not up to the task, and Lock only connected on 13 of his 30 passes.

Overall (B) — It was a solid win for Tennessee. The Vols’ offense outgained Missouri 347-223 and their defense forced two turnovers and nine punts.

GAME PLAN

On offense, Tennessee’s game plan was to do what it does best: run the football. That’s exactly what the Vols did, and for the most part, it worked. Tennessee gained 248 yards on the ground, and its offense crushed Missouri’s comeback hopes when it took 4:55 off the clock on its final drive.

Tennessee’s defensive game plan consisted of stopping Missouri’s rushing attack on first and second down, and forcing Lock to make plays on third down. It worked out about as well as Tennessee could have hoped. Missouri’s offense struggled to find room to run the football most of the night, and the Tigers were 2-of-15 on third down.

GAME BALLS

RB Jalen Hurd: The sophomore continues to be Tennessee’s most consistent and reliable offensive weapon, accounting for 151 rushing yards on 34 carries.

LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin: The junior was relentless the whole night. He led Tennessee with seven tackles including one tackle for loss.

INJURIES

Tennessee WR Josh Smith was banged up, but head coach Butch Jones said during his press conference that Smith should be fine.